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That's the warning given by local radio DJ Stevie Wayne (Adrienne Barbeau) towards the end of the film as the titular fog engulfs the town of Antonio Bay endangering its residents. But what is in the fog? Only the angry ghosts of sailors that were killed a century before by the eventual town founders, thus cursing the town.
The Fog follows a group of people that find out about what's happening while trying to alert the townspeople and survive. They include Stevie and her young son, town resident Nick Castle (Tom Atkins) and a young hitchiker he picks up (Jamie Lee Curtis). There is also Father Malone (Hal Holbrook) who finds out about the curse and is determined to make it public, and Kathy Williams (Janet Leigh), the organizer of the town centennial who is determined to cover it all up.
This is a film that I remember having seen back when I was a kid, but for some reason had not revisited it. However, I still had some memories burned in my mind, like the shadowy silhouettes of the ghosts against the eerie fog, or a woman climbing outside of a lighthouse to escape them. So even if I didn't remember the logistics of the plot, something was done right as far as ambience and mood.
Going back to it now, after 40+ years, I was glad to see how well it holds up. The best part is indeed the eerie and dread-filled atmosphere that the film patiently builds around the curse and the potential arrival of these ghosts. Carpenter takes his time allowing us to warm up to the characters, while giving us some doses of good scares in the process. There's some real talent in the way he builds his jumpscares that works so well, without feeling gimmicky.
As for the characters, they're all solid and strong characters, even if they're not fully dimensional. I don't think the relationship between Atkins and Curtis was entirely necessary, but they do have good chemistry. But as the title says, the real star is this fog that Carpenter uses to frame this threat, while making the most of the minimalist special effects and makeup as the ghosts are mostly hidden. After all, there is something in the fog, but you just need to see the fog to be afraid.
Grade:
THE FOG
(1980, Carpenter)
(1980, Carpenter)
"Get inside and lock your doors. Close your windows. There's something in the fog."
That's the warning given by local radio DJ Stevie Wayne (Adrienne Barbeau) towards the end of the film as the titular fog engulfs the town of Antonio Bay endangering its residents. But what is in the fog? Only the angry ghosts of sailors that were killed a century before by the eventual town founders, thus cursing the town.
The Fog follows a group of people that find out about what's happening while trying to alert the townspeople and survive. They include Stevie and her young son, town resident Nick Castle (Tom Atkins) and a young hitchiker he picks up (Jamie Lee Curtis). There is also Father Malone (Hal Holbrook) who finds out about the curse and is determined to make it public, and Kathy Williams (Janet Leigh), the organizer of the town centennial who is determined to cover it all up.
This is a film that I remember having seen back when I was a kid, but for some reason had not revisited it. However, I still had some memories burned in my mind, like the shadowy silhouettes of the ghosts against the eerie fog, or a woman climbing outside of a lighthouse to escape them. So even if I didn't remember the logistics of the plot, something was done right as far as ambience and mood.
Going back to it now, after 40+ years, I was glad to see how well it holds up. The best part is indeed the eerie and dread-filled atmosphere that the film patiently builds around the curse and the potential arrival of these ghosts. Carpenter takes his time allowing us to warm up to the characters, while giving us some doses of good scares in the process. There's some real talent in the way he builds his jumpscares that works so well, without feeling gimmicky.
As for the characters, they're all solid and strong characters, even if they're not fully dimensional. I don't think the relationship between Atkins and Curtis was entirely necessary, but they do have good chemistry. But as the title says, the real star is this fog that Carpenter uses to frame this threat, while making the most of the minimalist special effects and makeup as the ghosts are mostly hidden. After all, there is something in the fog, but you just need to see the fog to be afraid.
Grade: