The Fog (1980)

Following the phenomenal box-office success of his seminal horror classic Halloween, director John Carpenter teamed up with producer Debra Hill for a second independent horror project, this time in the mode of an old-fashioned ghost story. The end result was The Fog, a spooky romp about a dark secret that returns to haunt the Pacific fishing community of Antonio Bay on the 100th anniversary of the town's charter. Carpenter sets the mood in the film's prologue, which features grizzled old sea salt Mr. Machen (John Houseman) spinning ghost stories for a group of local children. For his final tale, he recounts the legend of the Elizabeth Dane -- a ship which crashed 100 years ago against the very rocks upon which the children are sitting.

Meanwhile, as the clock strikes midnight on the fateful anniversary of that disaster, eerie phenomena begin to plague the town as a dense fog bank creeps toward the bay. Seeming to appear from nowhere and emitting a ghostly glow, the fog surrounds a small trawler filled with drunken fishermen, who glimpse the vague outline of a decrepit sailing vessel before being brutally killed by shadowy figures brandishing hooks and swords.

That morning, news of their disappearance is relayed to the town by Stevie Wayne (Adrienne Barbeau), owner and operator of the local radio station. The news reaches the wife of one of the fishermen, city councilwoman Kathy Williams (Janet Leigh) and local boy Nick Castle (Tom Atkins), who takes a trip out to the abandoned boat to investigate, accompanied by teenage drifter Elizabeth Solley (Jamie Lee Curtis). As the day progresses, a grim series of events paints a decidedly unpleasant picture of Antonio Bay's founders, and foreshadows the ghostly retribution that awaits the town's present-day residents. When Mrs. Williams visits local priest Fr. Malone (Hal Holbrook) about a benediction for that night's centennial ceremony, he relates a ghastly tale discovered in his grandfather's journal, which details the town fathers' decision to murder a group of lepers who had planned to build a commune outside of Antonio Bay. Just as the night's proceedings are haunted by the horrors of the past, the ghosts of the murdered dead have returned to seek symbolic revenge by claiming the lives of six townspeople, arriving amid the ominous fog bank which has completely engulfed Antonio Bay. Carpenter reportedly shot and inserted additional gory scenes after the original 'PG' cut failed to impress preview audiences.

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Related The Fog (1980) Movie Reviews
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The Fog (1979) Review by MistressOf Horror

The Fog .. The story: one hundred years after a ship is deliberately misdirected so it will sink (and kill all the crew), its victims ghost return to the village of Antonio Bay 100 years later looking for r...

The Fog(1980) Review by RIP

The Fog from 1980 by the greatest horror director imho John Carpenter is my all time fave ghost film and is in my top 5 of horror films in general. I love everything about this film. The film is about a ship named the El...

The Fog Review by Norrock The Zombie Eater

Howie mates this 1979 John Carpenter movie bleeds with horror. Not to long after his not so scary Halloween; movie he gives us The Fog; in my book this movie marks the spot where Carpenter films started geting real...

The Fog Review by Moviemaven

What better way to herald the remake of an old classic than to write a review about the original? If you have any ideas, I don't wanna hear 'em, that was rhetorical. I really enjoy this film. The last time I watched it w...

The Fog (1980) Review by AgingHorrorFan

Forget the crappy 2005 remake, Carpenter's original cannot be topped! This is one of his best! It's almost 30 years later, and The Fog still holds up. It was enough to keep a teenage boy awake at night, and can still giv...

The Fog Review by Disko

Made in 1979 when Carpenter was really beginning to gain confidence in his work, The Fog sees him shift focus from the urban tension and horror of Assault On Precinct 13 and Halloween to a more supernatural (and in many ...

The Fog Review by 4thHorseman

Â Well, with the preview of the Fog during the Dukes of Hazzards movie, i thought i would go out and buy the old version. So of course i did, and i watched it the other day. So here is my review: Storywise: Truthfull...

The Fog (1979) Review by SpookshowStudios

I've seen literally hundreds of horror movies. And out of those hundreds, I've been shocked, freaked, grossed out, driven mad with suspense, tensed, gripped, appalled, horrified, terrified, thrilled, killed, a...

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