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The Fog (1979)

Reviewed by Carl
Posted on November 7, 2005 
Filed Under Ghosts, Slashers

There seems to be a thing for John Carpenter remakes at the moment, with this year seeing a big-budget version of ‘Assault on Precinct 13′ and next year the (British) release of The Fog. There were high-hopes of The Fog at the time of it’s release, following as it did Carpenter’s seminal classic, ‘Halloween’ (readers will forgive me for overlooking his immediate successive offering - Elvis: The Movie - in this regard, though I suppose Kurt Russell as The King might conceivably be described as a form of horror). To be fair to Carpenter he doesn’t do a bad job here, and though The Fog lacks the searing impact of Halloween it suceeds in offerering up a more contemplative and developed story, with the trademark atmospherics and effects that you’d expect from his (early) offerings.

Unlike Halloween, where the terror is styled as unfathomable and unrelenting, The Fog is presented as a good, old-fashioned ghost story (literally, with a great little camp-fire intro. by Mr. Malten, a sea-dog who could be straight from the ship of the Sea Captain in The Simpsons). This works well though as Carpenter has the good sense to ground his simple tale in a very simple setting. His talent for straining the maximum effect out of his environment is no less obvious here than it was in Halloween, with Antonio Bay and its environs (most especially the lighthouse) appearing instantly as troubled and haunting places, visually stunning yet oppressively confining (think The Wicker Man and you’ll not be far wrong). Once the fog itself descends this fear becomes even more heightened, and though each of the main characters has a car and could thus flee (a rarity in horrors) you just know that the town itself holds them captive as much as the curse which precipitates its downfall.

Perhaps because the visuals and atmospherics are so attuned Carpenter spends less time on character development, which does hold the film back a little. Fans of Halloween will be happy to see several of its stars retained here, with Charles Cyphers and Janet Leigh to pick a couple (Trivia buffs might also note that Tom Atkins - star of Halloween III - is also included). It’s very surprising that more use wasn’t made of Jamie Lee Curtis considering what she achieved for Carpenter in Halloween but as the film suffers from rather two-dimensional characters as a whole then at least she’s not singled out for it.

This doesn’t hold the film back though as the inherent momentum of the plot, coupled with Carpenter’s eye for where a shadow should be placed to derive maximum effect, are enough to keep the viewer engaged. It’s also nice to see the action kick-off almost immediately, with the leper sailors making no attempt to hide in the shadows or subtly stalk their prey (I love the fact that they have the good manners to knock before smashing down the door and killing people). Again, this works admirably when done by Carpenter and it’s quite refreshing after the unbearable twists and turns that Michael Myers takes before lancing his foes. Here it’s not quite Shock Waves but it’s not a million miles off either. I’ve not seen the remake yet and, as a rule, I’m not one to judge before I watch a film. Having said that the original is often overlooked by movie goers because of the success of Halloween, so I’d urge everyone to watch this before rushing out to the cinema to see the new version (even if you are only going to watch the rather attractive blonde from Lost) Stick with this and you even get an excellent early use of the now overutilised stop-start ending. What more could you want from a film?

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