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IMDb > The Fog (1980)
The Fog
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Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   15,439 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 5% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
John Carpenter
Writers:
John Carpenter (written by) and
Debra Hill (written by)
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Fog on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
8 February 1980 (USA) more
Tagline:
What you can't see won't hurt you... it'll kill you! more
Plot:
A Northern California fishing town, built 100 years ago over an old leper colony, is the target for revenge by a killer fog containing zombie-like ghosts seeking revenge for their deaths. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
1 win & 2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(31 articles)
Drawing on Your Nightmares: After Crypticon
 (From Dread Central. 22 June 2009, 12:56 AM, PDT)

Crypticon Invades Seattle June 5, 6 and 7
 (From Twitch. 29 May 2009, 2:16 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
Old-fashioned horror movie works like a charm more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
John Carpenter's The Fog (USA) (complete title)
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Runtime:
89 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) (original rating) | Canada:PG (Ontario) (re-rating) (2002) | Iceland:16 | West Germany:16 (f) | Denmark:15 | USA:R (Approved No. 25792) | Netherlands:16 | Italy:T | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Norway:16 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Canada:PG (Ontario)
Filming Locations:
Altadena, California, USA more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
As Stevie calls out the progress of the fog through town over the radio, she mentions Russelville road and Smallhouse road. These are two prominent streets in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where John Carpenter spent time growing up. more
Goofs:
Continuity: In the coroners office, Elizabeth's hair is shorter than it is in the rest of the movie, and she's wearing sneakers as opposed to her boots more
Quotes:
Nick Castle: Do you feel that?
Dr. Phibes: I'll tell you what happened...
Nick Castle: It just got cold in here.
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FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
52 out of 60 people found the following comment useful:-
Old-fashioned horror movie works like a charm, 1 April 2005
6/10
Author: Libretio

THE FOG

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Panavision)

Sound format: Mono

While celebrating its centenary birthday, a small Californian coastal town is visited by a ghostly fog containing an army of murderous spirits who take revenge for a terrible injustice.

Released on a wave of expectation following the worldwide success of John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN (1978), THE FOG surprised everyone by generating only moderate returns at the US box-office, though it's arguably the better of the two films. Beautifully photographed by Carpenter stalwart Dean Cundey (BACK TO THE FUTURE, JURASSIC PARK, etc.), this unassuming 'ghost story' opens on a lonely clifftop at midnight, where crusty old sea dog John Houseman tells an audience of wide-eyed children how their home town was built on the foundations of tragedy. As with HALLOWEEN, the pace is slow but steady, punctuated by a series of well-judged scares, and there's a relentless accumulation of details which belies the script's modest ambitions.

Jamie Lee Curtis headlines the movie opposite her real life mother Janet Leigh, though Hal Holbrook takes the acting honors as a frightened priest who realizes the town was founded on deception and murder. As the fog rolls in, the narrative reaches an apocalyptic crescendo, as the film's principal cast are besieged by zombie-like phantoms inside an antiquated church, in scenes reminiscent of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968). Scary stuff, to be sure, though Carpenter was forced to add new material during post-production in an effort to 'beef up' the movie's horror quotient, including a memorable late-night encounter between a fishing boat and the occupants of a ghostly schooner which looms out of the swirling fog (similar scenes would be added to HALLOWEEN II in 1981 for the same reasons, though under less agreeable circumstances). Production values are solid, and Carpenter cranks up the tension throughout, resulting in a small masterpiece of American Gothic. Highly recommended.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Fog (1980)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
What did the zombie draw? jrpelt
Leper Ghosts, Yes. Elevator Music, No. mlifrevol
The Fog-actions Fiskebolle
Movies with atmosphere like this Groovy_
What is more scary? chrismax2
SHIPWRECK INSPIRATION FOR THE FOG makingston
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