Trivia
The band mentioned on the radio near the beginning is "The Coupe DeVilles", which features director John Carpenter.
Share this
Bennett, the character, played by John Carpenter, is named after Carpenter's friend Bennett Tramer. They went to USC (University of Southern California) together.
Share this
Dr. Phibes, the name of the coroner played by Darwin Joston, is an in-joke reference to Dr. Anton Phibes, the character played by Vincent Price in the horror film The Abominable Dr. Phibes and its sequel Dr. Phibes Rises Again.
Share this
After a rough cut editing the movie appeared to be much too short for a theatrical release (about 80 minutes), John Carpenter subsequently added the prologue with the Old Captain telling ghost stories to fascinated children by a campfire.
Share this
Although this was essentially a low budget independent film, John Carpenter chose to shoot the movie in anamorphic widescreen Panavision. This decision gave the film a grander feel for the viewer so it didn't seem like a low budget horror film.
Share this
John Carpenter has stated two inspirations for the film, both of which are related to Great Britain. The first was the British film The Crawling Eye which dealt with monsters hiding in the clouds. He also stated that he and his co-writer/producer, Debra Hill, were inspired by a trip to Stonehenge, the ancient monument in South West England, which was covered in fog during their visit.
Share this
Bennett, Father Malone's assistant at the beginning of the film, was played by John Carpenter but was uncredited.
Share this
Blake, the lead ghost, was played by makeup specialist Rob Bottin. When Bottin asked for the job, John Carpenter asked him to "stand up". Bottin then expected Carpenter to say, "...and get out!" When Carpenter saw that Bottin was a very large man, which was needed for the Blake character, he was hired.
Share this
The Edgar Allan Poe quote at the beginning of the film is the final two lines of his poem "A Dream Within a Dream".
Share this
The role of Father Malone was originally offered to Christopher Lee who believed the character to be the 'father of the community'. However Lee proved unavailable and Hal Holbrook was eventually cast.
Share this
While driving to the lighthouse, Stevie flips around the radio dial, and a broadcast confirming a search for the ship The Sea Grass is heard. The voice mentions "a sweep south of Waitely Point and Arkham Reef". Both Arkham Reef and the surname "Waitely" are references to writer H.P. Lovecraft, as he used both repeatedly in his stories. Carpenter is an admitted Lovecraft fan.
Share this
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.
Share this
At one point during the movie, Tom Atkins' character mentions Bodega Bay. That is the scene of another horror movie, The Birds. When Tippi Hedren's character pulls into town, all hell starts to happen. In this movie, when Jamie Lee Curtis' character pulls into town, all hell starts to break loose.
Share this
John Houseman's opening monologue, which is supposed to transpire over a course of five minutes (from 11:55 to 12:00 midnight) is, in fact, only 2 minutes and 25 seconds long from the moment he mentions it is 11:55 to the moment the bells ring in the background, signaling midnight. It has been incorrectly noted in the past that this opening monologue is exactly five minutes long.
Share this
When Father Malone first discovers the journal he glances at the title page, then flips to an open page of text that is partially blocked, and seen only for a split second. The visible portion reads (with spelling errors): "[something something] my college education to work writing dumb shit in this fucking movies props, Being one. It's time to bring in the the words guide or the big tits, tatoos and shaved beavers. I know horny [blocked]s would go [blocked] some of that".
Share this
The sword that Blake carries is a Pattern 1796 Light Cavalry Sabre with an iron scabbard, produced between 1796 and 1821. Designed by Brigade Major John Le Marchant and Birmingham sword cutler Henry Osborn.
Share this
The journal's last page that Father Malone (Hal Holbrook) read when he finds it in the wall says: "April 30 - Midnight 'til one belong to the dead. Good Lord deliver us". It's a reference for Walpurgis Night, a pagan feast which happens in the night between April 30 and May 1.
Share this
The quote "like an albatross around the neck" can be heard on the record cassette in the lighthouse where Stevie Lane (Adrienne Barbeau) works, just before that a wooden piece with the word "Dane" explodes when the quote "6 Must Die" appears magically written in it. The quote about the albatross belongs to The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, created by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and published in 1798.
Share this
At 42.40 when Kathy is speaking to Father Malone she says "...I'm going to call Dr Satan and ask him to just drop by..."
Share this
Director Trademark
John Carpenter:
[names]
Characters Nick Castle, Dan O'Bannon, Tommy Wallace are all named after Carpenter's real-life collaborators from his previous films. Mrs Kobritz was named after Richard Kobritz, Carpenter's producer on Someone's Watching Me!.
Share this
Spoilers
Adrienne Barbeau's last line, "...look for the fog...", echoes the last line from The Thing from Another World, "Watch the skies." John Carpenter later remade that film as The Thing.
Share this
Extensive re-shoots were done after the first screening when director and studio executives decided that the movie wasn't scary enough. Additional scenes shot include close-ups of death scenes (specifically stab wounds), the scene with Jamie Lee Curtis and the walking corpse in the morgue, and the finale with Adrienne Barbeau on top of the lighthouse.
Share this
Adrienne Barbeau' has one scene with her son, and a climactic showdown with two of the ghosts. Other than that, all of her scenes were by herself with no on-screen interaction with any other characters.
Share this
In the last scene where Stevie is on top of the lighthouse and the fog slowly disappears, the crew realized they wouldn't be able to get the fog to roll out, so they had Adrienne Barbeau do the scene in reverse.
Share this
In the final scene at the church, Nick has Andy stand back and hide. On the wall behind Andy is a brick inscribed "H. Hawks." This is undoubtedly a reference to John Carpenter's favorite director Howard Hawks.
Share this
