The Fog (1980)

An unearthly fog rolls into a small coastal town exactly 100 years after a ship mysteriously sank in its waters.

Director:

John Carpenter

Writers:

John Carpenter, Debra Hill

Stars:

Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Janet Leigh

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Adrienne Barbeau	...	Stevie Wayne
Jamie Lee Curtis	...	Elizabeth Solley
Janet Leigh	...	Kathy Williams
John Houseman	...	Mr. Machen
Tom Atkins	...	Nick Castle
James Canning	...	Dick Baxter
Charles Cyphers	...	Dan O'Bannon
Nancy Kyes	...	Sandy Fadel (as Nancy Loomis)
Ty Mitchell	...	Andy Wayne
Hal Holbrook	...	Father Malone
John F. Goff	...	Al Williams (as John Goff)
George 'Buck' Flower	...	Tommy Wallace
Regina Waldon	...	Mrs. Kobritz
Jim Haynie	...	Dockmaster
Darrow Igus	...	Mel

Storyline

Against the backdrop of spine-chilling stories of drowned mariners and a 100-year-old shipwreck lying on the bottom of the sea, the peaceful community of the coastal town of Antonio Bay, California is making preparations to celebrate its centennial. However--as strange supernatural occurrences blemish the festivities--an impenetrable opaque mist starts to shroud the seaside village, leading to unaccountable disappearances and the spilling of warm bright-red blood. One long century ago, a hideous crime was committed by the town's elders. Now, the restless dead have returned for revenge, demanding justice. Is there something evil lurking in the fog?

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Plot Keywords:

fog | ghost ship | lighthouse | cult director | revenge | 

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Taglines:

John Carpenter's tale of vengeance beyond the grave...

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Carpenter: [names] Characters Nick Castle, Dan O'Bannon, Tommy Wallace are all named after Carpenter's real-life collaborators from his previous movies. Mrs. Kobritz was named after Richard Kobritz, Carpenter's producer on Someone's Watching Me! (1978).

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Goofs

A Ford Country squire station wagon has its headlight doors open, which would be true if the lights were on, but they are not. For no apparent reason, in the next scene, the headlight doors are closed.

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Quotes

Mr. Machen: 11:55, almost midnight. Enough time for one more story. One more story before 12:00, just to keep us warm. In five minutes, it will be the 21st of April. One hundred years ago on the 21st of April, out in the waters around Spivey Point, a small clipper ship drew toward land. Suddenly, out of the night, the fog rolled in. For a moment, they could see nothing, not a foot in front of them. Then, they saw a light. By God, it was a fire burning on the shore, strong enough to penetrate the swirling ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in We Are Still Here (2015)

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Soundtracks

Stagione Vivaldiana
(uncredited)
Music by Alessandro Brugnolini, Giancarlo Gazzani, Stefano Torossi, Giovanni Tommaso and Massimo Catalano

User Reviews

Old-fashioned horror movie works like a charm

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.

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 February 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

John Carpenter's The Fog

Filming Locations:

Farm House Restaurant - 10005 Highway One, Olema, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$39,565, 28 October 2018

Gross USA:

$21,448,782

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$21,448,782

Company Credits

Production Co:

AVCO Embassy Pictures, EDI, Debra Hill Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1