The 1980 supernatural horror classic,
The Fog, directed by John Carpenter, will always hold a special place in my heart as one of the movies from my childhood that served as a gateway to my lifelong love of scary cinema. I was too young to see this film upon its theatrical release when I was eight years old, but I clearly remember the terrifying commercial trailers that were a constant during that time. My initial viewing a couple of years later was by way of a television airing that thankfully left most everything intact, since the original cut of the film relies heavily on imagination in lieu of graphic violence.
Despite its R rating, I still consider
The Fog to be a movie suitable for kids. A remarkable opening sequence, where an elderly captain tells a ghost story to children around a seaside bonfire and describes a ship that crashed against the rocks along the shore, sets the stage for the effective eeriness to follow. A century has passed since that tragedy, but the idyllic coastal town of Antonio Bay will soon be revisited by the ship's crew, all of whom are seeking vengeance for a past injustice that led to their deaths. The unnerving events that follow, as a mysterious glowing fog rolls in from the ocean, are the stuff of nightmares, complete with images of shadowy wraith figures that stalk the living with hooks and swords. One particular scene, where the ghastly assailants surround a man, woman, and child in a stuck vehicle, made quite a mark on my young psyche.
John Carpenter helmed
The Fog right on the heels of his hugely successful low-budget landmark,
Halloween, this time using anamorphic widescreen that gives the endeavor a more expansive and expensive look. Jamie Lee Curtis, who starred as the heroine of
Halloween, appears here as a vastly different character, a free-spirited hitchhiker who befriends a local played by Tom Atkins. Nancy Loomis, who was also featured as one of the unfortunate babysitters in
Halloween after having also starred in Carpenter's
Assault on Precinct 13, shines in a supporting role as a character who assists a local organizer, played by Janet Leigh, during a town centennial celebration. Be on the lookout as well for Darwin Joston, also seen in
Assault on Precinct 13, as a local doctor during a morgue sequence.
During my first time watching this film, my childhood self thought that a radio DJ, played by Adrienne Barbeau, had the coolest job in the world, because she worked from a shore lighthouse accessible by a massive stairway down to the beach. I was also mesmerized by the stone mason church setting where Father Malone, played marvelously by Hal Holbrook, finds a diary from his grandfather, who took part in a wrongdoing that has drawn the ghost sailers back to the location.
I still revisit
The Fog every couple of years, always overjoyed that the story has lost none of its unrelenting menace. The visual strengths are drawn from fears that are hardwired into our younger selves from birth, namely of darkness, shadows, and nighttime knocks on the door. Since these fears stay with us for the rest of our lives, this movie never ages.
The Scream Factory 4K UHD Blu-ray is wonderful in all regards. The transfer has never looked or sounded better.
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