The Fog (1980)

[baumer]

Discuss

[IndustriousAngel]

One of the less iconic Carpenter works. Not a bad film at all, just not a longburner like "The Thing" or "Escape from NY". Adrienne Barbeau is very good and manages to carry this rather subdued ghost story over some script shallows. The interaction via broadcast was a nifty idea and well executed. B from me and recommended for everybody who likes John Carpenter, old-fashioned ghost stories or Adrienne Barbeau. Or all of the above

[ddddeeee]

A movie I like far more than I probably should. This movie is beautiful, the atmosphere is some of the best of any horror film and the score is chilling. It doesn't really amount to more than a fairly good horror movie but there's something so alluring about it all, I always find myself coming back.Plus the intro is incredible.

[IndustriousAngel]

Just watched this again, with my son who didn't know it. The story is really a very simple ghost story but it's the radio broadcast connecting all the pieces that elevates this to a bit more than your usual soft-horror fare.And my god what innocent times when a hitchhiking JLC ends up in her lift's bed 5 minutes later ... - also, I had forgotten about the parallels to "Jaws" with Kathy trying to go on with the ceremony, completely ignoring Malone's warnings.

[TheMovieman]

Finally saw this for the first time today and really liked the hell out of it. Tense from beginning to end and a good ghost story all around. This just might become something to watch every Halloween along with, well, Halloween.

 

****¼/*****, (A-, 8.5/10, 3.5/4)

[K1stpierre]

Just saw this last night and got all my thoughts in order: To say it in a brief way and straight-forward, it's most definitely not one of John Carpenter's best (doesn't really stand close to me), but at the same time that's not a diss towards the movie itself as that's a pretty high pedistool to be on. Overall the movie was I'd say okay, there were things I liked and things I didn't like/or just didn't connect with me. I think the biggest negative about the movie for me were really characters. I just found to be not really be interesting and pretty plain. For example I found Elizabeth and Nick's relationship to just be odd and weird. A hitch-hiker grabs a ride with a random stranger (this isn't a really a diss but more just a difference for me as I'm obviously born in a much different time era where one would never really think to do that whereas back then it was more common?) and then hours later just sleeps with him......but they don't even know each other's names (the scene clearly shows they're in bed and he asks her what her name is....I'm like.....uuuuh....what?). It's hard to really pick any character I cared for as even Stevie's character, who probably had the more brighter spots, also had moments where I was wondering why she was doing what she was doing. I mean, why is she calling from her light house for someone to save her son over and over and over, not even knowing if anyone is listening or even taking her seriously (she was after all illustrated as somewhat of a joker) because really at the time no one in the town knew anything of what was going on except for her and Nick, and Elizabeth (and more than likely Malone). So, in fact from a writing and script point that kind of doesn't make any sense for her to freak out on the radio like that, as most people who were listening would think she's more than likely losing it. Instead, she should of just ran out and went to get her son out herself like any panicked mom would do. 

 

And seriously.........people seriously just love opening doors that have an ominous banging coming from the other side. There's creepy ass fog, creepy knocking at the door, and these people just shrug their shoulders and widely open their door. Couldn't you at least checked the window first, I mean hello Stranger Danger anyone? And before anyone gets on me about my fog comment, no I didn't mean "pfff, clearly you never answer the door when there's fog outside as there's clearly spooky ghosts out" but what I meant was that with fog it obviously makes it harder to see whose out there thus momentarily blinding your sight. It just really would of made more sense to just not opening the freaking door (especially the old baby sitter).

 

But with that said, it did have a creepy vibe at times and even though the graphics weren't great it didn't at least take me out of the story I was watching. The film despite some fall backs did at least hold my attention through out and had me wanting to know why things were happening and how everything was going to end, which didn't disappoint me.

 

Overall, I'd give this a 6.5/10 and a letter grade of a C+ (was on the fence between C+ or B-, but I had to be true to myself) which kind of makes me hurt since I like good old Carpenter, but this one just didn't come anywhere close to his other works. It says a lot when after you think to yourself, do I itch to see that movie again? And my thought it, eh.....not really. 

 

As I said I would, tagggin ya @Baumer

[baumer]

I just saw it for the first time in a decade and I liked it much more this time around.  For starters, it has one hell of a cast.  The trifecta from Halloween, Janet Leigh, Adrienne Barbeau and Tom Atkins.  Awesome stuff.  Very atmospheric and some good intense scenes.  It needed more gore and more killing and it needed perhaps ten more minutes and this would have been up there with Halloween.  It's a solid 8/10.