I happened to see the remake of this film before the original. Often in context a flawed movie will seem much better when compared to a similar, but inferior, production. This is the case when viewing THE FOG of 1980 against the remake. The original has an E.C. Comics, Stephen King, campfire ghost tale vibe. The redux takes all the good elements of the original and abandons them for pseudo-slick scare moments. Cool effects don't make things naturally better.
The Northern California fishing town of Antonio Bay was founded on the plundered wealth of a rich leper sailor naked Blake. As the town celebrates its centennial, an eerie fog moves into town carrying with it the zombie-like specters of Blake's vessel the Elizabeth Dane. The ghosts have come looking for the descendants of the six original conspirators against them. Sucked into this otherworldly game of revenge are: Stevie Wayner (Adrienne Barbeau, CREEPSHOW), a DJ who works out of the town's lighthouse; Nick Castle (Tom Atkins, LETHAL WEAPON), a local fisherman, who picks up pretty, young hitchhiker Elizabeth Solley (Jamie Lee Curtis, PROM NIGHT); Kathy Williams (Janet Leigh, PSYCHO), an aging socialite, who is planning the town's celebrations; Sandy Fadel (Nancy Loomis, HALLOWEEN), Mrs. Williams' assistant; drunk Father Robert Malone (Hal Holbrook, WALL STREET); and Dan O'Bannon (Charles Cyphers, THE ONION FIELD), the weather station operator, who has a thing for Stevie.
Various plotline meld together as the story advances. Most of the characters have no connection until the supernatural events bring them together. Unlike the remake, which tries to "develop" the characters by interconnecting them, this film has a broader feel, because it seems to be affecting the entire town instead of a select group of inhabitants. In this sense, it feels like a Stephen King story like THE STAND or THE MIST. The film begins with Mr. Machen (John Houseman, THE PAPER CHASE) telling a ghost story about the town to a group of children including Stevie's son. It sets the film off with a classic horror vibe that I liked. As for the scares, there is gore (director John Carpenter actually went back and add more in after the release of SCANNERS upped the ante on gross), but it doesn't replace pacing. In all of his films, Carpenter knows how to pace the action to create maximum tension. He never telegraphs cheap boo moments like the remake.
Though some consider it a minor horror classic, the film isn't anything really more than an entertaining ghost/zombie flick. Tone and atmosphere make this film effective. This film was made when adults populated the world of horror films, not just teens. Horror was an R-rated genre, not PG-13. This film, while not trail blazing, never panders to its audience. It sets out to tell a simple, scary ghost story and does so successfully.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
