The Fog (Review)
United States/1980
Netflix Streaming: No
Amazon Prime: No
A 31 Days of Halloween Special Review!*
"It's a classic, eerie
campfire ghost story."
As
the town begins to celebrate its 100th birthday, a mysterious, glowing
fog sweeps over the town of Antonio Bay. Along with the fog arrives a group
of vengeful ghosts of mariners who were killed 100 years prior.
The
Fog follows Stevie Wayne (Adrienne Barbeau), a radio DJ tracking and
experiencing the fog herself, as well as Elizabeth (Jamie Lee Curtis), a
hitchhiker who gets caught in the town's situation. It begins with a
creepy campfire ghost story, followed by a montage of supernatural
events around the town -- furniture moving alone, car alarms set off
synchronously, pay phones going off, etc. The fog creeps around its
targets choking them in a claustrophobic and blinding fog until it
finally decides to strike, seeking vengeance for their unjust deaths 100
years prior. Stevie, Elizabeth and company must avoid the supernatural
fog, while attempting to stop it. The ending was heading south, but
luckily it pushes forward for a pretty badass ending.
The Fog is
an atmospheric and suspenseful horror film. It's a classic, eerie
campfire ghost story. This is a well-rounded horror film blending
everything one could every want. A film that oozes style with an
immersive atmosphere. Suspenseful buildup before every kill, the fog
itself working as a menacing tool for the ghosts. On that note, the
ghosts are usually creepy silhouettes in the fog, and get even creepier
as the film progresses. It's almost like a very effective supernatural
slasher -- in fact, I'd say it is a fantastic supernatural slasher! And, it's very consistent from beginning to end.
The
acting is all-around great. Adrienne Barbeau delivers a wonderful
performance, really embodying a late-night DJ. Jamie Lee Curtis is also
fantastic, but has limited screen time. However, there is a little lack
of character, so there isn't much to work with when it comes to acting.
The cinematography is also fantastic; although some scenes can be too
dark, the lighting blends well with the heavy use of fog to create some
elegantly eerie scenes. The soundtrack is also excellent in creating a
spooky atmosphere -- one of my favorite horror soundtracks in general.
John Carpenter gets credit for his great directing, slick writing, and
superb soundtrack.
Overall, The Fog
is a very creepy and
effective horror film; it's spooky, scary, and very entertaining, and
offers a fantastic cast and soundtrack, as well. There isn't much
character, but that can be forgiven as it doesn't hurt the film much. I
highly recommend this often overlooked chiller.
Score: 9/10
Parental Guide: Some strong violence and blood.
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