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Guest
Review by Lucas
Micromatis |
After
the surprise success of Halloween
(1978), John Carpenter and Debra Hill teamed once
again for a simple little ghost story, one that
has unfairly lived in Halloween's
shadow for years. Hugely underrated, The
Fog is nevertheless one of those films
that has built up a considerable cult following
throughout the years, thanks to the nonstop aura
of creepiness deftly orchestrated by Carpenter.
The film did not do that well in theaters —
certainly, not as well as Halloween
—
but thanks to frequent airings on television and
an extended life on videocassette (and now DVD),
The Fog truly stands
out as a satisfying horror film that doesn't depend
on gore for its chills. It starts with a bang
and keeps you in its grip right up until the shivery
finale.
The
sleepy coastal town of Antonio Bay is celebrating
its centennial, but the festive mood is cut short
by strange, unexplained happenings. Car lights
and horns suddenly go on in the middle of the
night, inanimate objects move about by themselves,
and there's a mysterious, glowing fog rolling
into town. Father Malone (Hal Holbrook) discovers
the tragic cause: one hundred years ago, the town
fathers caused the deaths of a crew of lepers
who wanted to settle in Antonio Bay. Now, the
lepers, cloaked by the fog, have risen from the
sea for vengeance. Six conspirators led the lepers
to their doom, six must die. The
Fog divides its action on three fronts.
Nick Castle (Night of the
Creeps' Tom Atkins) picks up hitchhiking
Jamie Lee Curtis and the two soon find themselves
on the receiving end of ghostly mayhem as they
investigate what happened to one of Castle's ships.
Father Malone discovers the truth and confides
in Kathy Williams (Janet Leigh), who is responsible
for the town's celebration. Lighthouse keeper
and local radio D.J. Stevie Wayne (Swamp
Thing's Adrienne Barbeau, in one of her best
performances) observes the fog and warns the town
of its movements. These three disparate plotlines
converge in the end, as the ghosts descend upon
Antonio Bay for a frightening climax.
Carpenter
is at his best when confining his films to simple,
straightforward plots and allowing his visuals
to tell the story. There's not much to The
Fog outside of the above synopsis. However,
the film's power lies in what is seen, and
unseen. We never see the ghosts up-close (outside
of one brief shot); for the most part, they are
silhouettes slowly moving through the fog, backed
by Carpenter's excellent and moody music score
(our favorite of all his films). Carpenter shrewdly
allows our imaginations to fill in the physical
details of what must be revolting beings. While
the ghosts use sharp implements such as swords
and hooks to dispatch their victims, the real
monster is the fog itself, relentlessly creeping
through and engulfing the town. Carpenter added
more violent inserts of the ghosts attacking,
apparently because the film in its original cut
just didn't work, but he does not dwell on these
scenes; they are mostly confined to fast cuts.
The bulk of the film relies upon mood. Perhaps
this is why The Fog
holds a soft spot to so many viewers —
while it may not be as scary on repeat viewings,
it's still a damn creepy film.
Carpenter
lined up a strong cast for The
Fog, easily one of his best ensembles.
Although she does not act with the other principles,
Barbeau carries the film as Antonio Bay's "night
light", Stevie Wayne. Trapped in her lighthouse,
Wayne serves as the watch dog for the town, warning
its citizens which roads have been overtaken by
the creeping fog. We could listen to that smoky
voice of hers for hours. Curtis does what she
can with her damsel-in-distress role, and mother
Leigh is almost too perfect as one of those relentlessly
irritating take-charge people you just want to
strangle. Holbrook is fine as the tormented Father
Malone, and John Houseman pops up in a pre-credit
sequence to tell some kids the story of the Elizabeth
Dane, the ship sailed by the lepers. All in
all, The Fog is one
of those perfect movies for your dark and stormy
nights... Turn down the lights, and ignore
the knocking at the door...
|
|
|
| MGM
once again delivers a fine special edition for Fog
fanatics. Outside of some grain (most noticeable
in a couple of the dark fog sequences), The
Fog —
offered here in both widescreen and standard versions
—
looks remarkable for a low-budget movie over 20
years old. On the extras front: an audio commentary
with John Carpenter and Debra Hill (which, outside
of a few interesting anecdotes, is somewhat dull);
a short featurette from the film's release and a
new one created specifically for the DVD; outtakes
(hear John Houseman swear!); storyboard to film
comparison; an advertising gallery; liner notes
by Carpenter, and more. But where's the trailer?
NOTE: There's a hidden "Easter Egg" on
the disc's Main Menu screen. Select 'Special Features';
once there, press your remote's right arrow key
twice to highlight a pair of eyes. Now press 'Enter'
to view behind-the-scenes FX footage.
9/02/02 |
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