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The Fog (Special Edition) | Year: 1980 Classification: Horror Directed: - John Carpenter Actors/Actresses: - Adrienne Barbeau - Jamie Lee Curtis Classic ghost story, not for the nervous THE FOG (USA 1979): While celebrating its centenary birthday, a small Californian coastal town is visited by a ghostly fog containing an army of murderous spirits who take revenge for a terrible injustice. Released on a wave of expectation following the worldwide success of John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN (1978), THE FOG surprised everyone by underperforming at the US box-office. Which is a shame, because it's arguably the better of the two films. Beautifully photographed in widescreen Panavision by Carpenter stalwart Dean Cundey (who went on to Hollywood glory with the likes of BACK TO THE FUTURE, JURASSIC PARK and APOLLO 13), this unassuming 'ghost story' opens on a lonely clifftop at midnight, where a crusty old sea dog (John Houseman) tells an audience of wide-eyed children how their home town was built on the foundations of tragedy. As with HALLOWEEN, the pace is slow but steady, and Carpenter judges the shocks and scares with consummate ease, and there's a relentless accumulation of details which belies the script's modest ambitions. Jamie Lee Curtis headlines the movie opposite her real life mother Janet Leigh, though Hal Holbrook takes the acting honors as a frightened priest who realizes the town was founded on deception and murder. As the fog rolls in, the narrative reaches an apocalyptic crescendo, as most of the major players find themselves besieged by zombie-like phantoms inside an antiquated church, in scenes reminiscent of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968). Scary stuff, to be sure, though Carpenter was forced to add new material during post-production in an effort to 'beef up' the movie's horror quotient, including a memorable late-night encounter between a fishing boat and the occupants of a ghostly schooner which looms out of the swirling fog (similar scenes would be added to HALLOWEEN II [1981] for the same reasons, though under less agreeable circumstances). Production values are rock solid, and Carpenter cranks up the tension throughout, resulting in a small masterpiece of American Gothic. Recommended, though nervous viewers are advised that this one is genuinely frightening in places. MGM's region 1 DVD - which runs 89m 30s, minus the MGM logos at beginning and end which weren't part of the original film - letterboxes the Panavision frame at 2.35:1 (anamorphically enhanced). A full-screen version is also included on the disc, which utterly destroys the movie's beautiful compositions and should be avoided at all costs. Picture quality is grainy in places but OK overall, and there's a choice of soundtracks: The original 2.0 mono version (very good) or a revamped Dolby 5.1 version, which adds a little bass to the proceedings but nothing truly significant. English captions and subtitles are provided. Extras include the usual trailers and production notes, along with a couple of documentaries (one from 1980, the other recorded specifically for this DVD) and an audio commentary by Carpenter and co-writer/producer Debra Hill. Th Old Fashioned Ghost Story gets High Quality DVD Treatment A dark and eerie night. A group of children sitting around a campfire. A grizzled old man telling a ghost story at the stroke of midnight. So begins John Carpenter's "The Fog", an old fashioned ghost story about the dead returning from a watery grave to seek revenge against the living.<BR> The basic plot of the film concerns a group of sailors who were lured to their death when their ship crashed against the rocky coastline and sank to the bottom of the sea 100 years earlier. The ghosts return, enshrouded in a glowing fog, seeking out revenge and wreak havoc on the tiny coastal town of Antonio Bay. As horror films go, this is just an okay film. Carpenter does provide plenty of atmosphere and a couple of good jolts, but the movie does tend to stretch credibility to it's limit, such as the scene in which Adrienne Barbeau (who plays a disc jockey, stationed in a lighthouse)tells her listeners the movement of the fog STREET BY STREET! Does she have a bionic eye??<BR> The real reason to watch this DVD is the extras. In addition to "voice over" commentary by Carpenter and screenwriter Debra Hill (who makes it very clear every time she, or one of her body parts, appears on the screen), the DVD has two "making of" documentaries. (one origionally made at the time of the film's release and another made specifically for the DVD). There are also outtakes, the original trailer and TV spots included in the extras. All DVDs should provide such bonuses. So whether you're a fan of horror, ghost stories, or Jamie Lee Curtis, this is definitely worth a look. The Fog is a Good Film (Looks a bit dated) This film is in the era of the late seventies/early eighties new wave style horror films:Halloween/Carrie/Creepshow etc.<BR>At the time not one of the greatest but it seems to grow on you the more you watch it!!<BR>The opening sequence with the Edgar Allen Poe quote,the electronic type of music typical of the era and the atmospheric camp fire with the children.It has a ghostly seafaring feel,which draws you in. The actors typical John Carpenter (Jamie Leigh Curtis,Hal Halbrook etc.)Also Tom Atkins character who starts off very go lucky but ends up very sullen and serious!! The end scenes are truly scary and very atmospheric.Worth a second glance. Buy The Fog at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on The Fog Search with the Priority Search Engine on The Fog This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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