A simple and effective horror story
Added 10/30/2009
John Carpenter's The Fog (1979) is a typical John Carpenter movie. Carpenter's horror movies are very simple. Nothing complex. This simple approach to horror really works well. His three Halloween movies fall into this category as well (Halloween, Halloween II, and Halloween III). The Fog, however, is pretty unique. I think the setting of the movie is its greatest asset. This movie takes place in the seaside village of Antonio Bay, California. The basic story is that on the night of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the town, a thick fog emerges from the bay area and comes ashore. But what also comes ashore in the fog are the ghosts of murdered sailors who want to get revenge for the sins of the town's founding fathers a century earlier. Time is of the essence, for the town's people must solve a crime that's a century old, or die. As the fog rolls in, the ghosts do too, and the eerieness level increases.
This movie stars Adrienne Barbeau (John Carpenter's wife at the time) as the lighthouse disc jockey, Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween, Halloween II, Halloween H2O, etc.), Janet Leigh (Curtis's real life mother, and the star of Psycho), John Houseman, Hal Holbrook, Charles Cyphers (Halloween, Halloween II), and Tom Atkins (Halloween III). The acting is good throughout. John Carpenter himself even appears in the movie very briefly near the beginning. In my opinion the strongest acting performance was by Adrienne Barbeau. She has a good disc jockey voice and her on-air demeanor during the fog crisis is a strong point of the movie.
This DVD comes with special features, two of which are called "Tales From The Mist - Inside 'The Fog' Documentary" and "Fear On Film - Inside 'The Fog' Documentary". There are also outtakes, an advertising gallery, a storyboard-to-film comparison, and interesting audio commentary by John Carpenter and Debra Hill.
If you want to watch a very good horror movie that is vintage John Carpenter, then The Fog is your movie. I highly recommend it. It's a good movie to watch late on Halloween night after the trick-or-treaters have gone home and the jack-o-lantern has been extinguished.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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A night at the bay that'll have you running for inland!
Added 10/24/2009
Being yet another movie that comes from The Golden Era of Horror Films, "The Fog" contains all the elements that make up a classic horror movie. It's got a great and chilling atmosphere with the mysterious fog that rolls in and out, a really cool setting with the city on the bay, great monsters that are in this case, the ghosts of the sailors, and there's even some good gore shots throughout.
Although the pace of this movie is not the fastest in a horror film, I think it's suitable to the overall atmosphere of the movie, which for the most part, is dark and surreal, the sort of tone that's set on a movie you'd watch on a stormy Friday night. By the time the movie climaxes at the end, you'll definitely feel the impact and the wait will indeed be worth it. The ending, however, is the most likely part of the movie that will be the most debatable among horror fans. I personally felt that, for the most part, it was satisfying, although it the tone of the ending was a little awkward, almost as though the writers were preparing a sequel.
With all said and done, "The Fog" is a classic, atmospheric horror movie and is highly recommended to fans seeking such a film. An ideal movie for Halloween time, be sure to pick it up in time for the 31st! Thanks for the time, and peace.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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PRETTY GOOD FOR THE GENRE
Added 8/31/2009
I have a feeling I saw this when it came to TV sometime after release in 1980. I do remember ghosts and a fog; that's about all. Picked it up at minimum price as I was on the check-out line at Borders today. Just one of those evenings when a ghost story seemed in order. Perhaps it was because yesterday, as I glanced over to a point about a half mile from where I stood, the tall buildings had their upper stories cloaked in, yes, truly, fog. Somewhat to my surprise, as the first movie I have seen in a few months, it kept my attention until the final stages; always the toughest part to script in a film of this sort. Inevitably, there was a bit of a let-down for me, though, obviously. not for many other viewers. All in all, I can recommend it for those who go for this kind of thing as a decent outing with little of the kind of cheap shot violence that takes the place of writing/directing skill.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Decent movie.
Added 8/20/2009
'The Fog' is a decent horror movie from the talented director John Carpenter. He was the guy who created the original 'Halloween' movie and the remake of 'The Thing'. The story is about a mysterious fog that envelopes a small town. The fog contains a haunted ship. The ghosts of the ship are wanting revenge from an incident that happened one hundred years earlier. As with many horror movies, one has to suspend various logical flaws and unlikely coincidences. But the movie is driven my the suspense and an eerie atmosphere. The most memorable character is the female disc jockey who attempts to warn the town of the fog. The movie has a cool ending also.
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Avoid answering a knock at your door during the witching hour
Added 5/10/2009
I am a big 70's and 80's John Carpenter fan and The Fog is probably my third favorite film from him. The horror master blends atmosphere, music and chills like no one else. Halloween and The Thing are constantly fighting for first place, but this hair-raising ghost tale is close behind those two. The setting (isolated fishing town), creepy story, one of my favorite musical scores and some revenge seeking pirate ghosts make The Fog a movie worthy of much more praise than most people seem to remember. I try to watch it at least once a year around Halloween time. It just gets me in the mood for my favorite holiday. Too bad John Carpenter hasn't made a decent movie in decades, but the three I mentioned in my review and even Christine (a pretty good effort) are horror flicks I admire everytime I watch them. They don't make them like this anymore.
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A simple and effective horror story
Added 10/30/2009
John Carpenter's The Fog (1979) is a typical John Carpenter movie. Carpenter's horror movies are very simple. Nothing complex. This simple approach to horror really works well. His three Halloween movies fall into this category as well (Halloween, Halloween II, and Halloween III). The Fog, however, is pretty unique. I think the setting of the movie is its greatest asset. This movie takes place in the seaside village of Antonio Bay, California. The basic story is that on the night of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the town, a thick fog emerges from the bay area and comes ashore. But what also comes ashore in the fog are the ghosts of murdered sailors who want to get revenge for the sins of the town's founding fathers a century earlier. Time is of the essence, for the town's people must solve a crime that's a century old, or die. As the fog rolls in, the ghosts do too, and the eerieness level increases.
This movie stars Adrienne Barbeau (John Carpenter's wife at the time) as the lighthouse disc jockey, Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween, Halloween II, Halloween H2O, etc.), Janet Leigh (Curtis's real life mother, and the star of Psycho), John Houseman, Hal Holbrook, Charles Cyphers (Halloween, Halloween II), and Tom Atkins (Halloween III). The acting is good throughout. John Carpenter himself even appears in the movie very briefly near the beginning. In my opinion the strongest acting performance was by Adrienne Barbeau. She has a good disc jockey voice and her on-air demeanor during the fog crisis is a strong point of the movie.
This DVD comes with special features, two of which are called "Tales From The Mist - Inside 'The Fog' Documentary" and "Fear On Film - Inside 'The Fog' Documentary". There are also outtakes, an advertising gallery, a storyboard-to-film comparison, and interesting audio commentary by John Carpenter and Debra Hill.
If you want to watch a very good horror movie that is vintage John Carpenter, then The Fog is your movie. I highly recommend it. It's a good movie to watch late on Halloween night after the trick-or-treaters have gone home and the jack-o-lantern has been extinguished.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
A night at the bay that'll have you running for inland!
Added 10/24/2009
Being yet another movie that comes from The Golden Era of Horror Films, "The Fog" contains all the elements that make up a classic horror movie. It's got a great and chilling atmosphere with the mysterious fog that rolls in and out, a really cool setting with the city on the bay, great monsters that are in this case, the ghosts of the sailors, and there's even some good gore shots throughout.
Although the pace of this movie is not the fastest in a horror film, I think it's suitable to the overall atmosphere of the movie, which for the most part, is dark and surreal, the sort of tone that's set on a movie you'd watch on a stormy Friday night. By the time the movie climaxes at the end, you'll definitely feel the impact and the wait will indeed be worth it. The ending, however, is the most likely part of the movie that will be the most debatable among horror fans. I personally felt that, for the most part, it was satisfying, although it the tone of the ending was a little awkward, almost as though the writers were preparing a sequel.
With all said and done, "The Fog" is a classic, atmospheric horror movie and is highly recommended to fans seeking such a film. An ideal movie for Halloween time, be sure to pick it up in time for the 31st! Thanks for the time, and peace.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
PRETTY GOOD FOR THE GENRE
Added 8/31/2009
I have a feeling I saw this when it came to TV sometime after release in 1980. I do remember ghosts and a fog; that's about all. Picked it up at minimum price as I was on the check-out line at Borders today. Just one of those evenings when a ghost story seemed in order. Perhaps it was because yesterday, as I glanced over to a point about a half mile from where I stood, the tall buildings had their upper stories cloaked in, yes, truly, fog. Somewhat to my surprise, as the first movie I have seen in a few months, it kept my attention until the final stages; always the toughest part to script in a film of this sort. Inevitably, there was a bit of a let-down for me, though, obviously. not for many other viewers. All in all, I can recommend it for those who go for this kind of thing as a decent outing with little of the kind of cheap shot violence that takes the place of writing/directing skill.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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