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The little town of Antonio Bay is preparing for its centenary
celebrations, but it has a dark secret. 100 years before,
the Elizabeth Dane ship, lost in a thick bank of fog, crashed
on the rocks at Spivey Point, misdirected by a campfire intended
to ground the vessel. The vicar of the church discovers the
diary of Father Patrick Malone, when a brick falls from the
wall of his vestry. The writings give credence to the possibility
of the fog returning, bringing back the dead crewmen seeking
revenge for cold-hearted betrayal ("Midnight till one belongs
to the dead."). Stevie Wayne is a single mother who runs a
radio station from the lighthouse at Antonio Bay. Kathy Williams
learns from the vicar about the town's curse and considers
the celebrations a sham. However, for the sake of the people
she is persuaded to go through with them regardless. The fishing
trawler, The Sea Grass is the first subject of retribution,
when an ancient ship emerges from a ghostly glowing fog and
barely seen figures butcher the handful of men. During a candlelit
vigil held by the town, the fog rolls in along the coastline.
Stevie Wayne warns the people via her radio station, and stays
at her post to report on its curiously purposeful direction
("There's something in the fog!"). She tell the fleeing people
to congregate at the church, but is besieged herself at the
lighthouse. The church proves to be the focal point, as the
stolen gold being transported by the Elizabeth Dane was forged
into the large cross which adorns the church. Then the figures
emerge from the fog...
This
was John Carpenter's next film following the phenomenal success
of Halloween. Although The Fog proved to be
less of a milestone, it is an extremely effective film simply
told. Writer/producer/director/composer, John Carpenter is
in my opinion the master of the small budget film, having
released gems such as Assault On Precinct 13, Escape From
New York, They Live, and Prince of Darkness, to
name but a few. But he's obviously philosophical about his
track record, quoted as saying, "In France I'm known as an
auteur, in England I'm a horror director, and in America I'm
a bum." Indeed, many of his films at best made little or no
impact at the time of their first outing, but subsequently
gained huge followers. Carpenter wryly attributes this to
his being constantly ahead of the times. So, at the time that
this film was in production he would only be beginning to
realise Halloween's impact.
Being
a huge appreciator of the man's work I could quite easily
spout off until the cows come home (do cows ever go away?)
about the life and times of John Carpenter (I feel a book
coming on!). Instead, here are a few interesting facts about
The Fog. When Carpenter and producer partner Debra
Hill watched the rushes they felt the finished product was
not frightening enough, and so several additional scenes were
shot, including the supernatural occurrences which take place
at the witching hour. Many times Carpenter has enjoyed Hitchcock-like
cameos is his movies. In The Fog he has a brief talking
part as the church handyman. Some music introduced by Stevie
Wayne as The Coupe de Villes is in reality a jamming band
formed by Carpenter, of which he is a part.
Jamie
Lee Curtis returns to the Carpenter fold after her film debut
in Halloween; this time she plays an older character
and shares the credits with her mother Janet Leigh of Psycho
fame. Oscar winner John Houseman is also on the cast, but
the biggest plaudits should go to Adrienne Barbeau as the
sultry-voiced Stevie Wayne, who manages just the right balance
of calmness and urgency. In fact, there are very few weak
female characters in Carpenter films, which is something he
respected from the product of his hero, Howard Hawks. Aside
from Curtis, a couple of other actors from Halloween
return here: Nick Castle (who played Michael Myers/the Shape)
is Tom Atkins, and Nancy Loomis (killed in her own bed) is
Sandy Fadel. Dan O'Bannon, who collaborated with Carpenter
on the black comedy science fiction Dark Star, appears
as Charles Cyphers.
The pacing of this movie is spot on, with early shocks and
scares being only part of the steady build-up to the church
siege conclusion. The dead mariners from the Elizabeth Dane
are kept in darkness or backlit in the fog so that they are
nearly always seen in silhouette, the active principle being
that less is more. John Carpenter has recorded many memorable
soundtracks for his movies, but never before has a score lifted
and enhanced the effect to this degree; it is almost as good
as the film itself.
Obviously,
this is not the first time The Fog has been released
on video; however, like before, it is still inexplicably being
put out under a 15 certificate with nearly five minutes of
original footage cut. The film can still be enjoyed easily
enough, but why settle for this when you can buy the currently
available region 1 dvd special edition, featuring standard
and widescreen formats, as well as a digitally enhanced 5.1
sound and a host of other extras? That format deserves a 10,
but the marks for this video are for the film and music composition
only, because nothing more has been attempted with this release.
Ty
Power
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