Happy Birthday, Antonio Bay (The Fog [1979] (DVD))

Name: Nomad

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Product:	The Fog [1979] (DVD)
Date:	07/12/00 (116 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well written and directed, very atmospheric and still effective today despite being 20 years old

Disadvantages: Hard to get hold of

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The following review was written in December 2000. I have left the review untouched but have placed an update at the end to cover any changes since it was written.
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'The Fog' begins with a group of children huddled around a campfire being told a ghost story by an old fisherman: -

"Eleven fifty five, almost midnight. Enough time for one more story, one more story before twelve just to keep us warm. In five minutes it will be the twenty first of April. One hundred years ago, on the twenty first of April, out in the waters around Spivey Point a small clipper ship drew towards land. Suddenly out of the night the fog rolled in. For a moment they could see nothing, not a foot ahead of them, and then they saw a light. By God it was a fire, burning on the shore. Strong enough to penetrate the swirling mist. They steered a course towards the light but it was a campfire like this one. The ship crashed against the rocks, the hull sheared in two, the mast snapped like a twig and the wreckage sank with all the men aboard."

"At the bottom of the sea lay the Elizabeth Dane with her crew, their lungs filled with salt water, their eyes open and staring into the darkness. And above, as suddenly as it had come, the fog lifted and receded back across the ocean and never came again. But it is told by the fisherman, and their fathers and grandfathers, that when the fog returns to Antonio Bay the men at the bottom of the sea, out in the water by Spivey Point, will rise up and search for the campfire that led them to their dark and icy death."

[The town clock strikes twelve]

"Twelve o'clock. The 21st April"

The sleepy coastal town of Antonio Bay is celebrating the founding of their town one hundred years ago. But as the day begins the town experiences a series of strange phenomena. Windows shatter of their own accord, power fails and car horns start blaring.

During these events part of the church is damaged, revealing a hidden journal. Father Malone (Hal Holbrook) discovers that his grandfather, who was one of the founders of the town, wrote the journal. In it he finds the truth behind the ghost story. The Elizabeth Dane was a ship crewed by a wealthy group of lepers who wanted to settle near their town. Disgusted by the diseased colony but tempted by the gold they possessed, Malone's grandfather, along with five others, deliberately ran the ship into rocks.

During the day there are further discoveries. The crew of the ship Seagrass are found murdered, their ship adrift on the water. And on the beach a piece of driftwood is found bearing the name Elizabeth Dane, the ship wrecked one hundred years ago. But, as the light of day fades and the celebrations begin a strange, glowing fog starts to envelop the town.

John Carpenter is, by far, my favourite director. When he is bad, his films are merely enjoyable (Big Trouble In Little China, Memoirs Of An Invisible Man, Escape From LA) but when he is good we get true classics (Halloween, Assault On Precinct 13, The Thing). In my opinion, 'The Fog' falls into this second category.

Although he is mostly referred to as a horror director, 'The Fog' (co-written with Debra Hill) is actually a superb ghost story, the opening scene around a campfire setting the tone for the movie perfectly. Complete with the trademark Carpenter-scored soundtrack, 'The Fog' tells its story from the viewpoint of four main characters.

First we have Father Malone (played perfectly by Hal Holbrook) who after finding his grandfathers journal discovers the truth behind Antonio Bay. Next up is late night radio DJ Stevie Wayne (played by Carpenter's ex-wife Adrienne Barbeau) whose radio station is situated in a lighthouse which provides her with a perfect view of the fog's assault on the town. Finally we have Nick Castle (Tom Atkins) who, along with hitchhiker Elizabeth Stoley (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) gets a little more involved in events than they would like. Jamie Lee's real life mother, Janet Leigh (remember Psycho!) also appears as Kathy Williams who is trying to organise the towns celebrations.

The story flicks back and fore between these characters and in doing so there is rarely a dull moment. Ultimately the threads converge for the memorable last stand at the church. The film is well paced and although there are a few shock moments there isn't very much gore on display. The ghostly mariners are mostly only seen as shapes in the fog. More important here is the effective atmospheric build-up, helped enormously by Carpenters soundtrack (he constantly states the reason for scoring the music himself is because he is 'cheap and on-time').

This movie is full of images that stick with you long after you've watched it. The ghostly fog rolling in across the water towards the town and the DJ screaming over the radio for someone to save her son, to name but two. Without giving too much away the ending is simply superb. It's still perfectly effective after all these years and stands up well to today's so-called 'scary' movies.

Made in 1980 on a budget of less than $400,000 it was Carpenters' third theatrical project. Although it was a success when released it appears that this film has largely been forgotten in the twenty years since. I haven't seen it on terrestrial TV for several years (although when it was last shown, Channel 4 - bless them - showed us a stunning widescreen version). There is a pan-and-scan version available on budget video for about £6 but I'm holding out for the DVD (which I think is already available as a region 1 release but I haven't seen anything about a region 2 version ... yet!)

If you haven't seen it already then you are in for a real treat. If you have then watch it again and remind yourself just how good it is. A perfect late night movie, only to be watched with the lights out.

Thanks for reading.
© Nomad 2000


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Update - August 2005

Another of my top ten films, and finally there is a region 2 two-disc special edition out on DVD. At the time of writing it's only £7.99 from play.com so no excuses not to get it now.

Along with 'Assult on Precinct 13', 'The Fog' is another of John Carpenters films to be getting the remake treatment. Expect it next year. It will be interesting to see how they improve on a classic.
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Summary: A classic ghost story from director John Carpenter