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The Fog (1980)

John Carpenter’s The Fog (1980) is set in a northern California fishing town of Antonio Bay. The citizens of Antonio Bay are set to celebrate their centennial but a mysterious fog may put a damper on those plans.

On the night before the town’s celebration, a group of children seat around a campfire on a beach, entertained by ghost stories told by old Mr. Machen, the resident elderly fisherman. The story is being told is actually the history of the town.

Across town Father Malone finds a mysterious diary. It discovers it to be that of his great grandfather, a founder of Antonio Bay. When two women, who are on the town’s planning committee for the celebration of their anniversary, Father Malone relates the story to them.

The diary reveals a dark secret unknown to the current inhabitants where, in 1880, six of the founders of Antonio Bay deliberately sand and plundered the Elizabeth Dane, a clipper ship owned by Blake, a wealthy man with leprosy who wanted to establish a colony near Antonio Bay. The six conspirators lit a fire on the beach near treacherous rocks, and the crew of the clipper deceived by the false beacon, crashed upon them. Everyone aboard the ship perished. The six conspirators were motivated by greed and disgust a the notion of having a leper colony nearby.

Later that night, three local fisherman are gruesomely murdered by a supernatural figures hidden in a fog. At the same time, Nick Castle drives down a country road and picks up a hitchhiker named Elizabeth who claims to be on her way to Vancouver. While the two drive towards town, the radio and headlights of the car start to fail and the windows are blown out. After Nick and Elizabeth reach Nick’s coastal  home and are relaxing, they hear a heavy knock at the door. Making his way to open the door, Nick sees an odd light shinning outside illuminating a shadowy figure. As a clock strikes 1am, its face suddenly cracks just as Nick opens the door only to discover nobody there. The mysterious fog has dissipated as well.

The following morning while DJ Stevie Wayne sleeps, her young son finds a piece of driftwood along the shore. He returns home and shows the broken plank to his mom. Intrigued by the piece, Stevie takes it with her to the lighthouse where she is preparing for her next show. She sets the plank on top of the tape player that is playing promotional spots and while she’s momentarily distracted, the plank begins to seep water. The water spreads out and causes the tape player to short. Suddenly Blake’s voice emerges from the tape player swearing revenge.

Nick and Elizabeth charter a boat and embark on a search for the missing fishing boat, the Sea Grass. Soon they find the boat but it is deserted. As they go below, Elizabeth finds the eyeless corpse of Dick Baxter, the youngest of the three fishermen. At the corner’s office, Dick Baxter’s body momentarily re-animates by a ghost. It rises from the table, grabs a scalpel and walks over to Elizabeth. She screams and the body drops to the floor, lifeless once again. Elizabeth’s screams bring Nick and the corner rushing back into the room where they see that the corpse has scratched the number three into the floor.

As Antonio Bay begins its celebration, Dan, the local weatherman, and Stevie talk over the phone. Stevie expresses her apprehension about the strange glowing fog that is moving toward the town. Dan hears a knock at his door and despite Stevie’s protest not to open the door, Dan does. A ghost impales him through the throat with a hook.

The ghosts of the fog cut the phone lines as well as sabotage the power for the entire town just as Stevie begins her radio broadcast. She is begging someone to get to her house and save her son as she sees the fog rolling up to the house. Nick and Elizabeth hear this over the truck radio and go to help. nick arrives just in time and take Andy out of the house.

As the celebration in town comes to an end, Kathy and her assistant drive home in the same car. When they turn on the radio, they hear Stevie repeatedly telling people to stay away from the fog as it is dangerous. When the fog appears, Kathy and her assistant drive away from it. They hear Stevie saying the only safe place is the church. Kathy, her assistant, Nick and Elizabeth all go to the church where Father Malone is. They hide in a small back room where Kathy and Father Malone find some of the stolen gold which has been melted into a cross. Father Malone grabs the cross and confronts the Blake’s ghost.

Blake’s ghost grabs the golden cross and it starts to glow becoming brighter and brighter. Suddenly Blake’s ghost and the other ghosts suddenly vanish. The fog disappears and the town’s people are saved. Later that night, Father Malone sits alone in the church. He ask himself why Blake didn’t take him. At that moment the fog reappears with Blake and his men. Black swings his sword. *Screen fades to black*

Following on the the heels of Halloween, John Carpenter had another hit on his hands. And Jamie Lee Curtis once again proved she wasn’t America’s favorite sweetheart, but she was quickly becoming America’s favorite scream queen.

I like the original version of The Fog. Jamie Lee Curtis is a delight to watch on screen but this time her character is not quite so native. She’s a little bit edgier and a little bit wiser. But this time she’s not the sole focal point for the story. Sharing the spotlight is Adrienne Barbeau; another scream queen favorite of mine.

And while I’m not a fan favorite of Tom Atkins, I like his performance better here than in Halloween III: Season of the Witch.

Mitchell Wells

Founder and Editor in Chief of Horror Society. Self proclaimed Horror Movie Freak, Tech Geek, love indie films and all around nice kinda guy!!

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