In 1978, On a budget of $325 000 (and eventually grossing over $50 000 000 worldwide, between box office and domestic and foreign distribution receipts) , director John Carpenter and screenwriter Debra Hill sliced their way to the forefront of horror with the classic Halloween. Based on that success (which was so surprising to John himself that he had to be informed of it by Avis: "Success? What success? It tanked!"), Avis Embassy Pictures offered Carpenter a 2-picture deal, the first of which resulted in another horror classic, 1980's The Fog.
Inspired by the thought "what if?", when greeted by an eerie fog bank during a visit to Stonehenge, I'd never seen the film before last night, and was about 9 years old when it first hit theaters. It was, of course, deemed way to scary for little me, and by the time I was old enough to decide for myself what was too scary, there was a whole new mess of fright flicks to see. So this one slipped by the wayside. A resurgence of interest generated by the remake resulted in the thought that, if we see the remake, we should probably see the original first.
Antonio Bay is a small seaside town about to celebrate it's centennial. But with the discovery of an ancestor's diary, the locals are about to learn of the town's darker history, and of the night when the ship, The Elizabeth Dane was lured onto shore. Thanks to a well-placed campfire and a thick fog, a pesky leper colony led by a rich man is conveniently exterminated. Now a century later, the colony and the fickle fog are back -- and the dead will have their revenge.
Snappy dialogue, strong leads like Adrienne Barbeu and Jaime Lee Curtis, and a great supporting cast like Janet Leigh, Tom Atkins, Hal Holbrook, and John Osmium, gives us just enough character development to quickly humanize the townspeople and ensure that we're as concerned as they are when Folders activity sweeps town as Just The Beginning of the Horror. The story is well paced and moves quickly from the puzzling and possibly explicable -- exploding windows, ranks of cars honking their own horns and armchairs that move themselves -- to the much more frightening ragged, dark figures that appear in an out-of-nowhere fogbank that first seems to consciously attack a fishing boat, and then heads for town. Curls of mist creep thickly under even the tightest door sill, preceding heavy knocks as the dead lepers come calling. Finally it's a race against time to find the riches stolen from their leader and give it back before he and his unnaturally still (until they slice you open, that is) crew of vengeful dead can take it out of the descendants' asses.
Effects were well done for the era, with the fog itself becoming a full-fledged character. It goes pretty much wherever it, the angry dead, and John Carpenter wants it to, leaving you to wonder uncomfortably if Mother Nature herself has it in for Antonio Bay. The answer seems to be a resounding yes, as Our Heroine in her lighthouse radio station is finally located and the dead decide they've had enough of her playing Early Warning System to her terrorized listeners.
Disturbing sound effects like the flat relentless clang of the hammering on the stations metal door isn't quite enough to reduce you to nail-biting, but twenty-five years ago, it had to have made for a satisfying jump, with each crash of slow dead fist on steel door.All in all, The Fog is well-deserving of it's status as Modern Classic and did a great job of solidifying Carpenter's position in the horror pantheon. Twenty-five years later, it's still lots of fun to watch, especially with strong female leads who snap out lines like "I'm not sure I want you", as dubious flirtation. The lack of any real gore created a focus on well-constructed atmosphere that's missing from a lot of today's films. After all, what need for atmosphere when you can use up at least three minutes with a good full-frontal vomit?
John Carpenter knew very well "what" then and probably still does now.
2 comments:
"The Fog" is a really fun film. This is a movie that has fun scaring you. It uses old ploys like bodies falling out of closets to make you jump. But those old ploys are excuted just right. This is a guy who knows his cinema and has done his homework. Those "scary" moments are a lot harder to pull off than they appear. And that's what's missing is a lot of current horror films.
Carpenter has always said that he saved "Halloween" with his music. I believe this is also true of "The Fog". The way the picture sounds is much scarier then the way it looks! Watch the film without sound for a few minutes and you'll catch my drift. I think Carpenter is also a master of sound design, blending both music, dialogue and effects to perfection.
I also love John Houseman's opening cameo. It really gives the picture class.
I count "Halloween", "The Thing" and "Escape from NY" as my favorite Carpenter pictures. While "The Fog" is not quite as scary as it was in 1980, it's still a solid entry from a modern day master.
Boy, you hit the nail on the head! Audience participation is key for movies like this! Hitchcock knew this and so does Carpenter. Many of today's horror films are really just freak shows. One more gruesome than the next. Horror films are almost a kind of a lost art!
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