“11:55. Almost midnight. Enough time for one more story. One more story before twelve. Just to keep us warm.”
These are the words spoken by John Houseman who eerily relates the tale of the Elizabeth Dane to a group of children huddled around a campfire on the beach. And let’s face it, who doesn’t like a good ghost story told just before midnight while sitting around a campfire? This is how The Fog begins…the original by John Carpenter starring Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis and Hal Holbrook. (For now, we are going to forget the 2005 version exists and focus on this classic.)
The ghost story around the campfire isn’t the only opener that makes your skin crawl. Something is amiss within town. As the witching hour strikes, strange occurrences happen all throughout the sleeping town: car alarms and lights go on for no reason; buildings shake; electronics go wonky; glass shatters and a woman’s chair moves on its own accord. At this same time, Father Malone, the town’s priest, discovers a journal from his grandfather that was buried behind the wall of his study. This diary tells of ominous deeds and warns that the hour of midnight to 1 belongs to the dead. This, however, is only the beginning of what will be the most memorable centennial for Antonio Bay.
Released in 1980, The Fog was produced close on the heels of John Carpenter’s successful Halloween. It entails the 100th anniversary of the small fishing town of Antonio Bay. As the town gathers to celebrate their founding fathers, a terrible secret is revealed that threatens their very lives and exposes the truth about what really happened to the Elizabeth Dane and its crew. An eerie fog is coming to town, and with it the vengeful spirits that are seeking what is rightfully theirs.
I would have to say this movie is one of my all time favorite horror movies. John Carpenter is a master at creating suspenseful situations and follows through with a great cast and an even better score. This movie holds up even to this day with countless other titles that focus primarily on gore to thrill their audiences. The Fog instead focuses on age old primal responses to what lurks within the fog. Visibility is next to none and sounds are never what they seem when you are surrounded by the fog.
If you have only ever seen the remake, please watch this version instead. Though it may seem dated to you with clothing styles and actors you may not be familiar with, it is certainly timeless when you consider the deep down fear that we all have at midnight when the fog has risen. The characters are well developed, the story line is solid throughout and you won’t be left wondering what the heck just happened. All in all I will admit this movie still stands as one of my top five favorite horror films to date.
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