The Fog

Finally! Five Dollar Beer has returned (from the dead)!



--Reviewed by Patrick

From the dark streets of New York, I have returned! Sorry it's been so long since my last blog, but worry not, I've not been remiss in my horror movie watching duties. I've simply not had the time to blog about them. This all changes now!

Plotline: The small town of Antonio Bay is celebrating its 100 year anniversary. But, the town has a dark past that has come back to collect its dues for the wrongs of a century ago. It's not long before a few people in Antonio Bay realize that the thick fog rolling into town has something very sinister hidden in it.

Scariness factor: The Fog was John Carpenter's first film after making the amazing Halloween and his horror chops were obviously at peak level here. As Lindy Loo has mentioned, the greatest scares aren't what you see, but what you don't see and The Fog has this in spades. Never is a bunch of dry ice so ominous and terrifying.

Originality: They've actually just remade this movie, as seems to be the current trend. I would probably avoid that, but that would probably be the only film I've heard of, before or since, like this one.

Complaints: Though, as is obvious, I liked this movie, it's certainly not perfect. The acting is pretty sub-par (except for Jamie Lee Curtis, of course) and there are alot of those horror movie moments where you wonder how dense the people on the screen actually are. The climactic scene also uses its special fx in a really over-the-top way, which was at odds with the subtle tone of the rest of the film's fx.

High Points: I gotta admit, as dated as they might seem now, I am a sucker for John Carpenter's soundtracks from both this and Halloween.
They are so signature and so spooky , I can completely forgive them for being a little dated. As I mentioned before, there's also Jamie Lee Curtis, America's most loved Scream Queen. Then there's the fact that, well, it's just a great horror movie: ominous, subtle, spooky and a high body count. Can't go wrong.

Overall: Before you go waste your $7.50 (or $10.50 New York prices) at the theater, go rent original. A definitely under-appreciated horror classic.

Grade: A