The Fog

John Carpenter’s second horror film, immediately following his box office smash, Halloween. Often overlooked in Carpenter’s filmography, The Fog is dripping with atmosphere, along with a healthy portion of scary and startling scenes. The Fog takes the form of a classic ghost story, with a past act of depravity and selfishness inspiring ghosts of vengeance to rise up out of the sea a hundred years later and seek reparations for their unjust killings at the hands of the townspeople of Antonio bay. The story is a bit convoluted (a classic Carpenter fallacy), but the basic premise is incredibly easy to understand and enthralling. The special effects hold up, although there is no blood or viscera in the film, which is a directorial choice I do not agree with. The film features a star-studded cast, with especially good performances by Jamie Lee Curtis as Elizabeth Solley, Adrienne Barbeau as Stevie Wayne, and Hal Holbrook as the incredibly 'Based' Father Malone. In conclusion, The Fog is a fun and entertaining watch for anyone interested in the classic ghost story. 'To the ships at sea who can hear my voice, look across the water, into the darkness. Look for the fog.'