The Fog (1980) ***

 

With “Halloween,” John Carpenter established the slasher film as the dominant form of horror for the next decade, inspiring dozens of similar movies about teenagers being systematically slaughtered. Like “Halloween,” these movies follow what became one of the rules of horror films, which is that you get killed if you drink, use drugs, or, especially, have sex. Two years later, though, Carpenter released his next feature film, which wasn't about killing teenagers and didn't follow any of those rules. While others were busy copying “Halloween,” Carpenter was busy moving on to something different.

“The Fog” tells the story of Antonio Bay, a coastal town built on the fortune of a benefactor named Blake, whose ship foundered in a fog and sank in the bay before he could see the town built. Legend has it that Blake and crew will rise from the depths one day to avenge their deaths. As Antonio Bay prepares to celebrate its centennial, a strange fog rolls in from the sea, and you can probably guess what unsavory visitors it brings with it.

The best part of the movie is probably its cast. Carpenter managed to fill Antonio Bay with good-looking women, including Jamie Lee Curtis and Nancy Loomis (both from “Halloween”), Janet Leigh (famous for “Psycho”, and Jamie Lee Curtis's mom), and Adrienne Barbeau (who was Carpenter's wife at the time). Hal Holbrook stars as an alcoholic priest, and the character actor Tom Atkins plays the male lead.

“The Fog” is not one of Carpenter's best, but it's still a pretty decent movie, considered a minor, horror classic in some circles. Despite a budget of only $1.1 million, the movie has a professional look and feel. The story honestly does not make a lot of sense, but Carpenter makes excellent use of the camera and his excellent cast, imbuing the film with more humor and humanity than you have a right to expect from a low-budget, horror flick.

3 stars out of 5