The Fog [Special Edition]

Director: John Carpenter John Carpenter

Overview

To some viewers, nothing in The Fog is as frightening as the pre-credits ghost story related by "old salt" John Houseman. To others, this follow-up to John Carpenter's Halloween is every bit as cleverly creepy as its predecessor. The arrival of a ghost ship throws a fog-bound coastal village into an uproar, especially when the vessel's "passenger"--a century-old corps--begins running amok. Adrienne Barbeau, then Mrs. John Carpenter, heads a very strong cast, including Charles Cyphers as "Dan O'Bannon" (inside joke: the realO'Bannon was Carpenter's longtime writing partner). One teeny-tiny quibble: the goings-on are a bit more cliched and obvious than those in Halloween.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/04/2005
UPC:	0027616124821
Original Release:	1980
Rating:	R
Source:	Mgm (Video & Dvd)
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:30:00
Sales rank:	9,910

Special Features

Closed Caption;"Tales From The Mist Inside 'The Fog' Documentary"; Outtakes; Storyboard-to-film comparison; "Fear on Film Inside 'The Fog' Documentary"; Advertising gallery; Audio commentary by John Carpenter and Debra Hill; and more!

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Adrienne Barbeau	Stevie Wayne
Hal Holbrook	Père Malone
Janet Leigh	Kathy Williams
Jamie Lee Curtis	beth Solley
John Houseman	Machen
Tom Atkins	Nick Castle
Charles Cyphers	Dan O'Bannon
Ty Mitchell	Andy Wayne
George 'Buck' Flower	Tommy Wallace
John Allen Vick	Sheriff Simms
Jim Jacobus	Mayor
James Canning	Dick Baxter
Regina Walden	Mrs. Kobritz
Darrow Igus	Mel Sloane
Bill Taylor	Bartender
Jim Haynie	Hank Jones
Frederic Franklyn	Ashcroft
John Goff	Al Williams,Al Williams
Darwin Joston	Dr. Phibes
Rob Bottin	Blake
John Strobel	Grocery Clerk
Lee Sacks	Ghost
Richard Moreno	Ghost
Tommy Wallace	Ghost,un fantôme
Laurie Arent	Child,Child
Shari Jacoby	Child
Christopher Cunday	Child
Nancy Kyes	Sandy Fadel
Christopher Cundey	un enfant
Johnny Carpenter	Bennett,Bennett (assistant at the church) (uncredited),Composer
Charles Nicklin	Blake

Technical Credits

John Carpenter

Debra Hill

Edgar Allan Poe

John Carpenter	Director,Screenwriter
Debra Hill	Screenwriter,Producer
Richard Albain Jr.	Special Effects
Charles B. Bloch	Executive Producer,Producer
Gregg Barbanell	Sound Effects
Bob Minkler	Sound Effects
Richard Albain	Special Effects
James Winburn	Stunts
Edgar Allan Poe	Screenwriter
Rob Bottin	Special Effects
Dick Albain	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

Similar in style to his Halloween, director John Carpenter's The Fog makes for a sturdy, if unspectacular companion piece to the 1978 horror classic. Reteaming with many of that film's principals, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Carpenter and co-producer/screenwriter Debra Hill attempt to fashion a ghost story with a menacing edge. As in Halloween, The Fog's strengths are courtesy of gut-wrenching chase scenes that capture the director's ability to create suspense, atmosphere, and some wonderful jolts. Carpenter's eerie, pulsing score also helps to ratchet up the tension level. Where the picture weakens is in the script, which lacks punch, relies on numerous horror clichés, and features one-dimensional characters. The cast's performances are decent and Carpenter's then-wife Adrienne Barbeau is fine in the lead role, but Jamie Lee Curtis is wasted in a secondary part that helped cement her early reputation as a "scream queen." John Houseman, in a prelude to his later work in Ghost Story, turns in a wonderfully chilling cameo as a salty storyteller.