Dan, stay away from the door. Dan… Dan!
Antonio Bay, California is celebrating it’s 100th year anniversary. At midnight strange things start happening. In the church a chunk of masonry falls from a wall revealing a hidden journal. Father Malone (Hal Holbrook), the town priest, realizes it’s his grandfather’s journal. The journal tells about how in 1880 six of the founding fathers sank and plundered a ship called the Elizabeth Dane. The ship was owned by a wealthy man who had leprosy and wanted to build a colony for his people. All aboard were sent to the bottom of the sea.
A fishing trawler out at sea is enveloped by a strange fog. The three men on board are attacked and killed by the ghosts of the Elizabeth Dane.
Stevie Wayne (Adrienne Barbeau), the owner of the local radio station is given a piece of driftwood by her son. Inscribed on the wood is the word "DANE". He says he found it on the beach. Stevie brings it with her to the radio station she runs. She puts the wood down. Water seeps out of it and short circuit’s a tape player. A Strange voice comes from the tape player swearing revenge. The words "6 must die" appear on the wood before it bursts into flame. Stevie puts out the fire and everything goes back to normal.
The local weatherman Dan O'Bannon (Charles Cyphers) calls the radio station to tell Stevie that another fog bank has appeared and is moving towards town. As they are talking, the fog gathers outside the weather station and Dan hears a knock at the door. He answers it and is killed.
The fog now moves inland. It disrupts the telephone and power lines. Using a backup generator, Stevie gets back on the air and begs her listeners to go to her house and save her son Andy (Ty Mitchell) when she sees the fog closing in from her vantage point. As the fog envelops Stevie's house, the spirits kill her son's babysitter Mrs. Kobritz (Regina Waldron). They then pursue Andy.
“The Fog” was released in 1980. Director John Carpenter and Producer Debra Hill also wrote the screenplay. Carpenter wrote the music score. The movie has a lot of good actors. Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Janet Leigh, Tom Atkins, Hal Holbrook, and John Houseman. John Carpenter has a cameo as Bennett the church handyman. Carpenter and Barbeau were married at the time of the movie. Janet Leigh and Jamie Lee Curtis are mother and daughter.
Despite there being no blood or gore “The Fog” is quite a scary movie. John Carpenter has a way of adding an intense musical score that pulsates like a heartbeat making the fog a living breathing thing. Intense in its purpose. Something that will not stop. Not until it gets its revenge. In the last part of the movie Adrienne Barbeau is on the radio. The fog is slowly covering the town. She describes what the fog is doing, where it’s going, like a killer stalking it’s prey. The narration along with the music adds an intensity that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Whatever you remember about the movie, is not half as scary as it actually was. Fog really is alive. If not on little cat feet, then on mystery and terror.