The Fog (1980)

I'll start this post by saying "I'm ashamed! yes, I'm ashamed" I've never seen The Fog  before. Well I've seen fog but never seen The Fog. You know what i mean, let's carry on.

Considering it's director, for some unknown reason I've always put off watching it.  I love all of John Carpenter's movies The Thing, Christine, Escape from New York and Halloween of course, but always avoided The Fog.

Set in a small seaside town of Antonio Bay it opens with a group of children listening in anticipation of the ramblings of an old man, John Houseman. He begins to tell the tale of a group of sailors that were shipwrecked and killed 100 years ago that very night.

 

   

 "At the bottom of the sea lay the Elizabeth Dane with her crew, their lungs filled with saltwater, their eyes open and staring into the darkness."

As the clock reaches midnight and begins the 100 year anniversary of the shipwreck, strange goings on start happening in the small town.  A store clerk stands in amazement as the grocery store begins to shake at the foundations, car alarms go off, lights flicker on illuminating an isolated gas station and a women's jaw drops as she witnesses moving furniture. Just a coincidence? or is it just a normal Friday night? 

The Fog approaches the island with a haunting glow, and group of drunken fisherman become the victims of a attack from dark figures laced with hooks and swords. As the story unfolds we learn that the islands founders killed a group of sailors 100 years ago and now they’re seeking revenge. 

It's nothing more than a very well put together ghost story, it shy's away from blood and gore but it doesn't need it. Carpenter creates a brilliant suspenseful backdrop with it's small fishing town, and builds slow burning tension with it’s ghost story plot line.

Just one last thing, I'm still very confused about one thing that happens early on in the movie, Elizabeth Solley Jamie lee Curtis' character is hitch hiking, yeah? She's picked up by Nick Castle played by Tom Atkins, pretty normal so far yeah? Then she begins to explain that he's the 13th person to pick her up.  So I'm thinking, hang on a second! 13th? she's either traveled hundreds of miles across the country or folks keep kicking out the car because of that ridiculous 80's fro. Next thing you know with no explanation, there in bed together! Amazing!

I'm giving this movie 3 out of 5 slutty hitchhikers