THE FOG
US, 1980, 89 minutes, Colour.
Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Janet Leigh, Hal Holbrook, John Houseman.
Directed by John Carpenter.
The Fog: John Carpenter (who produces, co-writes, composes music, directs) has excelled in making B-material classy and showing the potential of genres. While not as shocking as Halloween and with a few contrived devices (Hal Holbrook's drinking Father Malone reading a sinister newly-discovered manuscript), The Fog is neatly made, quotes and echoes Poe on dreams and on the horror heritage of madness and violence of the United States. One the whole, it has effective shocks, scares and menace. Adrienne Barbeau (Carpenter's wife) is good in the central role with Janet Leigh and daughter Jamie Lee Curtis in support. However, the stars are the special effects and the menace of the fog and its ghostly contents.
1. An effective thriller, the enjoyment of shocks and scares? The overtones of the occult, the American heritage? An American town and its experience? Audiences identifying with the characters, the fear, the horror?
2. The work of John Carpenter and his variety of skills? The competence of the filmmaking, the presentation of genre material well?
3. The atmosphere of the California coast, the Panavision presentation of Antonio Bay and its environment? The sea, the town itself, the green countryside? The church and its atmosphere? The lighthouse? The colour photography, day and night? The visual presentation of the fog, its place on the sea, its coming towards the land, the special effects in its spreading throughout the town, pursuing people? The special effects for the ghosts within the fog, their violence, appearance, ugliness, eeriness, voices? The special effects for violence, shocks and scares? The importance of editing, the score?
4. The structure and 24 hours in Antonio Bay? The use of night and day, light and darkness? The effect of focusing on the time? The importance of the date, the centenary of the town? The atmosphere of the centenary and its use?
5. Stevie as the central character, her role in the town, her buying the radio station and her use of it, her work as a disc jockey, her deejay voice and style, the records she played, the comments on the town? Her being a device to introduce all the information about Antonio Bay, its heritage and centenary? Stevie as a character, her love for her son and their scenes together? Her fear for her son at the end? As a character of communication, informing people about the disaster, directing them to safety? Her own struggle with the ghosts in the fog? The importance of the contrast between the echoes of the 19th. century and what the modern disc jockey stands for? The film's focus on a heroine for the film?
6. The town itself, its place on the California coast. the memory of its origins and celebration, the revelation of the book, Father Malone reading the story to Kathy Williams and her assistant? The information about the town? The memory of Blake, the ugliness of the truth and the plot against Blake? The destruction of his ship? Father Malone's grandfather and his place in the plot? The basis for vengeance, the motivation of Blake and his return? The need for the 20th century townspeople to expiate? The irony of the preparation of the ceremony, the statue and the coming of the fog and ghosts? The thews of avenging angels?
7. The initial accidents, the shattering of glass, the various scares of the audience and the characters? The stress on time? Father Malone and the discovery of the book and his reading it? The ship out on the ocean and the massacre at night? The history of the fog? Its rolling in, going in unexpected directions? The further accidents and their effect on people, the fog and the ghosts killing violently? Chases and escapes?
8. The character of Father Malone, his drinking, being guilt-ridden, the discovery of the book, his reading it? His realisation about the gold and his taking the cross? His saving the town, his surviving? The sudden ending and the appropriateness of his death? The audience being left with this?
9. The day sequences and Stevie and Andrew, the discovery of the piece of wood from the ship etc.? Stevie and her phone calls with Dan during the night and his being killed? Andrew staying with the neighbours and her being killed? The final chase?
10. Nick and his giving a lift to Elizabeth, spending the night with her, her background? The accidents, their talk together, the search for the ship and its discovery? Their driving through the night, their having to go to the church, their being involved in the final struggle?
11. Kathy Williams and her role in the town, her busyness, Sandy's work as her assistant? The visit to Father Malone and listening to the story? The speech, the people at the ceremony? The build-up to the fog and the pursuit?
12. The initial quotation from Edgar Allen Poe about dreams, fantasy, reality? The film as a nightmare? The cinema of fantasy? The plausibility of the plot and sufficient explanation of motivation? The effect on the audience? The material of American myth? The old storyteller and the children in the pre-credits story, mystery, atmosphere, myth?
