Article by FisterRoboto of lefthandhorror.com

Written by John Carpenter & Debra Hill

Directed by John Carpenter

Starring: Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Janet Leigh, Hal Holdbrook, Tom Hatkins, and John Houseman

A Northern California fishing town, built 100 years ago over an old leper colony, is the target for revenge by a killer fog containing zombie-like ghosts seeking revenge for their deaths.

I have no idea why so many people miss out on this movie. Carpenter is the master of creating a realistic threat on a budget. Just his mere work with light and shadow is better than the last four Saw movies. This is the classic campfire ghost story that every kid from the Midwest has heard some version of. The sea is creepy enough without John Carpenter. Between Jaws and H.P. Lovecraft, seaweed and shit freaks me out. Teaming up with alumni from his iconic Halloween, Carpenter and Hill are back with a tale of ghostly revenge from the sea. It’s the centennial for a small California town, Antonio Bay, and as the clock strikes the witching hour, a thick fog engulfs the town from sea – even against the wind.

Carpenter takes amazing actors and directs them with precision in this foggy tale of a curse from beyond the grave. Electronic phenomena precedes the ethereal fog as car alarms, phones, and machines chime in unison with the ocean’s  gloom. I have to appreciate the effective vibe Carpenter creates with nothing other than a spooky premise and low lit fishing town. I love Barbeau as the sexy voice of the local DJ who gets in over her head and brings Carpenter’s love of strong female leads to the screen. It takes some serious horror skills to make a piece of creepy driftwood all-encompassing evil.

If you’re looking for a classic, especially if you’ve missed it, The Fog is a great late night horror flick. If it happens to be a foggy October night – don’t pass up the chance. This is available for streaming from Netflix. If Holdbrooks’ golden cross scene doesn’t move you, then you have no soul.