 Thanks for checking out this movie review video So this is for the 1980 release by John Carpenter the fog and just so people know if you're a John Carpenter fan You want to see more John Carpenter reviews on my channel? There is actually a playlist that I started now because I did enough reviews at this point to have a John Carpenter film playlist I also have one for Dario Argento and one for Lucio Fulci at the moment and as I get more movies for other directors I will do that as well Create those new ones. So anyway, let's tear into this affair. So Upfront like I always say I'm gonna have spoilers for this. So if you've never seen the fog Well, first of all, if you've never seen the fog shame on you And if you've never seen the fog stop right now go watch it It's available on shutter for streaming when I'm doing this review. I do recommend it So let's get into this Written and directed by John Carpenter But also written by Deborah Hill now Deborah Hill has been a collaborator with John Carpenter She worked on the script for Halloween and Halloween 2 with him and This came for John Carpenter when he Was it was after Halloween? It was before he did escape from New York and actually for John Carpenter escape from New York and the fog Was a two film deal that he got from the studio. So I I Assume that the fog actually instilled some good some good will with the studio and Especially going into escape from New York because in the box office the fog did well the fog made Well, it cost 1.1 million dollars to actually make and it made 21.3 million dollars in the box office and remember this is 1980 and also that's only domestically So they made good money now Reviews on it were very mixed But for the studios what matters most the money matters most and the weird thing for me about the budgetary thing is it was 1.1 million dollars for the film. They spent three million dollars on marketing How does that add up I just don't understand that that's just ridiculous to me spend more money on the film Although honestly this film's so good the way Carpenter pulled it off I just feel like I guess it didn't need the extra money. Although it would be cool to see what he could have done with that extra money so anyway Tom Atkins is in this one. If you don't know Tom Atkins, you're probably not super deep into Horror genre culture. He was in some other things like he was actually in escape from New York Which actually a lot of these I'll tell you right up front a bunch of these actors who were in the fog ended up being an escape from New York Adrienne Barbeau Tom Atkins Jamie LeCurtis actually had a very small role. She was like a just a voice in it But still involved so Tom Atkins has also done Halloween 3 which he's probably most well known for now Which is such a cult film. I think it's fun. It's not a good film. It's just fun Night of the creeps which a lot of people also love him for and maniac cop Which I've not seen maniac cop and I need to Adrienne Barbeau is in this obviously she's been a ton of stuff But this came after Actually right before she was in escape from New York and escape from New York kind of put her very much on the map And Jamie LeCurtis this was after Halloween Obviously she worked with Carpenter on that one and the same year as terror train and prom night So the fog terror train and prom night for her in one year release. That's pretty cool I've not actually seen terror train. That is another one that's on my list I have a ton of films on my list to watch But uh, I've seen prom night. I like prom night. I really like the fog. So wow. Jamie LeCurtis, man So Carpenter was inspired by a visit that he took to Stonehenge with Debra Hill for this film And also a movie. I don't know about this movie. It's from the uk. It's called trollingberg terror Apparently it's about monsters that hide in the clouds Which actually sounds kind of like lovecraft ish In my opinion The story of deliberate wreckage of a ship and the plundering of the gold then was actually based on true events Carpenter had found this account of that this actually happening with what happens with the start of this, you know Coastal town in the film. So I thought that was cool that it was actually based in reality You know, a lot of filmmakers will take from reality to you know, build their scripts Um already talked about that So Carpenter disliked his rough cut of the film And added the campfire story portion in the beginning And a bunch of other scenes Um And sequences to increase the scares and the gore factors because they they became aware of the fact that they were Going to be competing with a bunch of other horror films that were gory So they felt like oh well, we need to up our gore too. I'm glad they did that although I feel like they missed a one at least one good key opportunity, which is where the um stevie wanes kid his um granny of a Babysitter when she just got nabbed and pulled into the fog and you hear the noises which was done well, but That was the opportunity to like just show it because the weatherman got it and they showed it And I guess they were just like no spare the old lady. I guess that was their their idea, but um I wish they hadn't because if you were looking to really up the gore factor, that was a prime Uh opportunity that you just passed on Oh, and I would argue that they did not need the opening sequence of that campfire story because Yeah, I understand that it like primes people for the actual story of what happens But do we want that don't we want it to be more mysterious because think about the film without that portion How things like gradually are introduced of like the driftwood and the fog and the pirates and you know everything it just seems Like I mean me personally. I would like more mystery to it I would like to kind of figure out things as I go along because I found myself as all these things were coming up Um initially when I saw that's it does not the first time I've seen it Um, but when all those things were coming up, I was just like, oh, yeah, I remember the campfire story This is all tied to that and I just kind of feel like for me It would have been better if I didn't know that and I was surprised at some point of oh This is a story because you kind of learn it through the journal entries that um father malone was reading so I think he's just left it that way So there are a lot of name references in this film that carpenter put in there Some having to do with his friends like nick castle Obviously tamp tom atkins character is named castle Tommy lee wallace is in there the name Tommy lee wallace who worked on the film is in like production design And then ended up directing halloween three And dan o' bannon who was a collaborator like writing collaborator on dark star with carpenter His name's in there, but also names like machin arthur machin Is an author a horror author and so was you know a reference to that but also the use of dr. Phoebes, uh, which is a call to a character played by vinson price But then also if people didn't notice father malone looks a lot like ed grail and po and i don't think that's a Coincidence also he drinks quite a bit So I think that was a further hint that he's supposed to look like and kind of represent ed grail and po in a way So lots of references to people apparently a novelization of this film actually came out in the same year that it was released which I don't know. I feel like novelizations usually come out after the fact if it's based on the script in the film But it looks like it came out about the same time. So it's like, you know, okay, that's kind of weird I wonder if anyone anyone watching this have you read that novelization? And if so, how is it put a comment down there? Although? I'm sure most people haven't and then obviously there's a remake of this film in 2005 apparently Not a lot of people liked it which you know makes sense because the original is good And that's one of the problems we get into with remakes is when the original is really good How are you going to improve on that really? It's it's very hard to do. So apparently on rotten tomatoes It has like a crazy low score the remake so From what I hear rightfully so So they start this with an ed grail and po quote Which you know makes me believe even more than it's not a coincidence that father malone looks like ed grail and po The quote is is all that we see or seem But a dream within a dream in addition to rhyming It's kind of cool Kind of questioning the reality of things just in life in general, but also within the film So I like that not sure how I feel about the ghost story Right. Oh, yeah, I was already talking about this. I kind of jumped ahead Just saying that I want to maintain that mystery But I do also I do think that the ghost story does help in setting up the mood for the film And they have some really good music during the campfire that helps with setting up the mood And in general the music in this is really good and really matches what's going on You know, I would expect nothing less from john carpenter and he always does a great job with matching music in his films Um, so now with the actual events of the film So by hearing the radio broadcast and being shown multiple buildings within within the town It gives you the idea. It's a visual way to tell you The whole town listens to this broadcast pretty much like everyone has their radios on pretty much all the time And they're all keyed in to this one radio station that's local KAB Oh my gosh, Antonio Bay. Oh my gosh, I almost forgot it. I literally just watched it. I was like, how am I gonna forget this right now? So the lack of music in certain parts really really works if you've watched enough of my reviews You know that I love when a lack of music is used to great effect And I think that was the case In the beginning of it when they were using it for the convenience store when it's quiet and you hear the guy It like it accentuates the other sounds of what's going on around the scene like the sweeping The the jiggling of the mirror the bottles when they start rattling because the fog is doing things to the town When the sign breaks and is hanging down and creaking like it increases those and it makes them creepier and I I just love it it makes things more tense and There's so much to be said when someone uses silence in a great way You gotta love the blatant drinking and driving and unchecked trust in hitchhikers And that's between jamie lee curtis and tom akins characters Yeah, because tom akins drinking and driving very blatantly doesn't hide it Not even when he picks up jamie lee curtis the hitchhiker and he's just like here you want to drink with me You know, I might be totally blitzed while driving You don't know and then they like have this back and forth of like making jokes About is it okay to pick up a hitchhiker? Are you crazy? Am I crazy? Like it's um A little bit disturbing, but you know this was a different time You know you can't do that now Uh, obviously, but things things were better back then in a sense. So it makes sense in this film looking back Um, and then the fact that they just sleep with each other But then I was just like man, that's crazy, but we're just coming out of the 70s You know free love and all that so You know, I I worked with a guy once who um He had a great time in the 70s as he as he told me and he was like man You really missed out. I you know, I feel sorry for you because the 70s were wild man Like the free love thing was amazing and I was like Okay Uh, it's such a cool idea to have the radio station in the lighthouse It looks awesome. The setup in there is super super cool. It makes me want to Have that job like it's awesome. I actually had worked at a radio station before it worked as in like I wasn't making money I was an intern um actually for w o x y from 97 x in Ohio Like 45 minutes north of Cincinnati in miami, Ohio That's the radio station that's referenced in rain man Where he says 97 x bam the future of rock and roll That was the last like hold out for independent radio for quite some time It was a really cool station and you know watching the fog Just kind of maybe think back to my times in 97 x it was a cool place The silhouettes of the pirates in the fog look really good And also menacing especially when you can see how they're holding their weapons And it's not just like the swords the swords look great because they look cool and they look old But but like the meat hooks that they have are awesome. Those are the best in my opinion I love the meat hooks I like the introduction of a large amount of characters even if they don't focus a ton on all of them Because it truly makes you feel like the whole town is involved in this But it also shows you a lot of the town and helps immerse the audience in the town that way Because you feel like you see all these different people and so you're like jumping around so you get more of an idea of The size of the town and how connected it is but it also sets it up because then you have more Potential fodder for killing and then you don't know who's going to get it. Who's not going to get it So I like that It's a good motivation for the fog coming in that the town was built basically on blood money from the shipwreck I like that motivation Uh, they just as easily could have made the film and been like This fog just happens to show up and it kills people or there's just pirates in it because they're because pirates are bad And they just want to kill but the fact that they have that motivation behind it is a cool tie in I quite like it literally the town and the church was built on blood money People were murdered and the ship was intentionally wrecked in order to steal that money and start that town so Yeah, I like that the scene where the driftwood starts leaking and then it says six must die on it and then It bursts into flames Is a really cool scene. It's potentially my favorite scene. I know that's kind of weird because it's a very small thing But the way it looked and the way it played out and especially on your first viewing of the film how surprising and crazy that was Really like it looked great. Love it They sure did generate a lot of fog for this movie. They really really did. There's so much fog I would be interested to know how much fog It was and how how much of a pain that was to do and shoot it properly, but it looks good I think every time they employ the fog it looks really cool. Sometimes it looks white sometimes It looks blue sometimes it looks green So it's kind of cool that it actually changes in in color as well It's a great shot when the fog is rolling in on to the beach when stevie wane is looking down from the from the lighthouse It's rolling in on the beach because the Because it looks kind of green the sky looks like reddish orange and then the actual beach looks like a purplish blue So like from a color perspective It looks very very aesthetically pleasing and I just really like that shot. It looks awesome Honestly, I would take like um, you know one of those printed canvases you can Put on your wall. I'd love one of that. That would be amazing That probably exists somewhere on the internet and I might have to check that out Uh, why didn't they show the old lady getting it? Yeah, I already talked about this They showed the weatherman get it. I'm this is one of my biggest problems with this film Like you tried to up the gore after you saw the rough cut cut john carpenter Why didn't you kill the old lady on screen? This was your opportunity to up that gore even more Should have done that It's a small thing though I found myself keeping track of the body count because of what the driftwood said It really sticks in your mind that six must die and I don't know if other people out there were watching it You know had the same reaction where they're just like, okay, there's the first person to get it There's the second person to get it But then I actually forgot about the counting towards the end Because I got distracted by other things going on, but for a while I was very focused on it It's a tough decision for steve wayne to make to stay at the radio station instead of going to find her son That is truly the sacrificial moment of I have to do for the greater good I have to sacrifice potentially sacrifice my own son in order to save this town because I have the best vantage point The weatherman's dead at this point and I'm seeing where the fog is going and we know that the fog is a problem We know there's something in it that is killing people. So Good job steve wayne true hero And actually my favorite character in the whole film, which you know, that's probably not uncommon most people probably Have her as their favorite character. Plus adrian barbeau is awesome. I've actually met adrian barbeau. She's crazy nice Love her love her lover. She's so nice I like how father malone is getting lit during this time and castle basically needs to make him stop drinking He's like literally drinking through from the bottle atkins. Look as his character castle is like give that to me and he breaks it Um I guess that's how some people cope you just wouldn't you wouldn't assume that coming from a priest That that's how he's coping with it. He's just getting hammered This one's for jesus Not really Uh, the church ends up being the worst place to be If you're trying to get away from this fog, which they find out while they're there and I love that moment of it where it's kind of like Great we're in the place that they're probably coming to and yes, that's where they are But it's also the best place to be if you're trying to solve the problem and obviously that happens in the end So I kind of like the duality of that. It's the worst and best place to be Stevie on the top of the lighthouse with the two pirates coming at her Um is probably the most intense scene in the film in my opinion because obviously she has nowhere to go She cannot do anything and she's not even protected by anything like the people in the church Like they have windows that that the that the pirates have to get through first and doors and stuff like that There are other rooms they can go to Stevie on the top of this lighthouse is crazy exposed And especially when you see the two pirates coming from opposite directions and they're obviously making it onto the roof of that thing She's an imminent danger. So it is the most intense scene and I think it looks great the way they shot it from above very cool Uh, and I And I was like, so wait that that's a giant gold cross Is that what's going on here the the giant cross that father Malone brings out and presents to Blake The pirate is It's a giant gold cross. So I have questions if that's the case So if that's all gold Then it wasn't used to build the church and the town. I assume because there it is And then why would you keep it like that? Like first of all, why would you make it into a cross? It's gold, especially if you're you were planning on using it at some point But then why would you just keep it especially if it's Blood money, basically, I don't like something about that just doesn't make sense But if you have some theories go ahead and put some comments down there. I will I like theories Father Malone just had to go because of his lineage in the very end And you know what I love that that's how they end the film of him just Getting his head lopped out off granted. That's another opportunity for them to You know show something but I also think that it's It's more effective if it's the very last thing you see if they just cut the black And it's a cool ending because then it's like, oh, you think the pirates are gone the fog situations Totally handled. Well, not necessarily because they're still around Um, based off how things went with that giant gold cross. It seemed like they just kind of Evaporated and they're not around anymore, but they're still around. That's the thing. So, you know, maybe they have more business somewhere I don't know or maybe just killing Malone was the end of the business So let's talk about some technical stuff about this the cinematography is excellent The directing is great. The scenery and ambiance is amazing Just aesthetically. This is an awesome film. I I love the aesthetics of this one The music matches really well like I already said in the beginning Shooting locations are excellent. I love movies movies with coastal town settings Some of my favorite ones because of the way they made it look and how How much they show of the coastal town? Some of my favorites are human humanoids from humanoids from the deep or humanoid creatures from the deep Why am I blanking on that? I did a review for it. It's on my channel and dead and buried also did a review for that It's on my channel. So check those out as well um The dialogue in this is particularly good. I really have to point that out That occurred to me pretty early on in the film and it sustains there's a lot of fun kind of back and forth between characters and just Really well written dialogue in particular good If you pitch this concept by the way It sounds terrible But they pulled it off and that's how you know It's a great filmmaker and they have a great crew and great actors When you can take a concept that if you boil it down and think what was the pitch for this like And you're like that sounds dumb But the film's really good That's how you know that people involved are amazing And I feel like this is it because like who would go pitch this and be like, okay. Here's the concept coastal town Radio station in a lighthouse There's a fog with pirates in it. They want to kill people because the town is built with their gold That's a terrible concept. It's a terrible concept, but they did it. They killed it. It's amazing The literally they killed it This is the age old story of future generations paying the price for the sins of those before them Literally in this like the sins of the father type thing because it is Father Malone's actual lineage that did it So he ends up paying in the end for the sins of the father, you know And what happens when the foundation for the future is built on crimes and lies Eventually the piper has to be paid and that's exactly what happens 100 years later in The fog Sorry, Antonio Bay I would like a sequel. Yeah, I don't know. Maybe I don't want sequel But um, hey quite liked it So now my rating portion of this so out of five stars with half stars in play It's not the best film. It's not the most amazing film. I really like it though I'm gonna give it a very solid four stars I'm between four and four and a half If I did quarters, I'd do 4.25, but I don't think it's it's quite enough to get it to four and a half I'm gonna put it at the four. I really do like this film. Um, it's a fun time So put your comments down there your thoughts on the fog theories just feelings whatever Also, just other carpenter stuff I'm I'm a fan of carpenter as you can tell because I have a whole playlist on my channel of carpenter film reviews And I'll be adding to those at some point. I'm sure But do me a quick favor hit that subscribe If you like anything I do because I'm not making money or anything And if you already subscribed just hit that thumbs up to say I want to encourage you and I like what you're doing. So thanks everyone for checking this out And until next time keep it brutal