John Carpenter has such an impressive filmography that even some of his standout efforts seem to live in the shadows of his greatest works. I wouldn’t go so far as to call The Fog underrated. However, I do think the film deserves even greater acclaim than it tends to get. I understand that the picture has a fanbase and received widespread validation from critics. In fact, it’s even ‘certified fresh’ on Rotten Tomatoes. However, I think The Fog is still slightly underrated when stacked alongside the rest of Carpenter’s filmography.
The setup goes like this:
Strange things begin to occur as a tiny California coastal town prepares to commemorate its centenary. Inanimate objects spring eerily to life; Rev. Malone (Hal Holbrook) stumbles upon a dark secret about the town’s founding; radio announcer Stevie (Adrienne Barbeau) witnesses a mystical fire; and hitchhiker Elizabeth (Jamie Lee Curtis) discovers the mutilated corpse of a fisherman. Then a mysterious iridescent fog descends upon the village, and more people start to die.
Next to standout efforts like Halloween and The Thing, The Fog sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. And that’s a true shame because Carpenter’s ghost story about a malevolent presence in a coastal fishing village is eerie and atmospheric and features a dynamite cast of characters. Not to mention, the score is also on point. If you’re curious to hear more about why I love this flick, I penned an editorial on the film’s ‘less is more’ approach a while back.
The picture’s impressive cast of characters includes the likes of Academy Award winner Jamie Lee Curtis, Adrienne Barbeau, Tom Atkins, Janet Leigh, and Nancy Kyes (also known as Nancy Loomis).
I fell in love with The Fog back when I was working at my local video store. The cover art absolutely captivated me. The owners of the VHS rental establishment I clerked at were absolute monsters. But that experience helped shape my taste for cinema in my formative years and I’m eternally grateful for it.
If you’re itching to rewatch, the film is now available to stream on Prime Video. Three cheers for that.
That’s all we have for you, for the time being. Be sure to keep an eye out for more life-changing updates on which films within your niche interest set are available to stream and where to find them. If you’d like to spend some time bonding over a shared appreciation for John Carpenter’s The Fog, head over to Threads, where you can find me lurking as @FunWithHorror.
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