Rating: 
Summary: Vastly underated! Always creepy! Critics suck!
Review: This little jewel is a favorite when it comes on cable. My wife, a disemboweling film critic, likes to curl up with me and watch it over and over again. For any film, you must suspend disbelief and enter into its world with innocence and goodwill, if you wish to be taken away, which is what the film medium can do so well. Perhaps, this film is not as powerful as The Thing,but it sure has an atmosphere and the soundtrack is great. (Carpenter himself!)
Rating:
Summary: a lost classic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: this 1980 classic horror film returns to haunt a new generation from mgm home video!! the only thing that disapoints me about mgm rereleases is when they finally get to the release on dvd they dont release the versions that were previosly out on laser that contained the all important commentary tracks!! i cant wait to see what they do for the dvd of this one since escape from new york has been announced for november 2000 release and will sorely miss the commentary tracks.the point we all need to get across to mgm is we want all the info that they can give us for the money we are spending on these discs and how hard is it gaining the rights to the additional supliments that were on the originallaser release!the fog for instance had a galore of addional juicy content ! apart from commentary the laser contained behind the scenes making of,all the original trailers wich there were about 10 or so,and a neat cover art front and back! we can only hope by the time they release this classic on disc they will give it its due comming!! jackcrow67
Rating:
Summary: "The Fog" - A Chilling Classic and Undeservedly Underrated
Review: I saw "The Fog" when it first hit the theaters, and I still watch it again and again on videotape. I liked the plot about ghostly vengeance striking a coastal town. And I especially enjoyed seeing Adrienne Barbeau fighting off those horrid phantoms way on top of the lighthouse. Did you notice she never fell down while running in those high-heeled boots? Ok, she did slip once. Naturally Jamie Lee Curtis and Janet Leigh respectivly added their own special presences. When I'd originally watched "The Fog," I saw it in Dolby Stereo which sharpened the suspense the shocks---particularly in the last sequence where my heartbeat seemed to match the thudding rhythm of the music. Yeah, there are flaws in here. Example: I can understand having the ghosts pound on doors before entering (makes your skin crawl), but couldn't get past their being solid-looking in some scenes. Maybe I'm just splitting hairs. Have to also mention the fantastic fog effects by Richard Albain, Jr. I think he created the smoke out of the bottle effects for the TV hit 'I Dream of Jeannie.' The fog looked like a living, serpentine entity. All told this an elegant ghost tale that definitely deserves a much wider and appreciative audience.
Rating:
Summary: an unrealized classic
Review: THE FOG is easily one of the most frightening films I have ever seen! It's also the only film John Carpenter has made which evokes the same "feeling" HALLOWEEN gave me upon its first several viewings. The cast is one of the best ensembles ever gathered. Jamie Lee Curtis, Adrienne Barbeau, Janet Leigh, Nancy Loomis, Tom Atkins, John Houseman, Hal Holbrook and several more... come on! Who could ask for a better group! The atmosphere is rich and the slow, dreadful pace of the glowing mist makes for a splendid supernatural killer. Add in numerous shocks and unbearable suspense at the films' climax (Ms. Barbeau's attempted escape across the top of the lighthouse alone!), plus a coherent plot, makes for one of the all time greatest scare films, which frequently seems to be overlooked. Maybe if it had come out before HALLOWEEN it would have received more attention on the positive than constant comparison to its predacessor.
Rating:
Summary: The next time you see one, may "The Fog" enter your mind.
Review: I don't know why some say that "The Fog" has flaws, I think they're thinking to much, turn your brain off the next time you see this movie and sit back and enjoy this Excellent! thriller just for fun sake, as far as I'm concerned it delivers on the shivers you get from begining to end, i'd Love! to see a sequel, but I guess it would ruin the quality of this Lone Classic from the Late! 70's era, I do hope they'll release it on DVD someday along with the teasers and trailers,etc... it would WEll! Be Worth It! when you see it,again,let "The Fog" enter your mind.
Rating: 
Summary: A master is born
Review: John Carpenter is one of the best film musicians. In this film his music is already at its best. It creates a whole atmosphere and it is a character of its own. The second character is of course the fog itself. Carpenter is trying to show the historical hypocrisy of small American towns, in this case Antonio Bay in California, a city that was born from a pure crime : to prevent the opening of a leprosarium on the site of this city one century ago by killing all the future participants and the rich initiator, and also by putting, their hands on his gold. The vengeance comes with a big patch of fog that brings the dead victims back to the bay looking for the six plotters who decided to kill them, and eventually a few others. The film is extremely well done and Carpenter uses a local radio station as the ultimate defense. This is very swift because it gives the film itself a center and a dynamism that it would otherwise not have had. And naturally he keeps a surprising and logical punch line, or punch scene, for the end, that is the crowning stone of the vengeance. Discover it by viewing the film with your own eyes. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, Paris Universities II and IX.
Rating: 
Summary: Spooky...
Review: I think there isn't too many "Horror" movies that are not full of blood and gore. I liked "Halloween" and "The Thing"...I believe many would put this one down because it does not have the tension of those two. If you like spooky movies that the mood/atmosphere carry it over gore/slashing than you will like this one...it is a bit of a slow mover...but is as others have posted only a "Ghost Story". SAG...
Rating:
Summary: Yet another reason why John Carpenter is a master!
Review: Back on June 7th, I placed an order through Amazon to get John Carpenter's "The Fog", it being the only Carpenter film that I have never seen. I was counting the minutes till today when it arrived in my mailbox. I literally just got done watching the film, it is rewinding now, and I have to say that the wait was well worth it! This movie does have a cheesy feel to it, but I still got the chills several times throughout the film. I think that this film is definetly Carpenter's best in the cinematography department. The location of Antonio Bay is absolutely beautiful. The plot centers on the sleepy town of Antonio Bay, in California. 100 years ago, there was a terrible ship wreck, and dozens of sailors drown. Now, after a lenghty sleep, the angry swabbies want to exact revenge on the town that had something to do with their demise. Adrienne Barbeau puts forth a great performance as a radio DJ, and Jamie Lee Curtis once again graces a Carpenter flick with her presence as a hitchhiker. The usual cast of characters are also in this film: Tom Atkins(E.F.N.Y.), Nancy Loomis(Halloween), etc. I liked this film for two reasons: First, because it wasn't what I saw that creeped me out, but what I didn't see. I love a film that urges you to use your imagination, and not rely on special effects. Thinking movies rule! And second, the ending was great! I totally did not see it coming, I am serious too. The great trademark of a good Carpenter flick is the ending. OK, to sum up.....I am not sure if everyone will find this film scary. I didn't, I found it to be eerie, and creepy, but not really spooky. However, a film does not have to be scary to be enjoyable, and "The Fog" is a great ride. I say give it a chance. This would make a perfect movie for a Friday night in. John Carpenter fans will truly love this film, as it ransk right up there with "Halloween" and "The Thing." I have been waiting for this film for years, I think we all owe it to Mr. Carpenter to thank him for re-releasing this classic, and we should all make a very strong effort to view this film at LEAST one time! Thanks to Amazon for getting this flick, good job!
Rating:
Summary: A Must-Have for horror buffs!
Review: OK, no one is ever going to claim that this John Carpenter effort is a really great movie, so why did I give it 5 stars? Well, I have loved this picture ever since I saw it on TV when I was 12 years old. I even have the long-out-of print novelization of the script by horror schlockmeister Dennis Etchison (it's quite readable, by the way). Dramatically, THE FOG is nowhere near Carpenter's HALLOWEEN or THE THING: the characters are total stock, the monster makeups are kind of cheesy, and you can see the shock cuts coming from a mile away. So why do I like this picture so much? First, the cast is a treat for all horror fans: Adrienne Barbeau shines as sexy DJ Stevie Wayne, Jamie Lee Curtis is splendid as always, Hal Holbrook overacts delightfully as Reverend Malone, and Nancy Loomis wisecracks her way through an underwritten role. (A well-preserved Janet Leigh also appears as Kathy Williams. This is the only film in which Jamie Lee Curtis and her mother have co-starred.) Second: Carpenter is a superb visual stylist and his compositional abilities are everywhere apparent in this film; indeed several sequences are so suspenseful and atmospheric that they approach Hitchcock (the opening scenes on a doomed boat, the credit sequence; in which all a manner of objects move of their own accord, and the beautifully photographed journey of Adrienne Barbeau to the lighthouse where she will be endangered first come to mind). Third: the soundtrack for this film is excellent - eerie and tension-creating, it uses subtle electronic music and the natural sounds of the region such as foghorns and waves to evoke a mood of isolation and dread. Finally, the film is genuinely disturbing; several other reviewers have used the word "creepy" and I concur wholeheartedly. This is a scary ghost story that lets you think about what you are seeing instead of overwhelming you with grue. THE FOG is a subtle, underrated minor masterpiece for those who like a little shiver late at night, in the dark. I'm thrilled that a new version is being released, as my copy of the original tape is nearly 15 years old and is getting worn out!
Rating:
Summary: The Fog - a long time coming
Review: This isn't so much a review as it is a statement about how happy I am to see that this film has finnaly been re-released on video. I recently purchased a used copy and was very much content with that. But I was very happy to see that it was being re-released on VHS. I can only HOPE that a DVD version is on the way. Yeah the movie isn't great, but how can you resist the 2nd teaming up of Jamie Lee Curtis and John Carpenter. Add to that the teaming up of Jamie Lee with her mom Janet Leigh! The movie is eerie and the soundtrack makes it even spookier; if you like a good old fashioned ghost story, don't miss it. Also, John Carpenter and Adrienne Barbeau got married after this one and Nancy Loomis (also in Halloween) has a small part. Watch this and tell me YOU don't get freaked out next time you're stranded in a dense FOG bank!
|
