The Fog (DVD, 2002, Widescreen & Full Frame)

The Fog (1979) is set in Antonio Bay, a small seaside fishing town which is set to celebrate its 100th anniversary. As the anniversary date approaches townspeople start dying in gruesome ways. Secrets about the town are learned and revealed by the town's priest, played by Hal Holbrook. The town's founders apparently lured a clipper ship, filled with lepers, to their doom so that the town could recover their gold. Now, on the 100th anniversary of the shipwreck, a mysterious fog covers the town and with it comes the crew of the clipper ship to wreak their revenge upon Antonio Bay.

The movie is directed by John Carpenter while he was in his movie making prime. He creates what is basically an old-fashioned ghost story complete with an introduction by Academy Award Winner John Houseman. This was Houseman's only appearance in the movie but he was brilliant and set the mood of the movie right away. Leading the cast is Adrienne Barbeau, who plays the owner of a lighthouse and the owner of the local AM radio station. Barbeau gives a solid performance as she tries to save her son, warn her town about the Fog, all the while fighting rotting leper sailors. Hal Holbrook's performance is also quite good as the priest who learns that his relative was involved in the original sinister plot to kill the sailors. Rounding out the cast is Jamie Lee Curtis, who plays a loose hitchhiker who screams a lot, and Janet Leigh as the town's mayor.

The Fog was re-released in 2002 as a Special Edition and has some nice extras. It contains a new documentary with Carpenter and some of the original actors. It also contains a 1980 documentary, storyboards, some great outtakes, and more.

The Fog is classic John Carpenter. His movies during this time have a certain style and create an atmosphere that is just plain scary. Great sound effects and decent special effects add to this tension. Carpenter, unlike many other 70's directors, used darkness and vague shapes to add to the mood of the movie while keeping the gore to a minimum. Solid acting, good cast, scary plot, and great directing, make The Fog an excellent movie which every horror fan should own.