The Fog

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The Fog

R

1980

1h 29m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

76%

Tomatometer

72 Reviews

65%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Strange things begin to occur as a tiny California coastal town prepares to commemorate its centenary. Inanimate objects spring eerily to life; Rev. Malone stumbles upon a dark secret about the town's founding; radio announcer Stevie witnesses a mystical fire; and hitchhiker Elizabeth discovers the mutilated corpse of a fisherman. Then a mysterious iridescent fog descends upon the village, and more people start to die.

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Critics Consensus

A well-crafted return to horror for genre giant John Carpenter, The Fog rolls in and wraps viewers in suitably slow-building chills.

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Vincent Canby

New York Times

01/30/2020

Unlike Halloween, which was a model of straight-forward terror and carefully controlled suspense, The Fog is constructed of random diversions.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

01/29/2020

It's a failure, but it's a failure in the right direction.

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Will Lawrence

Empire Magazine

01/29/2020

4/5

Ghoulish, tense and utterly fantastical, John Carpenter's tale of shipwrecked spectres squelching their way through a fluorescent fog to wreak vengeance on a seaside town is a classic campfire yarn.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Apr 16

3/4

Unpretentious genre fun, stylishly assembled and populated with colorful characters.

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Richard Freedman

Newark Star-Ledger

Jan 7

Anyone who has ever thrilled to a ghost story will have a fine, scary time with "The Fog."

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Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

Sep 12

4/5

A spooky ghost story that is elevated by the moody atmosphere and sinister score.

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Antonio O

10/16/2022

A true classic that relies on a good story and score rather than CGI and gratuitous gore.

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Jeepers C

@RT12312147 Jun 3

I just love this movie. The bay is turning 100 Yeats old and the dead men of the sea are coming for revenge. Stay clear of the fog. The movie is very atmospheric and has a great musical score. It stars Tommy Atkins, Jamie Lee Curtis and Adrian Barbao. There's never a dull moment. When the fog rolls in, all hell breaks loose. The movie has become a cult classic.

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Mark H

@RT45667637 May 4

A nice slow build of atmosphere and subtly score, this John Carpenter follow up to Halloween isn’t nearly as unsettling or genre defining as Halloween, but few movies are. This is a good, patient supernatural mystery more than a horror movie. Few graphic scenes, much like in Halloween. The story is a bit muddled, something about a 100 year old curse on the town caused by 6 town conspirators who deliberately caused a ship full of leprosy victims to crash upon a rocky shore and sink to their deaths. A thick blanket of fog aided the murder plot. Now, the ghosts of that doomed ship are returning to Antonio Bay, via The Fog, to take 6 victims to answer for the 6 conspirators. The story goes that when the film was previewed, it made little sense and disappointed Carpenter. About 30 minutes of new footage was shot, including a 5 minute intro which explains the legend via campfire story. The added scenes helped, resulting in an eerie ghost story and a staple for Carpenter fans.

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Dallas H

@FozzieMcFly Apr 29

Watch this movie on April 21st at midnight.

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Erik B

@Atma-X Apr 6

A typical slow-burning tale from the master himself. Lots of suspense and not too much "action" per se...but a good time nonetheless. AEB says: delightfully creepy!

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Anjum K

@RT90179324 Mar 22

It was a sedate movie with all its sedate horror strewn here and there randomly.

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Synopsis

Strange things begin to occur as a tiny California coastal town prepares to commemorate its centenary. Inanimate objects spring eerily to life; Rev. Malone stumbles upon a dark secret about the town's founding; radio announcer Stevie witnesses a mystical fire; and hitchhiker Elizabeth discovers the mutilated corpse of a fisherman. Then a mysterious iridescent fog descends upon the village, and more people start to die.

Director: John Carpenter
Producer: Debra Hill
Screenwriter: John Carpenter, Debra Hill
Distributor: RCA/Columbia, AVCO Embassy Pictures, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
Production Co: AVCO Embassy Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 8, 1980, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Oct 26, 2018
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 8, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $69.5K
Runtime: 1h 29m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)