History YMMV / TheFog

* CommonKnowledge: No, this is not a film about vengeful {{Ghost Pirate}}s. It's a film about vengeful ghost ''lepers'' who happened to be in possession of a lot of gold that was stolen from them after their ship was deliberately run aground by murderous settlers. This misconception mainly seems to stem from confusion with the film's nautical motifs and the fact that the ghosts carry weapons like cutlasses and [[HooksAndCrooks hooks]].

* Awesome: Stevie Wayne's heroic last woman stand at the lighthouse, not knowing that her son has been rescued but staying at her post anyway to warn the other townspeople of the threat of the fog and fighting to the last gasp when the vengeful ghosts come for her (despite being from Chicago with absolutely no connection whatsoever with Antonio Bay).

* {{Squick}}: When we see Blake up close, there are maggots in his rotted cheek.

** Were the zombie/ghost pirates' various victims [[spoiler:other than Father Malone]] just random people who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time or were they descendants of the people who had betrayed the lepers a hundred years ago? [[spoiler:This actually ends up being a huge plot point in the remake, where it is said that the ghosts were specifically targeting the descendants of their betrayers.]]

* ValuesResonance: Stevie is undoubtedly the protagonist; a single working mother owning her own business, and gets to be an active character who helps save the day on her own merits. She's allowed to be flawed and establish clear sexual boundaries - she happily plays MsFanservice on the radio but turns down advances she does't want. Adrienne Barbeau even said that years later, she could appreciate what a strong character she actually is. In addition to that, the film contains three other very different female characters of various ages, who get to be active in the climax.

** The driftwood piece says "six must die". So does that mean Blake and his crew literally cannot rest until they've claimed six lives? [[spoiler: Do they come back for Father Malone because they still can't move on until they take him too? And if so, do they come back for him because he already offered himself to them, and they viewed it as a NecessaryEvil rather than taking someone else]]?
** In the climax, Father Malone says to Blake "I am the sixth conspirator; I am Father Malone". [[spoiler: Does Blake kill him because he genuinely believes Father Malone is his grandfather? Do the ghosts not realise a hundred years have passed? And in believing that, does Blake kill him purely out of revenge even if the returned gold allows them to rest?]]

* Awesome: Stevie Way's heroic last woman stand at the lighthouse, not knowing that her son has been rescued but staying at her post anyway to warn the other townspeople of the threat of the fog and fighting to the last gasp when the vengeful ghosts come for her (despite being from Chicago with absolutely no connection whatsoever with Antonio Bay).

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: As with his other films, Carpenter delivers another [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcPmHnHpja4 memorable theme music]].

* SugarWiki/DevelopmentHeaven: The exteriors for the lighthouse were shot in a national park, and the steps Stevie walks down were all real. Creator/AdrienneBarbeau and the rest of the crew had to walk down over three hundred steps for the shot, frequently cutting and resetting if the weather ruined takes. Adrienne fared alright, but she says the crew had to carry all their heavy equipment up and down the whole time.

** Kathy also shows surprisingly little angst about discovering her husband died (although the body is not accounted for, so she could be believing he's still just missing). She resolves to go on with the ceremony, and he's not mentioned after that again.
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: As with his other films, Carpenter delivers an another [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNSLaYJboPE memorable theme music]].

** Were the zombie/ghost pirates various victims [[spoiler:other than Father Malone]] just random people who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time or were they descendants of the people who had betrayed the lepers a hundred years ago? [[spoiler:This actually ends up being a huge plot point in the remake, where it is said that the ghosts were specifically targeting the descendants of their betrayers.]]

* IronWoobie: Stevie is experiencing the ultimate AdultFear; knowing that a disaster is happening nearby, her son is probably in danger and she can't do anything except cry for help on the radio in the hopes that someone will hear. But she also resolves to keep her broadcasts going, putting her own fears aside to make sure the town is informed.

* VindicatedByHistory: It was met with mixed reviews when it was released, but has come to be much better received over the years. Creator/JohnCarpenter himself initially disliked it, but warmed to it eventually.

* CultClassic: While not as famous as some of John Carpenter's other films, the love for this is growing every year, and it's often considered one of his most underrated.
* SugarWiki/DevelopmentHeaven: The exteriors for the lighthouse were shot in a national park, and the steps Stevie walks down were all real. Adrienne Barbeau and the rest of the crew had to walk down over three hundred steps for the shot, frequently cutting and resetting if the weather ruined takes. Adrienne fared alright, but she says the crew had to carry all their heavy equipment up and down the whole time.

* {{Narm}}: Like most of John Carpenter's work, the special effects hold up extremely well for modern audiences..but there are a few moments where things look a little shaky. One of the fishermen Elizabeth and Nick find aboard the ship has had his eyes gouged out...but instead of holes it's obviously fake putty and painted on wounds over his eyelids. Of course then he gets back [[OurZombiesAreDifferent up]]...

* MetaphoricallyTrue: A rare RealLife example. As Creator/StephenKing points out in his nonfiction book ''Danse Macabre'', the subsequent events at Jonestown, Guyana are eerily reminiscent of this scene:
--> There were hundreds – could it be thousands – of people climbing down the steps to the beach and walking toward her, toward the sea! Was she dreaming?....The people of the town were marching in a solid wall out to the sea, making no sound, staring toward the horizon as though something was beckoning to them. Their faces were white, trancelike, barely human. And there were children among them; some walked along on their own, seeming to belong to no one; those that couldn’t walk were being carried. Most of the people were in their nightclothes, some were naked, having risen from their beds as though answering a call that Mavis neither heard nor saw...
** King's remarks in ''Danse Macabre'':
--> This was written ''before'' the Jonestown tragedy, remember. In the aftermath of that, I recall one commentator intoning with dark and solemn sonorousness, “It was an event that not even the most darkly fertile imagination could have envisioned.” I flashed on the Bournemouth scene from ''The Fog'' and thought, “You’re wrong. James Herbert envisioned it.”

* AuthorsSavingThrow: The novelization confirms the fan theory that the victims were in fact the six descendants of the original conspirators.

** Kathy also shows surprisingly little angst about discovering her husband died. She resolves to go on with the ceremony, and he's not mentioned after that again.

* FridgeBrilliance: The timing of the stone falling out of the wall in Father Malone's study isn't just due to it being midnight: it happens ''immediately'' after Malone has brushed off his employee's request for pay. The wrecking of the lepers' ship happened because greedy men sought to profit from the unfortunate. The ghosts may have been ''watching Father Malone'' for any sign that the townsfolk had reformed, and his thoughtless act of wage-theft showed them that they hadn't. Actually, the stone fell after Father Malone [[HeelRealization realized that he'd been unnecessarily curt with Bennett, the man asking to be paid]], and as he was calling to Bennett, presumably to apologize for his behavior and make arrangements. [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation One could read it that his Grandfather's spirit, having seen his descendant's willingness to acknowledge his own failings, set in motion the events so that Father Malone would know what motivated the vengeful spirits, and find a means to attempt to appease them.]]

** Nancy Loomis got killed off in ''{{Film/Halloween 1978}}'' while Charles Cyphers survived. [[spoiler: Here it's the other way around]].

* {{Narm}}: Like most of John Carpenter's work, the special effects hold up extremely well for modern audiences..but there are a few moments where things look a little shaky. One of the fishermen Elizabeth and Nick find aboard the ship has had his eyes gouged out...but instead of holes it's obviously fake putty and painted on wounds over his eyelids. Of course then he gets back [[OurZombiesAreDifferent up]]...

* Narm: Like most of John Carpenter's work, the special effects hold up extremely well for modern audiences..but there are a few moments where things look a little shaky. One of the fishermen Elizabeth and Nick find aboard the ship has had his eyes gouged out...but instead of holes it's obviously fake putty and painted on wounds over his eyelids. Of course then he gets back [[OurZombiesAreDifferent up]]...

** Likewise Jamie Lee Curtis played a timid virgin in ''Halloween'', and she was famous for being the FinalGirl. So in this - her second horror movie - she plays a girl who hops into bed with a man she's just met and doesn't even know the name of!

* OneSceneWonder: John Houseman has a two minute appearance in the prologue, just telling the story of Antonio Bay's founding.

* VindicatedByHistory: It was met with mixed reviews when it was released, but has come to be much better received over the years. John Carpenter himself initially disliked it, but warmed to it eventually.