YMMV / The Fog

The 1980 original by John Carpenter

• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • Were the zombie/ghosts' various victims 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? 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.
  • Did the stone that revealed the old Father Malone's journal really fall by coincidence as a result of all the other weird witching-hour events, or did Blake engineer it so that the new Father Malone would find the journal and the gold and be able to return it to him and his crew?
  • The driftwood piece says, "six must die". So does that mean Blake and his crew literally cannot rest until they've claimed six lives? 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 Necessary Evil rather than taking someone else?
  • In the climax, Father Malone says to Blake "I am the sixth conspirator; I am Father Malone". Does Blake kill him because he genuinely believes Father Malone is his grandfather? Do the ghosts not realize 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?
• Angst? What Angst?:
  • The townspeople seem to accept that there's something supernatural about the fog quite readily. Kathy and Sandy for one experience very little of the strange goings on - yet they hear one worried broadcast from Stevie and instantly buy it.
  • 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.
• Awesome Music: As with his other films, Carpenter delivers another memorable theme music.
• Canon Fodder: A small one. Lots of fans have been baffled as to what Andy is asking about when he says "can I have a stomach pounder and a coke?". Here's what it actually is.
• Common Knowledge: No, this is not a film about vengeful Ghost Pirates. 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 fisherman's hooks.
• Cult Classic: 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.
• Fanon: A big fan theory is that the ghosts are specifically targeting descendants of the original six conspirators. The novelization used this, as did the 2005 remake.
  • Another theory is that Elizabeth is in fact Laurie Strode, given her cryptic comments about weird things following her and her general reluctance to talk about her past.
• Fridge Brilliance:
  • 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 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. 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.
  • Nick and Elizabeth rather conveniently hear Stevie's broadcast and rescue Andy from the ghosts in time. As Stevie was believing Nick about the strange happenings, and offered her own bit of information, it makes sense that he'd be listening to her to see if she had any more information. And given that she was helpful to him, he'd want to return the favor by helping her son.
• Heartwarming Moments:
  • A cute moment between Andy and Mrs Kobritz. Rather than being scared when the power goes out, he says he likes it and finds it exciting. She gives him a small smile.
  • Elizabeth appears to develop a protective streak for little Andy. Once they get to the church, she can be seen comforting him and making sure he's okay. Once the ghosts vanish, her first action is to run into the next room and hug him.
  • Despite their Snark-to-Snark Combat, Sandy shows her affectionate side to Kathy once she learns her husband was lost at sea; offering to take her home. And when the ceremony is over, the two share a sweet Call-Back to their previous Take Thats to each other.
  Kathy: A little annoying...(smiles sweetly) but you're right.
  Sandy: (also smiling) Yes, ma'am.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • Nancy Loomis got killed off in Halloween (1978) while Charles Cyphers survived. Here it's the other way around. Additionally they swap roles - here the former playing the no-nonsense hard worker, while the latter plays the kooky slacker.
  • Likewise Jamie Lee Curtis played a timid virgin in Halloween, and she was famous for being the Final Girl. 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!
  • Tom Atkins's character is named after the actor who played Michael Myers in the first Halloween. He ends up starring in Halloween III: Season of the Witch...the only film in the franchise to not feature Michael Myers. Not to mention he has a similar sequence involving getting into bed with a woman he barely knows (whose name starts with E too). Nancy Loomis stars in that as well, playing his ex-wife. Jamie Lee Curtis also supplies a voiceover for that film.
• Iron Woobie: Stevie is experiencing the ultimate parental worries; 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.
• Memetic Mutation: "John Carpenter showing up at the beginning of The Fog as the guy who just wants to get paid is maybe the most on-brand director cameo ever."
• Moment of 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).
• Moe: Andy is a precocious little thing and is unfortunately put in great danger in the second act of the film.
• Nightmare Retardant: Giving the monsters an explicit kill limit—only six people—can kill a lot of the tension, especially when they manage half of it before the movie's halfway point.
• One-Scene Wonder: John Houseman has a two minute appearance in the prologue, just telling the story of Antonio Bay's founding.
• Padding: Several scenes were inserted in re-shoots. Some to make the film gorier, and others to pad the run time. Showing that this isn't always bad, John Carpenter and Debra Hill's writing does give them some plot relevance.
  • Nick's story about his father finding a gold doubloon that later vanished. The story doesn't really tie into anything else, but it does at least serve as a convenient way of keeping Elizabeth distracted so that she doesn't notice Tommy's body - thus giving the Jump Scare more effect. The fact that Nick believes the story also foreshadows that he'll readily accept what's happening.
  • Tommy's body also coming alive in the morgue and scaring Elizabeth, also carving the number three into the floor. While it doesn't convey information not already known (Stevie has already seen the 'six must die' message and the others already know the death is unusual) - it does help both Nick and Elizabeth accept the supernatural aspects and thus more credibility when they give Stevie their information.
• Paranoia Fuel:
  • One will forgive you for being suspicious of fogs after watching this movie.
  • Stevie's portion is especially prone to this. She's trapped in the lighthouse, cut off from most of the town. She can only communicate through her radio. Even when she speaks on the air at the end, she still has no idea what has happened.
  • Among the things going haywire in the opening sequence is a gas pump that spills all over the road - while electronics in the shop nearby come on and off. While obviously a fire didn't happen (or else everyone would be talking about it the next day) it does make one shiver at the thought of faulty pumps.
• Special Effect Failure: 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 up...
• Tear Jerker:
  • Kathy finding out that her husband is most likely dead. She recalls the previous night when her dog wouldn't stop barking and "just wishing Al would come home".
  • Stevie's desperation when she realises Andy is in danger, and can only plead for anyone who might be listening to her show to go to her house and rescue him.
  • Likewise, although the audience knows Nick and Elizabeth rescued him in time, Stevie doesn't. She can only broadcast an apology that she couldn't come for him, on the offchance he might hear, because she has to warn the rest of the town.
• The Un-Twist: Elizabeth shows up right before the strange events start happening, has no connection to any of the other characters, and at one point wonders if she's the cause of everything. She even says strange things have often happened to her, and coincidentally has the same name as the ship the lepers were on when they died. No one even mentions this coincidence and that's all it turns out to be. The 2005 remake however reveals her to be a ghost.
• Values Dissonance: Jamie Lee Curtis herself said that she didn't think anything of how casually Elizabeth jumps into bed with Nick - a hitchhiker ride she's literally just met and doesn't know the name of - only to realise years later how unusual it is by modern standards. There's also the age difference - she was twenty to Tom Atkins's forty-five - which would be much stranger now. The 2005 remake notably makes Nick much younger and have him and Elizabeth already know each other.
• Values Resonance: 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 Ms. Fanservice on the radio but turns down advances she doesn'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.
• Vindicated by History: 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 since the first cut was apparently terrible and he had to make it good with reshoots at the last minute, but warmed to it eventually.
• What Do You Mean, It's Not Symbolic?: This review puts forth the theory that having Janet Leigh playing the town matriarch in charge of the 100th anniversary celebrations is symbolic of her passing the torch to the next generation of horror film actresses - in this case her daughter (it's the only film they starred in together until Janet cameo'd in Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later.

The 2005 remake

• So Bad, It's Good: The film can be considered this, when not being considered completely awful.

The unrelated book by James Herbert:

• Crosses the Line Twice: The boarding school scene, in which a bunch of boys engage in an orgy of sexual sadism and murder. When some of the staff decide to join the fun, it gets worse.
• Harsher in Hindsight: The scene where a fog-crazed captain crashes his plane into the Post Office Tower—25 years before it happened in New York.

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