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The Fog

Play trailer Poster for The Fog R 1980 1h 29m Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist 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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The Fog

The Fog

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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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Critics Reviews

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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. Go to Full Review
Dave Kehr Chicago Reader 01/29/2020
It's a failure, but it's a failure in the right direction. Go to Full Review
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. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Apr 16
3/4
Unpretentious genre fun, stylishly assembled and populated with colorful characters. Go to Full Review
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." Go to Full Review
Patrick Cavanaugh The Wolfman Cometh Sep 12
4/5
A spooky ghost story that is elevated by the moody atmosphere and sinister score. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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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. See more Mark H @RT45667637 4d 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. See more Dallas H @FozzieMcFly Apr 29 Watch this movie on April 21st at midnight. See more 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! See more Anjum K @RT90179324 Mar 22 It was a sedate movie with all its sedate horror strewn here and there randomly. See more Julian C @juliancooper_12 Mar 13 A very creative plot with slow-building thrills. The movie overall is boring and I wish Carpenter added more to make it feel scarier See more Read all reviews
The Fog

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Movie Info

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
AVCO Embassy Pictures, RCA/Columbia, 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)