The Fog (1980)

Director:

John Carpenter

Writers:

John Carpenter (written by) &
Debra Hill (written by)
(more)

Release Date:

8 February 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

What you can't see won't hurt you... it'll kill you!

Plot:

A Northern California fishing town, built 100 years ago over an old leper colony, is the target for revenge by a killer fog containing zombie-like ghosts seeking revenge for their deaths.

Plot Keywords:

Gothic | Electronic Music Score | Catholic Priest | Ghoul | Stained Glass Window

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Adrienne Barbeau	...	Stevie Wayne
Jamie Lee Curtis	...	Elizabeth Solley
Janet Leigh	...	Kathy Williams
John Houseman	...	Mr. Machen
Tom Atkins	...	Nick Castle
James Canning	...	Dick Baxter
Charles Cyphers	...	Dan O'Bannon
Nancy Kyes	...	Sandy Fadel (as Nancy Loomis)
Ty Mitchell	...	Andy
Hal Holbrook	...	Father Malone
John F. Goff	...	Al Williams (as John Goff)
George 'Buck' Flower	...	Tommy Wallace
Regina Waldon	...	Mrs. Kobritz
Jim Haynie	...	Dockmaster
Darrow Igus	...	Mel
John Vick	...	Sheriff Simms (as John Vic)
Jim Jacobus	...	Mayor (as Jay Jacobs)
Fred Franklyn	...	Ashcroft
Ric Moreno	...	Ghost
Lee Socks	...	Ghost (as Lee Sacks)
Tommy Lee Wallace	...	Ghost (as Tommy Wallace)
Bill Taylor	...	Bartender
Rob Bottin	...	Blake
Charles Nicklin	...	Blake's Voice (voice)
Darwin Joston	...	Dr. Phibes
Laurie Arent	...	Child
Lindsey Arent	...	Child
Shari Jacoby	...	Child
Christopher Cundey	...	Child
John Strobel	...	Grocery Clerk
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Carpenter	...	Bennett (uncredited)
Debra Hill	...	Extra in Benediction scene (uncredited)

Directed by
John Carpenter

Writing credits
John Carpenter		(written by) &
Debra Hill		(written by)
Edgar Allan Poe		quotation (uncredited)

Produced by
Barry Bernardi	....	associate producer
Charles B. Bloch	....	executive producer
Pegi Brotman	....	associate producer
Debra Hill	....	producer

Original Music by
John Carpenter

Cinematography by
Dean Cundey		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Charles Bornstein
Tommy Lee Wallace

Production Design by
Tommy Lee Wallace

Art Direction by
Craig Stearns

Costume Design by
Stephen Loomis		(as Steven Loomis)
Bill Whitten

Makeup Department
Rob Bottin	....	special makeup effects
Tina Cassady	....	hair stylist
Dante Palmiere	....	makeup artist
Edward Ternes	....	makeup artist (as Ed Ternes)
Erica Ulland	....	makeup artist
Steve Johnson	....	special makeup effects assistant (uncredited)

Production Management
Don Behrns	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Larry J. Franco	....	first assistant director
James van Wyck	....	second assistant director (as James Van Wyck)

Art Department
Kathleen Hughes	....	property master
Charles Moore	....	assistant art director
Randy Moore	....	assistant art director (as Charles Moore)

Sound Department
Gregg Barbanell	....	foley artist
Gregg Barbanell	....	supervising sound editor
Joseph F. Brennan	....	boom operator (as Joe Brennan)
Craig Felburg	....	sound mixer
Ron Horwitz	....	supervising sound editor
Bob Minkler	....	sound re-recording mixer
Bob Newlan	....	assistant sound editor
Frank Serafine	....	special sound effects
William L. Stevenson	....	sound designer: Stevensound Inc. (as William Stevenson)
Richard Tyler	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Dick Tyler)
Elliot Tyson	....	foley mixer
Ray West	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Richard Albain	....	special effects: A. & A. Special Effects (as Richard Albain Jr.)
Rob Bottin	....	effects: Blake
Dean Cundey	....	effects: Blake
James F. Liles	....	special photographic effects

Stunts
James Winburn	....	stunt driver (as James Windburn)
Mags Kavanaugh	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Scott Buttfield	....	electrician (as Scott Butfield)
Tim Doughten	....	grip
Steve Fierberg	....	electrician
Kim Gottlieb	....	still photographer
Ben Haller	....	key grip
Steve Mathis	....	best boy electric
Dave Michels	....	grip
Krishna Rao	....	second assistant camera
Dylan Shepherd	....	best boy
Raymond Stella	....	camera operator
Raymond Stella	....	director of photography: second unit
Stephen St. John	....	first assistant camera (as Steve St. John)
Mark Walthour	....	gaffer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Richard Bloore	....	wardrobe master

Editorial Department
Joe Woo Jr.	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Jim Cypherd	....	music mixer
Bob Walters	....	music coordinator (as Bob Walter)
Dan Wyman	....	electronic orchestrator

Other crew
Donald P. Borchers	....	production accountant (as Don Borchers)
Mary Francis Flynn	....	production assistant
Alexandra Hawler	....	production assistant
Burke Mattsson	....	title designer
Steve McMillian	....	production assistant
Ed Pine	....	unit publicist
Jeanne Rosenberg	....	script supervisor
Katy Sweet	....	unit publicist
Dan Wyman	....	electronic realization
Randy Zook	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• AVCO Embassy Pictures (present) (as AVCO Embassy)
• EDI (present) (as E.D.I.)

Distributors

• AVCO Embassy Pictures (1980) (USA) (theatrical)
• Astral Films (1980) (Canada) (theatrical)
• BMG Video (1997) (UK) (VHS)
• Best Buy Movie GmbH (BBM) (2000) (Germany) (DVD)
• Entertainment Worldwide Inc. (1980) (USA) (theatrical)
• Globo Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (UK)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (VHS)
• Momentum Pictures (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)
• Tobis (1980) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD) (HD-DVD)

Special Effects

• A&A Special Effects (special effects) (as A. & A. Special Effects)

Other Companies

• Get Set Inc.  sets
• Mag City  special sound effects (as Mag City, Hollywood)
• Mag City  supervising sound editing (as Mag City, Hollywood)
• Maslansky Koenigsgerg  publicity (as Maslansky-Koenigsberg)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)  titles and opticals (as MGM)
• Samuel Goldwyn Studios  post production sound
• Sonoton Musik-Verlag  music
• Sound Arts  music recording studio
• Steven Sound  sound design (as Stevensound Inc.)
• Workroom 27  costume design

Also Known As:

John Carpenter's The Fog (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:AA (Ontario) (original rating) | Denmark:15 | West Germany:16 (f) | Iceland:16 | Canada:PG (Ontario) (re-rating) (2002) | Netherlands:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | USA:R (Approved No. 25792) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Norway:16 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Canada:PG (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Altadena, California, USA

Company:

AVCO Embassy Pictures

Trivia:

Dr. Phibes, the name of the coroner played by Darwin Joston, is an in-joke reference to Dr. Anton Phibes, the character played by Vincent Price in the horror film The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) and its sequel Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972).

Goofs:

Continuity: In the coroners office, Elizabeth's hair is shorter than it is in the rest of the movie, and she's wearing sneakers as opposed to her boots

Quotes:

Mr. Machen: 11:55, almost midnight. Enough time for one more story. One more story before 12:00, just to keep us warm. In five minutes, it will be the 21st of April. One hundred years ago on the 21st of April, out in the waters around Spivey Point, a small clipper ship drew toward land...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Feeling the Effects of 'The Fog' (2006) (V)

Creepy Atmosphere

John Houseman sits around a campfire telling children about the story of a ship that went down near their home Antonio Bay and how the drowned sailors will reappear 100 years to that very night in the fog. It is a wonderful beginning to a very chilling film, directed by the modern horror meister John Carpenter. As with most of his films, Carpenter creates a scary atmosphere through moody settings(the California coastline, a lighthouse, an old Church), relentless mood music as in Halloween, good character acting(Holbrook, Houseman, Curtis, Leigh), and a claustrophobic feeling of something vice-like gripping you. The story has some plot problems, but none enough to detract from the overall enjoyment of the film. Adrienne Barbeau is as lovely as ever in the lead, and the film is credible amidst the background of supernatural actions.