The Fog (1980)

As a small coastal California town prepares for its 100th anniversary, an ominous fog rolls in and strange occurrences comes to pass including the slaughter of three men on a fishing traveler. The victims of a 100 year old conspiracy have come back for revenge! Directed by John Carpenter, this was a follow up to his 1978 smash HALLOWEEN. It's an atmospheric, eerie ghost story with just the right amount of scares without the violence taking center stage. A slasher movie, it's not and that's fine with me. Personally, I think it's a better film than HALLOWEEN. The director of cinematography Dean Cundey's (APOLLO 13) wide screen lensing has given it a much richer look than its $1,000,000 budget would suggest. The Point Reyes locations in Northern California look terrific and Carpenter's edgy synthesizer underscore contributes to the film's tension. A neat and efficient gem of a horror film. The strong cast includes Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Janet Leigh, Hal Holbrook, John Houseman, Tom Atkins and Nancy Loomis.