John Carpenter's classic Halloween opened up some excellent
opportunities for the talented writer/director/composer. One of those was the chance to direct a follow-up to the box-office hit with Halloween II.
While certainly pleased there was a sequel, he declined and chose to do
something new, something fresh, a film that would take him away from the
slasher and give him a chance to bring audiences into the supernatural horrors
that are... The Fog. Scream Factory has taken The Fog, restored it and given it
their widely praised "Collector's Edition" label in their latest
release from the popular line specializing in retro-horror.
When an immense fog begins to cover the quiet town of Antonio Bay,
the fisherman and soon the townsfolk begin to perish for . The
fog, is death to these people and what’s inside the fog is unstoppable. Stevie
Wayne (Adrienne Barbeau, Creepshow, Swamp Thing) is literally in the “thick’ of
things as our damsel in distress radio DJ. She and some like-minded individuals
are looking to get out of dodge as soon as possible to avoid getting a hook through their throats courtesy of the mysterious creatures traveling in the fog.
While not overly gory, or even violent at all, The Fog grabs the
viewer with a brooding terror and a sense of dread that makes any of that
unnecessary. Add in a excellent cast from top to bottom -Tom Atkins, Jamie Lee
Curtis, Barbeau, Tommy Lee Wallace and Hal Holbrook, Carpenter’s vision has
some effective players to tell the story of an unstoppable evil that’s quite
different than his psychopath Michael Myers from Halloween.
This Blu-ray edition of The Fog is absolutely jam-packed, not only
with the previous material seen on the MGM DVD edition but some stellar new
supplements that alone make this a must buy. We get a couple cool
commentaries: one with Adrienne Barbeau, Tom Atkins and Tommy Lee Wallace, who
contribute a loose and enjoyable listen and director John Carpenter and Debra
Hill are on the other with a more technical take on the film.
The new interviews with both Jamie Lee Curtis and Dean Cundey are
where it’s at. Jamie Lee is a class act, who isn’t at all ashamed by her
“scream queen” past, if anything, she embraces it. She seems to have a great
memory and even goes down the line as she brings up other films she had done
(Halloween II, Road Games, Prom Night).
Dean Cundey, to me is really an unheralded master and thankfully
here in this new interview we’re able to take a look at what makes him tick a
even get to see some of his tricks as cinematographer. Cundey talks a bit about
one of his biggest strengths, a huge reason why The Fog and Halloween are so
terrifying – his exceptional use of the frame. He never simply takes a shot for
granted and it’s a unique skill that combines so perfectly with Carpenter’s and
Debra Hill’s vision.
Revisiting The Fog now on Blu-ray is an even better experience
than my past viewing. The restoration -- much-like the improvement on The
Howling -- is stunning and makes any other edition obsolete. This is a definite
a must-buy and possibly one of the best releases of the year. Highly Recommended
.
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