This film is the remake of the iconic The Fog [1980] and like most remakes, critics crucified it; because reimagining a movie from John Carpenter and Debra Hill is difficult. The owner of The Horror Times requested that I do this review as the film makes a 20th-anniversay as opposed to Baron who would rip it to shreds by doing a shot-by-shot comparison to the original which I’m going to try not to do. The Fog crept into theaters in October 2005 from Columbia and Sony Pictures and was directed by Rupert Wainwright (Stigmata [1999]) and screenwriter Cooper Layne.
Selma Blair and Cole Heppell
The movie opens with a group of men attacking a clipper ship named the Elizabeth Dane, looting it and even murdering the passengers, before they set it on fire then the film does a time jump to the modern day in Antonio Island where Stevie Wayne (Selma Blair (Hellboy [2004])) is a DJ forecasting the weather on the island. We then see Nick (Tom Welling) the owner of a fishing boat and his first mate Spooner (DeRay Davis (Frankenhood [2009])) cleaning the fish that was caught. When Spooner tries to retrieve the anchor, it’s caught on something and disturbs what’s below.
Tom Welling
Soon we see Nick’s ex-girlfriend Elizabeth (Maggie Grace (Creature Unknown [2004])) who returns to due to the terrible nightmares she’s been having of people drowning. Coincidently a dense fog starts rolling onto the island and Dan the weatherman (Jonathan Young (Alien Trespass [2009])) lets his friend Stevie know but she dismisses it since she doesn’t see it on her radar. The fog isn’t just any fog it seems to be targeted by certain townsfolk especially connected to the celebration of the start of Antonia Island. Elizabeth finds a journal which gives a detailed telling of the history and what happened on the Elizabeth Dane and that the founding fathers murdered everyone on the ship to get rich and now the fog is out for revenge and is confirmed by Father Malone (Adrian Hough (Hex [2018])) who elaborates on the atrocities committed and shouts out “Blood for Blood.” Of course, the others think he’s looney including the mayor Tom (Kenneth Walsh (Psycho Goreman [2020])). The fog takes more and more lives seeking revenge for the lost lives. The end is definitely different than the original film and is a bit wacky and asks who is Elizabeth really?
To me this was a one and done viewing as it wasn’t very scary even when the fog attacks and kills the residents it wasn’t that thrilling maybe because there was just too much CGI. One odd thing is who they target for example Stevie’s Aunt Connie (Mary Black (The Exorcism of Emily Rose [2005])) is watching her son Andy (Cole Heppell (The Final Storm [2010])) and when the fog enters their home it gets Connie through the sink but when Andy seals up his bedroom door it never enters. One funny part of the film is with Spooner at the town hall where everyone is gathering he of course doesn’t want to be the next victim and says the funny line “my family’s from Chicago” which he thinks makes him not part of the twisted revenge plot. This film isn’t liked by most horror fanatics who love the original but if you want something to do to kill time maybe give this a try then go back and see the original and know why John Carpenter is a great filmmaker.
Shop On Fire
TAGLINES:
- Their PAST Has Come Back To HAUNT THEM
- There’s more to fear than you can see.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0432291/
IMDb Rating: 3.7/10
3C Rating: 3.5/10
Remake of:
The Fog [1980]