The Fog

John Carpenter's 'The Fog' begins with a gathering around a campfire on a beach, where an old timer is telling a sinister ghost story to the children around him. There is a mischievous glint in his eye, the kind that arises from the telling of these kinds of tales, and one which makes us look forward to the tale which we ourselves are about to see.

The plot concerns the arrival of a mysterious fog on the shores of a small coastal town, Antonio Bay. Before long it becomes clear that the fog harbours a sinister prescence, one that comes to the town for a reason - to seek vengeance on its inhabitants for the crimes of their ancestors.

Carpenter handles the suspense extremely well, and is aided by a well structured script which employs some neat devices. The most striking of these is the character of Stevie (Adrienne Barbeau), a radio DJ stationed in the lighthouse who relates the unfolding events over the microphone to the town's population. The intimacy of these broadcasts involves us more closely in the story, making us feel like we should be locking our doors like our fellow citizens on the screen - and the film is made all the more gripping as a result. Meanwhile, the main protagonists, played by Jamie Lee Curtis and Tom Atkins, are in a race against time with the Fog as it gradually pervades the whole town, in a well paced struggle that leads to a memorable climax.

This well crafted story oozes atmosphere, its shadowy photography and spine-tingling soundtrack achieving a genuine sense of menace. It is though let down a little by its 'scare' moments, which are predictable and involve some heavy-handed violence that doesn't sit well with the rest of the film - and it has to be said that both story and characterisation lack any depth or resonance. Nevertheless, Carpenter directs with such confidence and flair that the end result is a satisfying yarn from someone who knows how to tell them.