Been watching John Carpenter's The Fog from 1980.
You know the one. Antonio Bay and the Seagrass.
Besides the usual observations about John Carpenter's distinctive musical score and superb photography, here are a few other more tangential thoughts.
First up the name Loomis. Its important to Carpenter. Loomis is the real surname of two members of John Carpenter's film crew. One of them, Nancy Loomis also plays Sandy Fadel in the Fog. Its relevant since in the film Halloween, the Professor, one Donald Pleasance, is also called Loomis. He was Michael Myers' shrink. Carpenter often used friends' names in his movies.
The late Debra Hill co-wrote the script for the Fog along with Carpenter. Hill had co-wrote Halloween and set the film in Haddonfield, New Jersey, where she was from! I'm starting to think that New Jersey is the centre of American horror and spooks!
Interestingly a character called Dan O'Bannon also pops up in the Fog, a reference to Carpenter's past collaboration with the real O'Bannon on Dark Star. The late O'Bannon went on to co-script ALIEN and the rest is history. Coincidentally O'Bannon's Dad was a carpenter! The actor who played O'Bannon in the Fog, Charles Cyphers, had once competed in a game show for a date with Yvonne Craig aka Batgirl!
Arguably the main character in the Fog is Stevie Wayne, the radio presenter played by Adrienne Barbeau. Barbeau was married to John Carpenter at the time and she went on to voice Catwoman in Batman The Animated Series!
The Mayor of Antonio Bay in the Fog is none other than that shower curtain queen herself, the late Janet Leigh, star of the iconic Psycho. Her daughter with Tony Curtis was Jamie Lee Curtis and both Mother and Daughter appeared in the Fog together!
The male lead in the Fog is the character Nick Castle played by Carpenter stalwart Tom Atkins. Atkins was married to Garn Stephens. They both appeared in Halloween III: Season of the Witch. Stephens played Marge Guttman the toy shop owner who has a bad evening sat in bed when she prods her hair clip into one of Silver Shamrock's witchcraft mask decals. Bad idea!
Interestingly Tom Atkins' lead-male characters in both The Fog and Halloween III: Season of the Witch meet up with a young woman visiting the towns in the films: Stacey Nelkin in Witch and Jamie Lee Curtis in the Fog.
Both women can be seen as bad omens. After teaming up with them and investigating strange goings-on in both movies, his character beds both young women whilst all around them is carnage and skullduggery.
Interestingly Stacey Nelkin had once been cast as Pris in Blade Runner. As we know, the role eventually went to Daryl Hannah.
One other thing struck me, about the coastline of Antonio Bay in The Fog. It has a distinct curving shape.
I'd seen something very similar and thought maybe they were the same but no. Here's what I was thinking of, the colony retreat in The Howling.
I didn't see any old toys in the Fog but I did see a large blue plastic space-age radio in Stevie Wayne's bedroom I think. I've no idea of the make but it reminded me immediately of the central section [dials and clock face] of the Merit Dan Dare Radio Station. Anyone know the US radio?
Do you like The Fog?
