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A 1980 movie by John Carpenter, his first feature after a certain film, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and her mother, Janet Leigh, Nancy Loomis, John Houseman and others.
A small coastal Californian town is menaced by a mysterious fog as the town's foundation's 100th anniversary approaches... and the fog wants victims...
It has been remade in 2005, starring Tom Welling, Maggie Grace and Selma Blair.
Tropes used in The Fog include:
- Action Mom: Stevie becomes one of these in the film's final few minutes as she has to fight off the ghosts.
- Attack of the Town Festival: Subverted as Antonio Bay's birthday festival is canelled due to power malfunction caused by the fog.
- Axe Before Entering
- By the Hair: One of the ghosts grabs Sandy by the hair when trying to get through the church window.
- California
- Casting Gag: Mother and daughter Janet Leigh and Jamie Lee Curtis. Also Halloween co-stars Nancy Loomis and Charles Cyphers in addition to Curtis. All three interacted a lot in Halloween but are almost completely separate in this.
- Coitus Ensues: Nick and Elizabeth hop into bed literally about half an hour after they've met, before they even know each other's names too.
- Creator Cameo: John Capenter appears early in the movie as Bennett.
- Dangerous Windows
- Diary: Father Malone's grandfather' journal provides exposition.
- Disappeared Dad: Stevie is a single parent with no explanation given.
- Drop What You Are Doing
- 80sHair: Ooh boy.
- Evil-Detecting Dog: Mrs. Williams mentions that her dog kept barking and growling on the night of ghosts first appearance.
- Eye Scream
- Failed a Spot Check
- Fog of Doom: It's in the title, folks.
- Gender Blender Name: Stevie Wayne. Also a case of Two First Names.
- Ghost Pirate: None of them actually appear in the movie, but one is added to the DVD release's menus.
- Ghost Ship
- Ghostly Goals: Plain old revenge.
- Gory Discretion Shot: Most of the murders.
- Haunted Technology: Ghosts presence is first experienced when various technology goes haywire.
- Hollywood Density: For a man his age, Father Malone sure is strong to be able to carry like this a big solid gold cross
- Hooks and Crooks: Most of the ghosts are armed with hooks.
- Impromptu Tracheotomy
- In Case You Forgot Who Wrote It
- Infant Immortality
- Jump Scare
- Lighthouse Point: The place from which Stevie transmits.
- Meaningful Echo: Sandy sarcastically responds with "yes ma'am" whenever Kathy Williams says something. Later on after hearing that her husband has been killed she asks Sandy to take her home, and Sandy says "yes ma'am" affectionately.
- Men Are the Expendable Gender: The ghosts kill six people. Only one is female.
- Mythology Gag: Many of the characters are named after notable people John Carpenter has worked with such as Nick Castle (played Michael Myers in Halloween), Tommy Wallace (the film's editor)and Dan O'Bannon (a fellow screenwriter).
- One Steve Limit: Curious example. One of the characters is called Elizabeth and the ship the ghosts were killed on was named the Elizabeth Dane. No connection, different story in the remake.
- Peek-a-Boo Corpse
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Blake's (the leader of ghosts) eyes.
- Scenery Porn
- Shout-Out: The Coroner's name is Dr. Phibes.
- Mr. Machen is an homage to fantasy writer Arthur Machen (mispronounced, mind you). There are Lovecraft references in the place names "Arkham Reef" and "Whateley." Nick Castle is named for the regular Carpenter collaborator who played Michael Myers the first time out.
- Sins of Our Fathers: The ghosts in the fog want revenge for having been lured to their death so the town's founders could steal their gold.
- Sinister Minister: Father Malone's grandfather who participated in the murder of the leper colony.
- Sound-Only Death: Father Malone, the third guy on the Seagrass and Mrs. Kobritz
- Title Drop: ...look for the fog.
- Token Minority: Mel.
- Town with a Dark Secret
- Vampire Invitation: If the fog can't come inside, the ghosts can't either unless you let them.
- Weather Dissonance: The titular fog moves against the wind.
- When the Clock Strikes Twelve
- With Due Respect: Sandy.