History Film / TheFog

->''Is all that we see or seem, but a dream with a dream?''

->''"To the ships at sea who can hear my voice: Look across the water, into the darkness. Look for the fog."''
-->-- '''Stevie'''

* DeathBySex: Almost pointedly averted -- perhaps due to Carpenter's [[Film/Halloween1978 last film]] having arguably established the trope, which [[https://aiyonna.wordpress.com/2018/11/18/john-carpenter-returns-to-usc-for-40th-anniversary-of-halloween/ baffled him]]. [[spoiler: One of the first scenes involves two characters having anonymous casual sex after knowing each other for about an hour, which in another horror movie would instantly mark them as future victims. It's barely dwelled upon.]]

* FogOfDoom: It's in the title, folks. Notably it moves against the wind, glows with an eerie light and can short out electricity.

** When Andy is rescued from his house, no one asks about the fate of his babysitter Mrs Kobritz. [[DownplayedTrope He does briefly mention her towards the end as one of the victims though.]] Justified, since his rescuers, Nick and Elizabeth, have no idea who she is, and have more pressing matters to deal with, like avoiding being killed by the ghosts.

** Double subverted when it comes to Kathy's husband Al. After finding out he's dead, she's clearly devastated, but chooses to put on a brave face for the sake of the festival. He doesn't get mentioned after that again. They do admittedly say they haven't found him yet, so she may still be imagining that he's just missing.

* HeroicSacrifice: Father Malone tries this. [[spoiler: Double Subverted.]] Stevie does so also, remaining at her post to warn the townspeople (despite not knowing if her son is alive or dead) and fighting to the last against the zombies who besiege her lighthouse.
* HollywoodDensity: For a man his age, Father Malone sure is strong [[spoiler: to be able to carry a large solid gold cross]].
* HollywoodHealing: [[spoiler: Stevie takes a ghost's fish hook in the shoulder, is able to pull it out and use it to fight off the ghosts. She reappears in the epilogue no worse for wear]]. This is partly a result of re-shoots to make the scene more impactful.

* AdultFear: Stevie realises that her son is in danger and, trapped in the radio station, there's nothing she can do except send out distress messages in the hope that someone will hear and go to help. Even by the end of the film, she still has no idea if Andy has made it to safety.

* {{Tuckerization}}: A few characters are named after John Carpenter's colleagues. The weatherman is named Dan O'Bannon (screenwriter for ''Film/{{Alien}}''), a sailor is called Tommy Wallace (the ''Halloween'' cinematographer) and Tom Atkin's character is Nick Castle (the actor who played Michael Myers). John Carpenter also cameos as a man called Bennett, possibly named after his writer friend Bennett Tramer (who also got this trope in ''Halloween'').

* {{Diary}}: Father Malone's grandfather's journal provides exposition.

No relation to Creator/JamesHerbert's horror novel [[Literature/TheFog of the same name]], or with Creator/StephenKing's novella ''Literature/TheMist'' and its film adaptation.

* HeroicSacrifice: Father Malone tries this. [[spoiler: Double Subverted.]]

--> '''Kathy:''' Sandy, you're the only person I know who can make "yes, ma'am" sound like "screw you".
--> '''Sandy:''' Yes, ma'am.

[[TheRemake Remade in 2005]] with Creator/TomWelling, Creator/MaggieGrace and Creator/SelmaBlair. The remake tries to create more connections between the characters and also tries to expand on a few plot points from the original.

''The Fog'' is a 1980 horror film by Creator/JohnCarpenter (his first feature after [[Film/Halloween1978 a certain other horror film]]), starring Creator/AdrienneBarbeau, Creator/JamieLeeCurtis (and her mother, Creator/JanetLeigh), Creator/HalHolbrook, Nancy Loomis, John Houseman and others.

The small coastal northern California town of Antonio Bay is about to celebrate its 100th anniversary. Among the town's denizens are Stevie Wayne (Barbeau), who runs her own radio station, and Kathy Williams (Leigh), who is in charge of the centennial celebrations. New in town is Elizabeth Solley (Curtis), an aspiring artist who has hitchhiked from Santa Barbara. Everything seems peaceful in Antonio Bay, but on the night of the ceremony, a mysterious fog rolls in... and the fog wants victims...

* PluckyComicRelief: Dan O'Bannon usually drops a few funny lines whenever he appears on screen.

* AssholeVictim: Averted. The conspirators who sank the ''Elizabeth Dane'' would qualify as this, but all of them are dead by the time of the film and Father Malone’s grandfather was consumed with guilt over it. The victims the ghosts do claim as revenge are all perfectly nice people who had nothing to do with it: the closest anyone gets to being one of these is Al Williams, and he's at worst a little gruff.

** Dan O'Bannon gets some in too.

* AssholeVictim: Averted. The conspirators who sank the ''Elizabeth Dane'' would qualify as this, but all of them are dead by the time of the film and Father Malone’s grandfather was consumed with guilt over it, and the victims the ghosts do claim as revenge are all perfectly nice people who had nothing to do with it. The closest anyone gets to being one of these is Al Williams, and he’s just an average joe.

* GhostlyGoals: Plain old revenge.

* HystericalWoman: Subverted. Stevie's panic slowly starts to increase but she keeps her act together long enough to warn people about the fog and to fight off the pirates. This is a JustifiedTrope--she is trapped in a lighthouse while her home and her son are left at the mercy of undead pirates and all she can do is spread warnings over the radio.

* IronLady: Kathy Williams, even though she's just the chairwoman of the town committee. When she hears her husband may have been lost at sea, she still continues with her work in the celebration. TruthInTelevision, many people react to such situations by going about their daily routines or even burying themselves in work - it both helps give you something else to think about/focus on, and gives you the feeling that it is an ordinary, routine day.

* MayDecemberRomance: Nick and Elizabeth, if the actors' actual ages are anything to go by (45 and 22 respectively).

* OminousFog: The premise of the film.

* ArtisticLicenseReligion: Father Malone's grandfather, another Father Malone, was one of the town founders. Malone is an Irish - and presumably Catholic - name, and Catholic priests typically don't have children. There are Irish Protestants of course, but most of them have ministers, rather than priests. A Catholic man can also become a priest after being widowed, so it is ''technically'' possible for his grandfather to have been a priest, but more likely Carpenter just hoped [[FridgeLogic nobody would notice.]] The family may have been Catholic originally and chosen to convert but his descendants become Catholic again, had children out of wedlock or left the priesthood after the events of the wrecking.

* ArtisticLicenseReligion: Father Malone's grandfather, another Father Malone, was one of the town founders. Malone is an Irish - and presumably Catholic - name, and Catholic priests typically don't have children. There are Irish Protestants of course, but most of them have ministers, rather than priests. A Catholic man can also become a priest after being widowed, so it is ''technically'' possible for his grandfather to have been a priest, but more likely Carpenter just hoped [[FridgeLogic nobody would notice.]] Could also be a case of AluminumChristmasTrees - since Ireland was still being oppressed by Britain in the 1800s and Protestantism was enforced heavily - so the family may have been Catholic originally and forced to convert, and descendants become Catholic again.

* ArtisticLicenseReligion: Father Malone's grandfather, another Father Malone, was one of the town founders. Malone is an Irish - and presumably Catholic - name, and Catholic priests typically don't have children. There are Irish Protestants of course, but most of them have ministers, rather than priests. A Catholic man can also become a priest after being widowed, so it is ''technically'' possible for his grandfather to have been a priest, but more likely Carpenter just hoped [[FridgeLogic nobody would notice.]]

** Sandy, Kathy Williams's snarky assistant.

** Double subverted when it comes to Kathy's husband Al. After finding out he's dead, she's clearly devastated, but chooses to put on a brave face for the sake of the festival. He doesn't get mentioned after that again.

* ImprobableInfantSurvival: [[spoiler: Andy is in danger when the ghosts attack his house, but he's rescued by Nick and Elizabeth]].

* MenAreTheExpendableGender: The ghosts kill [[spoiler: six people]]. Only one is female. There is a considerable amount of tension when Andy is potentially attacked by the ghosts but being a child grants him that exception.

* ArtisticLicenseReligion: Father Malone's grandfather, another Father Malone, was one of the town founders. Malone is an Irish - and presumably Catholic - name, and Catholic priests don't have children. There are Irish Protestants, but most of them have ministers, rather than priests.

No relation to Creator/JamesHerbert's horror novel [[Literature/TheFog of the same name]].

* AssholeVictim: Averted. The conspirators who sank the ''Elizabeth Dane'' would qualify as this, but all of them are dead by the time of the film and Father Malone’s grandfather was consumed with guilt over it, and the victims the ghosts do claim as revenge are all perfectly nice people who had nothing to do with it. The closest anyone gets to bring one of these is Al Williams, and he’s just an average joe.

* InfantImmortality: [[spoiler: Andy is in danger when the ghosts attack his house, but he's rescued by Nick and Elizabeth]].

** Stevie's message to "look for the fog" through the radio is a reference to a scene in ''Film/TheThingFromAnotherWorld'' where the main character grabs the radio and tells the world to "watch the skies" for extra-terrestrials.

** Mr. Machen is an homage to fantasy writer Arthur Machen (mispronounced, mind you).

[[caption-width-right:350:'''6 MUST DIE''']]