With 'The Fog', the John Carpenter letterboxed laserdisc library is one step closer to completion.
As 'Halloween' was fast becoming a cult sensation circa 1978-1979, Carpenter made this low-budget horror fest, but this time he focused on traditional ghost-story creeps and chills. Rather than repeat the psychological slasher thrills of 'Halloween', 'The Fog' is a spooky old-fisherman’s tale of vengeful leprous pirates and their hundred-year-old curse on a sleepy ocean hamlet.
It’s an ambitious effort that works in spite of itself. After all, just how scary did Carpenter think a fog bank would really be? But the film’s impressive cast, gorgeous locations, and a bone-chilling musical score (by, as usual, Carpenter himself) elevate this occasionally silly tale to the higher echelons of the genre.
Image Entertainment impressed the heck out of me with their widescreen issues of Carpenter’s 'In the Mouth of Madness' and 'Assault on Precinct 13' - and, while I had reservations with their treatment of 'Escape From New York' as a so-called "collectors edition," I thought the transfer itself was excellent. I was equally pleased with "The Fog." I knew right off the bat that there might be occasional splices and scratches because not only is the film 16 years old, but also because the film’s distributor, Avco Embassy, is no more. Considering this, it’s amazing the disc looks as good as it does.
The letterboxing presents Carpenter’s stylishly-composed anamorphic widescreen images fully intact, with the aspect ratio measuring in at just about 2.35:1. I was too young to see 'The Fog' in theaters, so watching it now in its full widescreen glory was like seeing it for the first time.
A running commentary by Carpenter and co-writer/producer Debra Hill is informative and amusing, light years ahead of Carpenter’s dreadfully boring audio track on 'In the Mouth of Madness'.
Image has also included the theatrical trailer (alas, the signs of 16 years’ worth of wear and tear are painfully evident) and 3 television spots. There’s also an outtake reel at the close of side 2, featuring behind-the-scenes peeks at how the filmmakers set up certain effects shots and, most amusingly, a few blooper clips (including a hilarious moment when John Housman curses aloud after fouling-up a line!).
John Carpenter’s eerie musical score is isolated on another analog track and, conveniently, there are specific chapter stops for each individual music cue throughout the film.
Vital statistics: New Line Home Video; 2 sides; CLV; Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1); Chapter stops; Monaural; $49.95.
S. Damien Segal.
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