The Fog Parent Guide
Parent Movie Review
Poet Carl Sandburg once described fog as moving on little cat feet and sitting silently on its haunches. Obviously he wasn’t writing about the murderous vapor that envelops a tiny coastal town in the remake movie The Fog.
Nick Castle (Tom Welling) lives on a small Oregon island where he runs a trophy fishing business with his friend Spooner (DeRay Davis). Six months earlier, Nick’s girlfriend Elizabeth (Maggie Grace) abruptly left for the mainland without saying a word to him. Since then he has taken up with Stevie Wayne (Selma Blair), the local radio DJ who broadcasts her one-woman show from the top of the town’s lighthouse.
One night while driving along a winding back road to meet Stevie, Nick happens upon Elizabeth meandering along the dark, deserted highway. Returning as suddenly as she left, she refuses to give any explanation and instead complains of having disturbing dreams about a shipload of drowning victims. Not knowing about the new woman in Nick’s life, she also expects the two of them to take up where they left off physically and invites him into a steamy shower once they get back to his house.
Yet, Elizabeth isn’t the only thing haunting the isolated village on Antonio Island. With her arrival, a thick fog moves in, bringing deadly outcomes.
Taking the company boat out on the water for a night of drunken dancing, Spooner and three other partiers begin to sense figures in the mist. Unable to start the engine or call for help, they are submerged in the thick cloud. By the time the air clears in the morning, one of them has a knife in his head and his eyelids stitched shut while two others are mysteriously killed and tossed onto the deck of the inoperative vessel.
Moving inland the fog’s mayhem continues, with loud banging sounds signaling something evil is about to happen. Seeping under doors and through vents, the mist turns healthy humans to ash and shatters a pane of glass that impales an inebriated priest.
Using a cache of the most common horror clich0xE9s, the film relies on eerie shadows, jump scenes and an ominous musical score to propel the plot. But even as Nick and the others begin to unravel the town’s dark history, the motivation for their actions remains a little hazy.
Moderate amounts of profanities and gruesome depictions of death scenes (including the intentional burning of several people) may keep most families steering clear of this film. However, if that’s not enough of a warning to keep you from docking on this dark shore, be prepared for an unsatisfactory conclusion that will leave you feeling like you’ve missed something significant in The Fog.
Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Janet Leigh, Adrienne Barbeau. Running time: 89 minutes. Theatrical release October 13, 2005. Updated February 13, 2012
The Fog
Rating & Content Info
Why is The Fog rated PG-13? The Fog is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for violence, disturbing images and brief sexuality
Although many of the deaths in this film take place in the shadows (with only screams for effect), there are depictions of a man being stabbed, violent car crashes and decomposing bodies. A shipload of victims on a burning vessel is repeatedly shown throughout the film. Sexual activity is contained to brief discussions, a passionate shower scene and the portrayal of an unmarried couple in bed together.
Page last updated February 13, 2012
The Fog Parents' Guide
How did the pact of the town’s founding fathers affect their future generations? What kind of decisions can have a long-term effect on a family’s posterity?
Elizabeth discovers a hallmark on the inside of an antique watch. What is the significance of a hallmark on a product? How does it help authenticate an artifact?
Home Video
The most recent home video release of The Fog movie is January 23, 2006. Here are some details…
DVD Release Date: 24 January 2006
If you want to see clearly what it takes to make a horror film like The Fog, then you will appreciate the featurettes on this DVD release titled: Feeling the Effects of the Fog, Seeing Through the Fog and Whiteout Conditions: The Remake of a Horror Classic. If you are still a bit hazy, check out the seven deleted scenes that offer an optional director’s commentary. Presented in widescreen, the movie’s audio tracks are mastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 (English and French), with English and French subtitles.
Related home video titles:
Selma Blair plays a disgruntled wife who walks out on her husband in the film In Good Company. Actor Kenneth Welsh, who portrays the town’s mayor in The Fog, also takes on the role of the U.S. Vice-President during a global catastrophe in Day After Tomorrow.