Dir. Rupert Wainwright, Canada/US, 2005, 103 mins
Cast: Tom Welling, Maggie Grace, Selma Blair, DeRay Davis, Kenneth Welsh
Review by Matthew Rodgers
A Fog has descended on the horror genre. Not the John Carpenter produced re-make destined to occupy the lower shelves of rental stores for years to come but the metaphorical mist of mediocrity. No longer are the films about scares and suspense, they are created for the sole purpose of manipulating the teen friendly audience that guarantees a large opening weekend. The problems generated by this approach means that studios will continue to churn out PG horror films (The Grudge, Dark Water) from the conveyor belt as the quality of the final product matters very little. The fact that this offering had a $20M plus opening weekend at the US box office is the only real terror that is clear in The Fog.
Director Rupert Wainwright changes very little from the plot mechanics of the 1980 version but it seems originality was not a focus word when the producers brainstormed this script. The story of a small coastal town that is engulfed by a strange mist, but not just any old cold front, for it contains the ghosts of a colony of lepers seeking revenge on the children of their murderers. Amongst the potential victims are our heroes Elizabeth Williams (Lost’s Maggie Grace) and her boyfriend Nick Castle (Smallville’s Tom Welling), who using a combination of screaming and blank stares attempt to progress the films slight plot.
Everything that is wrong with the state of modern horror is on display in The Fog. The aforementioned pandering to the teen audience is evident in the choice of casting. Grace and Welling are fine in their respective television shows and may have some potential under the wood chippings that they leave in their wake during the films running time but it is important for the audience to emotionally invest in the characters in a horror film so that they fear for their survival. This is impossible in The Fog as all we know about these people is that they are beautiful and if anything that makes you root for the murderous weather. What possessed Selma Blair to fill the iconic role of the radio DJ Stevie Wayne is something that she should seriously discuss before firing her agent.
What follows is an important note to Hollywood, CGI is not scary. Whilst watching The Fog, the most striking comparison was with Jan De Bont’s disastrous remake of The Haunting. Both films employ awfully slick CGI creations that would have been much more effective had they been created using old fashioned make-up.
It is unfair to punish the film by putting it side-by-side with the dated, yet effective original, but it was inevitable in highlighting another major failing of The Fog. In his heyday John Carpenter was as influential with his musical scores and sound effects as he was with his fright techniques. The fear of the unknown has always been an important tool for the horror filmmaker. Would Michael Myers instil the same fear and dread if he wasn’t accompanied by his theme tune? So to have a veil of mist as your killer there should be endless possibilities for playing manipulative tricks on the audience who don’t know what secrets are hidden within. Sadly this is not the case.
The predicted forecast for The Fog 2005 is very poor visibility indeed so I would highly recommended that everybody stay indoors.
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Sony Pictures Home Entertainment have announced the UK Region 2 DVD release of The Fog for 26th June 2006 priced at £19.99.
Features include:
- Director Commentary
- Deleted Scenes
- 3 Featurettes
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