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The Fog (2005)
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Theatrical Release: Oct 14, 2005 Wide
Box Office: $29,511,112
Synopsis: An island off the Oregon coast is the setting for this salty yarn of ghosts, lepers, betrayal, vengeance, and teen angst. A fog-enshrouded schooner from 1865 returns from the bottom of the sea to wreak vengeance on the locals of the island, and it's up to local DJ Stevie Wayne (Selma Blair), her... An island off the Oregon coast is the setting for this salty yarn of ghosts, lepers, betrayal, vengeance, and teen angst. A fog-enshrouded schooner from 1865 returns from the bottom of the sea to wreak vengeance on the locals of the island, and it's up to local DJ Stevie Wayne (Selma Blair), her charter-boat-captain lover, Nick (Tom Welling, from TV's SMALLVILLE), and his wayward girlfriend, Elizabeth (Maggie Grace, from TV's LOST), to save the day. All three are related to the town's founding fathers, with whom the shipbound ghosts have an ancient score to settle. What that score is no one seems to know, but they need to find out, fast. DeRay Davis (BARBERSHOP) provides comic relief as Nick's lusty first mate, but the real scene stealer here is the fog itself, which is much more animated than in the 1980 John Carpenter original. Thanks to some nice CGI work, it slithers in, around, and under everything. Though gussied up with an angst-rock soundtrack and beautiful young TV actors, THE FOG is, at heart, a good old fashioned ghost story, replete with period costumes and inter-dimensional romance. Director Rupert Wainwright (STIGMATA) is good at capturing little details like the eerie tinkling of deep-sea fishing hooks hung out to dry, the textures of moisture-beaded shower stall doors, and the perfectly toned skin of lead actress Grace as she wanders around in her negligee. John Carpenter and his partner, Debra Hill--co-creators of the first FOG--served as producers. [More]
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Starring: Tom Welling, Maggie Grace, Selma Blair, Kenneth Walsh
Screenwriter: Cooper Layne
Producer: John Carpenter, David Foster, Debra Hill
Composer: Graeme Revell
DVD Info
Release:
Jan 24, 2006
UMD Features:
- Keep Case
- Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.78
Audio:
- Dolby Digital Surround Sound Stereo 2.0 - English, French
- Subtitles - English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Thai - Optional
Additional Release Material:
- Trailers - 1. Previews
Reviews
So concerned is the film with contriving at least one gratuitous jump-fright every five minutes that elements like character and story soon become lost in the fog.
The production values are above par, but as in Carpenter's original, seeing ghosts is less scary than imagining them.
Yet another anaemic horror retread starring a cast of good-looking TV totty.
With dialogue as dorky as the words new screenwriter Cooper Lane stuffed in their mouths, none of the hapless cast members could have sounded convincing.
If you are a fan of the original film, this remake might interest you. It's not badly made. But why was it made at all?
The actors do their best, under the circumstances. Welling makes an engaging lead and Grace employs her trademarked wounded, fragile look (that serves her so well in Lost) to good effect and wanders around in her underwear a lot.
A mediocre remake of a 1980s horror movie of the same name which wasn't that good to begin with.
Pale WB-style hunks and hotties and a 'funny' black guy whose sole purpose is to say words like 'dawg' confront a CGI mist that looks like it could be erased with a couple of mouse clicks.
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