Redwood Empire Film Club 2: The Fog

I'll keep this one short as Schnaars already has done a spot on Review of the film. But I did want to mention it , because other than "I Know What You Did Last Summer" no film has featured the coastline of Northern California as prominently. Most of "The Fog" was shot on location in Point Reyes, Ca. a town that serves as the gateway to the National Seashore Preserve. More glorious than creepy, Carpenter did manage to mine the geography for it's remoteness.

Reasons to watch the Fog
-One of Carpenter's best in terms of atmosphere
-John Houseman spins a mean fuckin' yarn
-The DJ in a lighthouse gig...dreamjob!
-Adrienne Barbeau drives a Volkswagen Thing
-A really strong set-up/first act
-Janet Leigh and Jamie Lee in the same film...for shits and giggles and no other reason
-Ummm, did I mention atmosphere?

Complaints
-The third act is abbreviated to the point of non-existence
-Too few drunk fisherman gaff impalements
-No Adrienne Bar-boobies
-A little more gore would've gone a long way

After reading interviews and hearing Carpenter speak, it's clear that the third act shortfalls were a result of incomplete pre-production. In fact, they had to do numerous re-shoots just to get the film to what he felt was a watchable/cohesive place.