Hey everyone, Happy Halloween and welcome to Jamie Lee Curtis Month; this year we take a look at four horror films starring one of the greatest horror icons of our time Jamie Lee Curtis.
First film to start off is The Fog. We open at a camping ground at Antonio Bay where an old man is telling a group a children a story; a story about a clipper ship that crash at the shores of Spivey Point a hundred years ago. As the old man finished the story it is now midnight April 21st marking the 100th birthday of Antonio Bay. Cut to a John Carpenter cameo who is closing up a church; he tells Father Malone (played Hal Holbrook) he’s all finished up and leaves. As soon as Bennett (cameo by John Carpenter) leaves a piece of brick falls off a wall startling Malone. He looks inside the hole in the wall and finds a journal with the name Father Patrick Malone (1880) written on the first page. We cut to some bizarre happenings going on in Antonio Bay; food items at a store began shaking then suddenly stop. A gas pump nozzle at a gas station pops off and starts running gas. A bunch of cars at a parking area go off setting off their car alarms. At a woman’s house a chair moves by itself and TV turns itself on. I swear if it turns out this whole town is built on a Native American burial I freaking quit. Cut to a Nick Castle (played by Tom Atkins) driving along until he stops to pick up a hitchhiker Elizabeth Solley (played by Jamie Lee Curtis). The two have a cute chit chat until the truck’s windows burst to pieces forcing Nick to stop; they appear to be fine and continue driving. Cut to a lighthouse/radio station at Spivey Point where we’re introduced to Stevie Wayne (played by Adrienne Barbeau) who is radio DJ. OK I’m getting some serious HorrorHound flashbacks right now. She gets a call from a weatherman Dan O’Bannon (played by Charles Cyphers) about a fog bank that’s coming in from the east and a trawler the Sea Grass that’s about fifteen miles out. Stevie gives a radio shout out to the Sea Grass as we cut to the crew of the Sea Grass. One of the crew members spots the spots the fog bank only to notice something weird about it. As the fog approached the trawler most of it moves down to the engine room and disables the engine. Some of the crew members on deck see a big ship within the fog before disappearing; the crew then sees shadowy figures before they’re killed off by these figures. Cut to Nick’s place he and Elizabeth are hitting it off in bed; oh Nick you lucky bastard. Nick and Elizabeth hear knocking on and Nick goes to answer it. He sees nothing but a shadowy figure knocking at the door; the figure raises its hook as Nick comes closer to the door. As Nick is about to answer the door he’s startled by a crack sound from a grandfather clock. Nick opens the door to see no one at the door; false attention done right folks.
The next morning Stevie is woken by her son Andy Wayne (played by Ty Mitchell) and is given a piece of driftwood he found on the beach with a word DANE engraved on it. And here’s a little easter egg for you folks. We cut to the campground where we’re introduced to Kathy Williams (played by Janet Leigh) and Sandy Fadel (played by Nancy Loomis). That’s right Kathy Williams is played none other than Jamie’s mother and this won’t be the last time Jamie and Janet star in the same film together. You may also remember Janet Leigh from one of the most classic horror films ever made Psycho. Cut to a pier where Nick is supposed to meet up with the Sea Grass crew but we all know what became of them. Nick goes off to talk to Ashcroft for a boat to find the Sea Grass; Elizabeth comes along. Later as Stevie drives to the lighthouse/radio station she listens to a radio broadcast from the coast guard about the missing Sea Grass as they already began their search. Cut to Nick and Elizabeth on a boat in search for the Sea Grass; they’ve found the Sea Grass only to find it completely abandoned except for one corpse. Kathy and Sandy head to the church to meet with Father Malone. He shows them the journal he found and reads it to them. The journey reads of Malone’s grandfather meeting a wealthy man named Blake who had a vile disease (Leprosy). Blake wishes to move off of Tanzier Island and relocated the entire colony just north of Antonio Bay. He purchase a clipper ship called the Elizabeth Dane and asked only for permission to settle at Antonio Bay. However, Malone’s grandfather wanted no dealings with Blake to allow a Leper colony living in Antonio Bay. Father Malone continues reading that his grandfather and five other conspirators spend from midnight to 1 o’clock planning the death of Blake and his comrades. While taking Blake’s gold to build their settlement into a township; On April 21st the six conspirators accomplished their plan. Tricking Blake into following a false fire on shore and the ship broke apart on the rocks of Spivey Point. While they were aided by an unearthly fog that rolled into Antonio Bay then they recovered the gold the next day. Father Malone stops reading now learning that this town was built on the blood of innocent colonist and that the birthday celebration is no more than honoring murderers. Kathy and Sandy take their leave as Father Malone believes that the town is cursed for what the six conspirators have done. Later Stevie returns to the lighthouse/radio station getting for tonight’s broadcast; as she sets up water starts to appear from the driftwood she brought with her. The water reaches a tape player distorting the inside causing a demonic voice to appear through the player before the driftwood burst into flames with the words “6 Must Die” written on it. Stevie puts the driftwood out only to see it completely unscorched. Cut to Nick and Elizabeth at a hospital where the body is being examined; the doctor deduces that the body drowned even though the body was nowhere near the water. Nick and the doctor go talk out of the room with Elizabeth still in the room; the body all of a sudden starts to slowly move. The body picks up a scalpel and gets up from the stretcher moving towards Elizabeth only to fall to the floor next to her; startling her. Nick and the doctor rush into the room to find the body on the floor and the number 3 sketched on the floor.
Cut to nighttime at the Shelby Square when the birthday celebration begins. Nick and Elizabeth are at a bar when Stevie announces on the radio about the celebration, the Sea Grass and the fog. Nick gets suspicious about the fog and decides to call Stevie for more information about the fog. Stevie tells Nick she saw the fog last night and was glowing; she says when the fog came in it kept moving west while the wind moving east. As the two are talking our spooky fog comes rolling into Antonio Bay. Nick heads off to meet up with Stevie at the lighthouse/radio station; Elizabeth comes along. Stevie gets a call from Dan about another fog bank coming in; she gets rather spooked and goes on the radio to give a heads up about the incoming fog. Stevie looks out the window to see the glowing fog heading to the weather station that Dan works at. The fog arrives at the weather station as the lights go out and pounding starts at the door. Dan puts the phone down as he checks the door as Stevie warns him to stay away from the door. But it’s too late as Dan opens the door and is killed by a shadowy figure as Stevie helplessly listens in. Stevie quickly gets on the radio and ask for the sheriff to call her at the lighthouse/radio station immediately. The sheriff complies and calls Stevie unfortunately the fog cut the phone lines before Stevie can warn the sheriff. Soon after the fog heads to a power plant; disabling the generators leaving the town literally in the dark. Stevie sees the fog heading in the direction of where she lives; worrying that her son is in danger she heads to an emergency generator trying to start it up. Stevie gets the generator on and gets back on the radio warning Andy to get out of the house. Cut to Stevie’s house Andy is watched over by a nanny as the fog approaches the house. The fog completely surrounds the house with the unknowing nanny and Andy trapped inside. The nanny goes answering the pounding on the door while Andy goes off to his room not seeing the nanny being killed.
Nick and Elizabeth are off driving as they hear Stevie’s broadcast on the radio. Back at the house the fog is breaking into Andy’s room as Nick and Elizabeth rush to the house. Nick arrives outside of Andy’s room breaks the bedroom window for Andy to get out and the two run back to the trunk. After a minor held up the three managed to escape the fog; Stevie continues to warn the town as the fog continues inland. Watching the movements of the fog, Stevie gives out information on where not to go and what street to take to get away from the fog. Cut to Nick and Elizabeth driving away from the fog as they listen in on Stevie’s instructions. Then we cut to Kathy and Sandy driving away from the as they too listen to her instructions. The two parties are led to the old church outside of town and here you go real life mother and daughter sharing the same scene. Damn am I nostalgic. While Nick and the rest of the party hide in the study along with Father Malone; trouble comes a knocking when the fog arrives at the lighthouse/radio station trapping Stevie. Back at the church the party has figured out that Blake and the leper colonists have return from the dead to kill the descendants of the original six conspirators. The three men from the Sea Grass, Dan the weatherman and the nanny (Mrs. Korbritz) with Father Malone believing that he’s the last. They read the rest of the journal revealing if Blake and the leper colonists would return from the dead Patrick Malone would return Blake’s fortune. Patrick Malone stolen the confiscated fortune and within the walls of the church. The ghosts start breaking in the church as Father Malone and Kathy dig through the wall where Malone found the journal. Back at the lighthouse/radio station the ghosts break in forcing Stevie to retreat upstairs on to the roof of the lighthouse. At the church Malone and Kathy found a rather large gold cross; somehow apparently Patrick Malone took all of Blake’s gold and melt it into a cross. The ghosts continue breaking in the church as Father Malone takes the gold cross back to Blake. It seems to work as Blake and the leper colony ghosts all disappear along with the gold cross and the fog. Or have they? The film ends with Blake and the leper colonists returning to claim the sixth conspirator, Father Malone.
My Final Verdict: The word impressive seems to come into mind about this film; the film has a good subtlety with its limited number of jump scares. It ain’t like some of the horror films nowadays where jump scares are used as a lazy crutch. And apparently can see these jump scares from a mile away. The efforts for the fog is rather amazing for its time and how the film keeps the ghosts well hidden within the makes them more terrifying. This film just has that right amount of set up horror-wise and that its pacing of setting up the horror atmosphere is rather good. Where as in some horror films nowadays likes to rush to the freaking point ultimately losing that good atmosphere set up. There was a remake of The Fog made back in 2005 that I only seen it once and virtually forgot about it. So chances are it might suck whenever I get a chance to review it.
There’s a whole lot more of Jamie Lee Curtis to come so stay tuned next week as we look into Terror Train.
No comments:
Post a Comment