The Fog (1980)

            I flipped on John Carpenter’s The Fog (1980) because of a recommendation from a friend earlier this year, and I wasn’t disappointed.  Centered on a small California coastal town called Antonio Bay that is being terrorized by murderous ghosts that come out of the fog, the movie is chilling and yet simultaneously memorizing.  The cinematography is simple yet effective, and there are plenty of awesome shots of thick fog curling around doorways and on the coast.  The shots of the ghosts in the fog were particularly eerie, and the ginormous hooks being used as murder weapons was ingenious, and added to the gruesomeness of their intentions.  Though there aren’t too many death scenes in the film, it still managed to keep my attention with its awesome concept and wicked cinematography.

            I felt like a wide-eyed kid myself as the old mariner leans in to tell the ghost story to the children in the opening scene.  It was a great way to begin such a tale, and instantly grabbed my attention and helped me to relax into the world of the story.  The Fog almost seems to be ahead of it’s time conceptually, as very few other straight-up ghost stories were being produced during this time.  The poltergeist activity that occurs throughout the film was also inspired, adding to the overall effect of this wicked ghost story.  In many scenes, things move on their own accord, gas stations light up, signs will change what they say, and objects will appear and then reappear as something else.

            I’m also particularly taken with the notion that these ghosts are actually seeking revenge, as the plot reveals through a diary that had been buried in the church walls.  Apparently the town had been founded on plundered treasure, and these spirits wanted their gold back.  I like the idea because this isn’t simply another slasher flick (so congruent with that era in film), these entities are pissed off and going to use their anger to get back what was taken from them.  Adrienne Barbeau was excellent as Stevie Wayne, and Tom Atkins as Nick Castle also did a fine job in this film.  The rest of the acting was acceptable, as I was more interested in the cinematography of this film than I was the acting.

            The film is fun and definitely worthy of anyone’s horror collection.  It often felt like a love note to horror stories that may have inspired Carpenter himself as a child, and those always hold a special place in my own heart.  Number of killers?  1+  Body Count? 4+ Boob count? Zero. Cheap Thrills? One.  Actual Creeps Given?  One or two.  Entertainment?  Indeed.  Raven’s Scream Meter Says 3 out of 5 screams.  Would have preferred that the ghosts actually go after the ancestors of the people who killed them in the first place, or after the priest who had the gold – instead of going after and killing off random, flat characters that no one was invested in.    

           

     

Super 8 (2011)

    

            Super 8 (2011), written and directed by J. J. Abrams, adds humor and sentimentality into one’s monster movie collection.  The story is set in 1979, and is based around a group of kids filming a zombie movie during their summer vacation.  As the group films a scene by the train tracks just outside of town, they witness a major train wreck involving an air force train and a white pickup truck.  The wreck is devastating, causing massive damage and plenty of explosions.  This was one of the best parts of the film, in my humble opinion.  The beginning was decent, as far as opening a window into the world of these characters, but the train wreck actually makes you sit up and pay attention. 

            The acting was acceptable, and there were definitely some good performances from the younger thespians.  The adults in the film were often sort of cheesy, but the younger actors seem to balance that out.  Some of the better performances included Elle Fanning (as Alice Dainard) and Joel Courtney (as Joe Lamb).  I was also particularly taken with Ryan Lee’s character Cary, as he just seemed like a fun friend to have –he has a fireworks obsession that is both quirky and charming (or maybe I can just relate).  I couldn’t decide if the weakest link was Kyle Chandler as Mr. Lamb or AJ Michalka as Jen Kaznyk, but both were pretty horrible. 

            I’ve read a lot of criticism online due to apparent errors in timeline.  One critic notes that Rubik’s Cubes weren’t out in 1979, and another mentions that Walkman’s were not yet popular in the States that year either.  Though these mistakes seem like valid mistakes, the truth is only off by about a year and I won’t bust Abram’s balls about it.  It is highly nostalgic of the time period, even with its nod to ET (1982), and captures the charm of the era – something people can resonate with.  The plot and main characters of the movie are somewhat juvenile, but I believe this is what the director was going for when making the film.  It is supposed to feel nostalgic and somewhat nerdy.  I sort of felt like I was watching a cross between Stephen King’s IT and ET, with better graphics and a bigger budget. 

          I like monster movies, and this monster was definitely unique in that it was not something typically depicted as coming from outer space.  The telepathy was a nice yet somewhat predictable touch, but the idea of the materials that could turn into other materials (for the space ship) was intriguing.  Number of killers? Two.  Body Count?  At least 15.  Boob count? Zero.  Cheap thrills?  One or two.  Actual creeps endured?  Two or three.  Entertainment?  Absolutely.  Raven’s Scream Meter says: 3 out of 5 screams.  Enjoy this 79 throwback, it’s got great graphics, lots of explosions (my inner Beavis was screaming “Fire! Fire!!!” throughout the film), and a cool alien.  What’s not to like?