The Fog (2005) - (www.the-usher.com)

"There's something in the fog"

The sleepy town of Antonio Bay is about to find out that it has a chequered past. As the clock ticks onto midnight a glowing fog appears out to sea and starts heading in land. While this might not sound too unusual, radio station owner Stevie Wayne (Blair) realises that the Fog is moving against the wind. Hollywood's obsession for remaking horror classics continues but is new version of 'The Fog' worth watching or should it disappear into the mist?

Hollywood's obsession for remaking horror classics continues but is new version of 'The Fog' worth watching or should it disappear into the mist?

In the late 70s, early 80s John Carpenter was the master of horror. With genre defining movies like 'Halloween', 'Christine' and 'The Thing', he cemented his name in horror history as one of the greats. His 1980 chiller follow up to 'Halloween' was also deemed a low budget classic and that film was 'The Fog'.

The basic premise behind the movie was always good. The town of Antonio Bay has a murderous past and know those victims want their revenge. As a huge fog bank rolls in, the residents of the island realise to their horror that there is something in the fog, something seeking revenge. The original 1980 film used this premise to usher in a bloody slaughter but this new version does even do that.

The 2005 version of 'The Fog' has to be the worst remake in cinematic history. With a budget that was about one hundred times bigger than the original, the film actually manages to look worst. All the technological advances in twenty-five years between versions have done nothing to improve the look or feel of the film but they have forgotten to include the one thing that made the first film so memorable in the first place, the killings.

There are hardly any deaths in this movie at all, with most people dying by just been pulled into the fog and the ghosts inside look like something from a pantomime. This means there are absolutely no scares at all. The changes to the plot don't help either. A straight remake would have been better but the new backstory to history of Antonio Bay is just awful and the finale will make you feel sick because it is that bad.

The acting doesn't help either. Both Tom Welling and Maggie Grace have established themselves on television, in 'Smallville' and 'Lost' and both of them are talented but their move to the big screen makes them look like amateurs. The support isn't much better with equally awful performances from Selma Blair, DeRay Davis and Rade Serbedzija.

The remake of 'The Fog' is a classic example of why Hollywood should leave the past alone. What is the point in remaking films that are already good? This is another example of why change is not good.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1, the movie is presented well.

BONUS FEATURES

Commentary from director Rupert Wainwright
The British director talks about what is right or wrong with each scene in the film but doesn't really comment on how bad the movie actually is. He does talk passionately about why the film was remade and the changes that were made from the original story. For a single person commentary, this isn't bad but because the film is so poor you can help but think he is trying to flog a dead horse.

Deleted Scenes (13.11 mins)
Entitled 'Sean and Lucas see Machen', 'Andy tucked into bed', 'Elizabeth and Mom', 'Lantern fires and Dan's death', 'Fog disables power station', 'Entire flashback' and 'Fireball through town hall', these deleted or extended scenes are accompanied by commentary from director Rupert Wainwright.

Featurettes (33.00)
Director Rupert Wainwright, writer Cooper Layne, producers David Foster and John Carpenter, special effects coordinator Bob Comer, key prosthetic makeup effects Toby Lindala and stars Tom Welling, Maggie Grace, Selma Blair and DeRay Davis talk about bringing 'The Fog' back to the silver screen. Split into three parts entitled 'Whiteout Conditions: the remaking of a horror classic', 'Seeing through the Fog' and 'Feeling the effects of the Fog', the featurettes deal with the updating of the story, the new young cast and how modern visual effects allowed the Fog to become a character all of its own.

Trailers
Previews of 'The Da Vinci Code', 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose', 'Into the Blue', 'The Net 2.0' and 'Rent'

OVERALL

Even though the film is one of the worst remakes of all time, the DVD treatment is pretty good. For those who actually liked the movie and they can't be many of you out there, you will be very pleased with this DVD.

DVD

The Fog (1980)

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2006