The Fog * (2005, Tom Welling, Maggie Grace, Selma Blair, DeRay Davis, Kenneth Welsh) – Classic Movie Review 6007

With director John Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) and Halloween (1978) both profitably remade, it inevitably comes the turn of remaking his daft and unconvincing 1980 spook chiller The Fog.

With the original being so feeble, there is little chance of it working, and it doesn’t, despite decent performances from the likeable actors doing their best for it, and the striking scenery at Bowen Island, British Columbia, Canada.

It is dedicated ‘in loving memory to Debra Hill’, who died from cancer shortly before filming began. She co-wrote the original screenplay with Carpenter, now reworked in a considerably revised but still ineffectual screenplay by Cooper Layne, in which evil spirits come in with a mysterious fog to terrorise the inhabitants of Antonio Island, off the coast of Oregon.

Like Carpenter before him, director Rupert Wainwright hasn’t got the foggiest idea of how to make this work.

It stars Tom Welling as Nick Castle.

Its hapless stars are Tom Welling as Nick Castle, Maggie Grace, Selma Blair, DeRay Davis, Rade Serbedzija, Adrian Hough, Sara Botsford, Kenneth Welsh as Tom Malone, and R Nelson Brown in John Houseman’s old role as old sea dog Machen.

Blair did most of her own stunts, spending 12 hours in a water tank on two consecutive days.

It runs 100 minutes, with the unrated version at 103 minutes.

It cost $18,000,000 (against the original’s $1.1 million) and grossed $29,550,000 (USA) and a total of $46,200,000 worldwide.

It is produced by Debra Hill, and Carpenter is also credited as producer, work he summed up as ‘I come in and say hello to everybody, go home.’

Welling’s character is named after actor Nick Castle.

Welling’s character is named after actor Nick Castle, who played The Shape in Halloween.

Welling and Grace also co-star in The Choice (2016).

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 6007

Link to home page for more reviews derekwinnert.com

Tom Welling and Maggie Grace also co-star in The Choice (2016)