The Fog

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The Fog

R

1980

1h 29m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

77%

Tomatometer

75 Reviews

65%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Strange things begin to occur as a tiny California coastal town prepares to commemorate its centenary. Inanimate objects spring eerily to life; Rev. Malone stumbles upon a dark secret about the town's founding; radio announcer Stevie witnesses a mystical fire; and hitchhiker Elizabeth discovers the mutilated corpse of a fisherman. Then a mysterious iridescent fog descends upon the village, and more people start to die.

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Critics Consensus

A well-crafted return to horror for genre giant John Carpenter, The Fog rolls in and wraps viewers in suitably slow-building chills.

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Zachary Barnes

Wall Street Journal

Oct 30, 2026

It’s the kind of film you might like to live in, notwithstanding the haunted fog.

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Vincent Canby

New York Times

Jan 30, 2020

Unlike Halloween, which was a model of straight-forward terror and carefully controlled suspense, The Fog is constructed of random diversions.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Jan 29, 2020

It's a failure, but it's a failure in the right direction.

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Andrew Wyatt

The Take-Up

2 days ago

John Carpenter's 1980 chiller deserves re-consideration as one of his best features: Channeling Hitchcock and Bava, but defiantly its own stylish, lean-and-mean thing, 'The Fog' packs its 89 minutes with moody, gory, campfire-tale pleasures.

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Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

Sep 9, 2026

None of this is sensational filmmaking, but it is solid genre entertainment. The Fog is a smart enough film to get in, throw a few scares at the audience, and get out again.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Apr 16, 2026

3/4

Unpretentious genre fun, stylishly assembled and populated with colorful characters.

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Antonio O

Oct 16, 2022

A true classic that relies on a good story and score rather than CGI and gratuitous gore.

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Teddy B

@RT90521672 23 hrs ago

Dripping with atmosphere, shot pleasantly, even if the source of terror isn't very terrifying.

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Bret M

@BretM-3 6 days ago

Ah, another John Carpenter classic. This movie isn’t as mainstream as Halloween or The Thing, so I only recently heard of it. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t great! I actually really liked this movie! It’s definitely more of a slow burn than The Thing, but I thought the movie did a good job of building a sort of dark anticipation for the third act when the Fog itself really strikes the town. I also thought that, even though there weren’t that many, the kills were really effective and well made. They weren’t super gory, but they were surprisingly visceral for some reason. I can’t quite put my finger on it. I also enjoyed the cast of the movie with many of them being carry overs from Halloween. I was really impressed that there were many moving parts and characters doing different things separate from other characters, but it never felt too busy or over stuffed. It still felt concise and compact. Can’t recommend The Fog enough! Definitely worth watching if you’re a fan of Carpenter.

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KerryWhite's S

@KerryWhite77 Nov 4, 2026

5/10. 59/100 Watched most of it by myself, but then stopped and watched it again later at night while Chloe Lainhart was asleep next to me for work.

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L J

@Cracky Nov 4, 2026

Enjoyable movie! More of a slow burn "scary" movie than hard core horror, but a solid choice nonetheless.

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John K

@RT59028310 Nov 2, 2026

One of Carpenter's all time best... a wonderfully atmospheric ghost story with a way above average cast. Beautifully photographed with another top notch musical score... this is an under appreciated classic!

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Synopsis

Strange things begin to occur as a tiny California coastal town prepares to commemorate its centenary. Inanimate objects spring eerily to life; Rev. Malone stumbles upon a dark secret about the town's founding; radio announcer Stevie witnesses a mystical fire; and hitchhiker Elizabeth discovers the mutilated corpse of a fisherman. Then a mysterious iridescent fog descends upon the village, and more people start to die.

Director: John Carpenter
Producer: Debra Hill
Screenwriter: John Carpenter, Debra Hill
Distributor: RCA/Columbia, AVCO Embassy Pictures, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
Production Co: AVCO Embassy Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 8, 1980, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Oct 26, 2018
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 8, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $69.5K
Runtime: 1h 29m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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