Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
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.
John Carpenter's atmospheric horror is elevated chiefly by its stunning visual craft — Dean Cundey's cinematography turns the fog itself into a genuinely menacing presence, with lighting and composition that remain landmarks of the genre. The premise is distinctive and eerie, drawing on ghost-ship maritime folklore with real style. The plot, however, is somewhat thin and episodic, juggling too many characters without deep development, and the ending deflates the tension rather than delivering a satisfying payoff — the final revelation feels rushed and anticlimactic. Acting is serviceable across the board, with Jamie Lee Curtis and Adrienne Barbeau doing solid work but neither given enough to push into exceptional territory. Novelty is moderate: the film has a unique tone and Carpenter's unmistakable voice, but it recycles some of his own Halloween-adjacent rhythms.