The Fog is an exploitation movie for the modern era: a cheap rip-off backed by a major studio (Sony) with a demographic-friendly rating, pretty stars from popular TV shows and writing on exactly the same level as a Saturday morning cartoon. Antonio Bay has become Spooky Island, where kids know best, all the adults are misguided and only the bland hero can save the town from their evil machinations. The token African-American provides comic relief while familiar faces pop up in supporting roles to lecture about the towns dark past before disappearing from the narrative. There's a Sinister Priest who advises the heroes to "get off the island" plus a Creepy Mayor With An Ulterior Motive (too bad it doesn't involve dressing up as a ghost), and when the monsters finally do enter the town, they look a lot like the creatures from Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. Credit where it's due though - that tat sequel made more sense.
Ian Watson is the author of 'Midnight Movie Madness', a 600+ page guide to "bad" movies from 'Reefer Madness' to 'Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.'
