Film Review: The Fog (2005)

If a film must be remade, it's often better to take on one that wasn't exactly an outstanding achievement in the first place. Even so, success is by no means guaranteed. A prime example of this can be found in The Fog, a supernatural horror film directed by John Carpenter back in 1980, which, even according to its own director, isn't among his best works. Fast forward a quarter of a century, and we have Rupert Wainwright's attempt at breathing new life into this somewhat lacklustre original – an endeavour that would ultimately earn itself the dubious distinction of being one of the worst horror remakes ever made.

The plot unfolds on Antonio Island, a small coastal town in Oregon. Set against the backdrop of its founding anniversary celebrations, the story begins with a prologue from 1871, which describes a schooner called Elizabeth Dane being deliberately burned by people who robbed and killed its owner and occupants. Cut to present day, and the town is preparing to mark the event that gave rise to its existence. Among its inhabitants is Nick Castle (played by Tom Welling), a young man who inadvertently sets in motion a sinister chain of events when he discovers a pocket watch during a boat trip. Those events culminate at the night when strange fog engulfs the town, serving as a cover by vengeful ghosts of murder victims who wants exact revenge on their killers’ descendants, which include Nick and his girlfriend Elizabeth (played by Maggie Grace).

While it was unrealistic to expect Rupert Wainwright, a British director whose work had mostly involved music videos, to match the legendary talent of John Carpenter, the new version of The Fog represents an appalling disappointment even to those accustomed to the way Hollywood tends to ruin classics by remaking them. Wainwright simply makes almost every creative decision in this film wrong, starting with the beginning which deprives viewers of the mystery they encountered in Carpenter's original.

Characters are shallow, one-dimensional, and burdened by awful dialogue, while the director insists on slow-motion shots to make the film slightly longer, filling it with cheap jump scares at inappropriate moments and adding annoying comic relief in the form of Spooner, a character played by DeRay Davis. Unlike Carpenter, who succeeded in creating an atmosphere of dread and unease through old-school tricks, Wainwright opts for CGI, which looks incredibly bad even for the standards of early 21st Century.

Wainwright's poor choices culminate in the ending, which, in an attempt to provide something original, turns this horror film into a cheap and unconvincing melodrama. The new version of The Fog was the last film in the career of producer Debra Hill, Carpenter's professional partner. Although it had some commercial success, it was savaged by critics and, more importantly, rejected by fans of the original and the horror genre in general.

While this hadn't affected Hill's or even Carpenter's reputation, others weren't so lucky. Most notably, Rupert Wainwright never directed another feature film ever again.

RATING: 2/10 (-)

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