One of the most important things a horror film must establish is a sense of atmosphere. John Carpenter’s The Fog relies heavily on cinematographer Dean Cundey to set the ambiance for the picture. Consider a landscape artist dipping a brush into a pallet and creating texture, shadows, darkness, and a murky background with a landmark such as the town lighthouse as his subject. Just like that landscape artist, Cundey leaves everyone and everything in the background except what is meant to terrify us.

Without Cundey's style behind the camera, Carpenter's The Fog would not be the horror classic it is -- a chilling movie down to the last moment. This partnership is a good one indeed. Here Cundey paints a picture of an American small town called Antonio Bay located in the state of California. It's known for two things -- fishing and a lighthouse that sits atop a cliff overlooking the ocean. Characters and landmarks are always seen in the foreground with shadows and or pitch darkness around them.

The story starts simply enough around a campfire with children petrified over a story Academy Award winner John Houseman (The Paper Chase) relates on the eve of the village’s centennial. It is the tale of sailors who were murdered by villagers 100 years ago. 

The town is a bustle with people gearing up for a big celebration unlike the town has ever seen. The mayor, played by the late Janet Leigh, loves the idea of a huge over-blown celebration. There is however, one person who does not want to celebrate the occasion, knowing the story of the dead sailors and the truth of the town’s origins. Father Malone (Hal Holbrook) holds the key to unlocking a 100-year-old mystery and a terrifying secret linked to his family.

Malone has just discovered a book that's been hidden behind a behind a brick wall for 100 years. It is a tattered old journal  written by his grandfather and depicting a cover up of murder, deceit, and excessive greed. A man named Blake attempted to use his considerable wealth to build an island for lepers like himself 100 years ago, and Malone’s grandfather gave consent. He and the villagers worked to deceive Blake, leading him to sail in dangerous waters during a thick fog in an attempt to make him sink. The vessel did sink and was labeled a mysterious accident that could not be explained. The villagers then took Blake’s gold and used it to build onto the village.

Now, 100 years later the dead sailors are looking to exact their bloody, gory revenge. The ghosts move across the ocean in a dense fog. When it reaches the shore it will kill anyone and everyone in its path. Director Carpenter learned from his mentor Alfred Hitchcock how to build up suspense slowly, not showing us what we are afraid of until the final crescendo.

There are some good performances here. The standout is Adrienne Barbeau portraying Stevie Wayne, a disc jockey trapped in the lighthouse, who broadcasts warnings to the villagers. She sees what they cannot see and knows what they do not know. As narrator, this character keeps the story going and links all the pieces together. Without Barbeau's excellent performance, the entire film might have collapsed.   

Fortunately, everything works in John Carpenter's The Fog. It's a horror classic worthy of multiple viewings.

(Released by MGM/UA Home Entertainment and rated "R" by MPAA.)