Two decades ago, the remake of John Carpenter’s 1980 classic, The Fog (2005) swept onto screens, featuring Smallville’s Tom Welling in his only horror movie to date, who at the time was still riding high as Clark Kent. A movie pummeled by critics and barely making a dent at the box office compared to other horror remakes of the time.
It’s fair to say that it’s far from the blockbuster it aspires to be, resembling a made-for-TV movie destined for the Sci-Fi Channel, with clumsy, eye-rolling special effects that undercut its impact. Everything from character deaths to the town’s forefathers drifting in with the fog could have used a lot more work. Shifting just north of the California shores from Carpenter’s 1980 original, Antonio Bay is now relocated to Oregon, capturing the small, isolated, tight-knit fishing community with a lighthouse casting a watchful glow and charm over its residents.
When Superman Meets the Supernatural
We’ll sidestep the temptation of comparisons in this review as it's been far too long since we faced the first Fog. Perhaps we watched them in the wrong order, but rest assured, we’ll revisit Carpenter’s classic soon for a more thorough breakdown.
Nostalgic Smallville fans might enjoy seeing Welling swap Clark Kent’s heroics for horror, facing threats far removed from Kryptonite, but beyond that curiosity, the movie offers little to get excited about. Thinking the movie’s poor reception may have soured Welling on scary movies forever doesn’t seem to be the case. In a recent podcast chat with his Smallville nemesis Michael Rosenbaum (aka Lex Luthor), Welling revealed his disdain for the grind of film sets, which helps explain his absence from the big screen. However, this brief dip into horror might not have helped.
Nonetheless, Welling’s character, Nick Castle, runs a family charter business in the bay. Along with his friend Spooner (DeRay Davis), he ferries tourists across the coastal waters aboard their trusty boat, the Seagrass. But this idyllic existence is shattered when a sinister fog rolls in, unleashing a legion of vengeful spirits that haunt the town.
The Real Curse Is the Doomed Setup
The movie opens with a chaotic prologue set in 1871, depicting the Elizabeth Dane, a doomed ship ablaze carrying lepers betrayed by the founders of Antonio Bay, setting the stage for the curse that resurfaces over a century later when it's awakened. Sadly, the sloppy execution of it all does a poor job of conveying a clear and coherent picture as the story moves forward.
It’s fair to say the shaky start does its part to doom the movie from the get-go. Without giving away spoilers, it quickly becomes apparent as the story unfolds that the twists and mysteries surrounding the fallen crew members feel too foggy. Key details and explanations come across as either too cryptic or entirely missing.
Alongside Tom Welling’s character Nick Castle, we meet his ex-flame Elizabeth (Maggie Grace), a young woman returning home to the bay. Then we have Selma Blair as Stevie Wayne, the lighthouse DJ and community beacon who serves as the town’s voice, providing local updates. With the help of Dan the Weatherman (Kenneth Welsh), she delivers around-the-clock weather reports in an effort to alert residents to the formation of the fog, all while struggling to safeguard her son, Andy (Cole Heppell), from the dangers ahead.
We don’t want to say this remake of The Fog completely flops, because there are parts we like, such as the cozy small-town fishing vibe of Antonio Bay and the way the ensemble cast blends well, but it falls way below expectations. We might be tossing this one a lifeline with this rating, but the anchor on it doesn’t plummet all the way to the abyss like the cursed Elizabeth Dane.