The Fog

In John Carpenter's 1980 shocker The Fog, the past returns to haunt the present in the coastal town of Antonio Bay, where some unwanted guests will be in attendance during its centennial celebration: vengeful ghosts who want bloody payback for their murders, orchestrated long ago by the town's ancestors. Adrienne Barbeau stars as nighttime radio DJ Stevie Wayne, who sounds the unheeded warning, with Jamie Lee Curtis, her mother Janet Leigh, and Hal Holbrook as the guilt-stricken priest rounding out the ensemble. While there are the requisite obvious and gruesome shocks, the film's real plus is--no pun intended--its unsettling atmosphere. This "special edition" contains a wealth of extras, including amiable commentary by Carpenter and his producer Debra Hill, an original 10-minute featurette promoting the film, and a newly created 30-minute documentary, "Tales From the Mist." Recommended. (K. Lee Benson)