The Fog (1980)

Welcome to the first in what will be a series of reviews focusing on women and women-identified actors and characters in classic horror films. To kick things off we have a movie starring, not one, not two, but three legendary scream queens: The Fog (1980, Prime Video).

Jamie Lee Curtis and John Carpenter are well-known for pairing up in the genre-changing 1978 film Halloween, but The Fog has an impressive pedigree. In addition to Curtis, the movie stars Carpenter’s longtime muse and wife Adrienne Barbeau, and Curtis’s mother, Psycho legend Janet Leigh.

Take a second and let that all that star power wash over you like a thick fog rolling into town.

The Fog follows more of a 1950s creature feature plot than the late-70s slasher. By today’s standards, it would probably receive a PG rating. There’s little, if any, blood and zero gore. The monsters are barely seen other than some decaying hands and red, glowing eyes. If you’re looking for a way into classic horror, this is worth checking out. Network TV has scarier stuff than this.

Those of you who have seen Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean will recognize the plot: some undead angry pirates go in search of a lost piece of gold. In the case of The Fog, the pirates are brought ashore by, well, fog.