(Reviewed by Foo) - John Carpenter's first theatrical release after his mega-hit Halloween, "The Fog" tells the story of a small California fishing town that is about to celebrate its centennial, but those plans are made more complicated by some ghost-pirates that ride some fog into town. The film succeeds on several levels. Carpenter is brilliant at creating suspense and atmosphere.

The Good: The locations in the film are fantastic. The town is isolated and desolate, and the lighthouse is absolutely perfect for the needs of the script. The film is very well acted for the most part. Tom Atkins and Adrienne Barbeau are especially good. Barbeau is very convincing as the local radio personality, and gives a very strong performance. She is involved in almost every key scene, and really helps sell the danger of the fog and the ghosts. Obviously, it helps to be married to the director when its time to audition for the key role in the film. The fog itself is a great character, Carpenter did a brilliant job of making it seem menacing.

The Bad: Enormous plotholes. Subplots are introduced, yet never come to fruition. For instance, Tom Atkins' character is telling a story of his father giving him an old coin that may have belonged to pirates. You would think that since the film centers around pirates seeking revenge for the theft of gold, this might come up later in the film, but it doesn't. Another plot hole is the fact that it seems as if the principle actors are the only characters in the film who hear the radio broadcasts from Adrienne Barbeau. The town has a couple hundred people in it, yet the same small group of people are the only ones who respond when she is giving directions.

The Ugly: Janet Leigh's performance was terrible. She acts like an old Hollywood studio player. Did the lead ghost really need ridiculous red-glowing eyes? Why do the ghosts knock on doors?

This is a film that I would recommend to all horror fans, simply because it really is a well done ghost story, and there just aren't enough good ghost movies. The film is good enough to overcome its many faults and earn 3 out of 5 stars from me. ***