4K edition, showing around the country October 31

StudioCanal, out October 29

A two-disc packed edition of one of John Carpenter’s early scarers.

The first time I saw The Fog, it was in a double bill at the local cinema with Alien, and it was Ridley Scott’s SF horror that I mainly went to see – but it was The Fog that scared me considerably more, and which engendered in me a lifelong love for John Carpenter’s works. From the opening scene, with John Houseman telling tales to an enraptured group of children, to the final shocking moment (made all the more so by it being conveyed aurally), The Fog constantly tightens its hold on the audience, throwing its protagonists into ever-increasing danger. It may not totally make sense (at least one person being stalked has no previous connection to the town so why are they a target?) but you don’t necessarily expect that from horror films.

The latest restoration looks and sounds terrific on Blu-ray and a standard HD television – Nick Joy will be reviewing how it looks on the big screen at its Halloween showing later this month. As with all four of these new releases, the extras are given their own disc, with a brand new documentary revisiting the making of the film in the words of many of the creators (although not the actors). Carpenter himself is heard from but, whereas everyone else is in widescreen, this is a 4:3 insert – the equivalent of this review suddenly going into teeny writing.

There’s also a new piece on Carpenter movies that didn’t get anywhere – although a number of them clearly did, given that their posters are prominently displayed – as well as all the extras from the most recent Bluray release (commentaries, outtakes, contemporary documentary etc.)

Verdict: A fantastic package for a ghostly tale that stands the test of time. 9/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to see where The Fog is playing at Halloween.