Leave your flashlights behind, double bolt your coastal windows, and listen closely to the radio tower. In this spooky season episode, we’re heading to Antonio Bay for "The Fog" (1980), John Carpenter’s eerie, low-budget ghost story about undead pirates and a glowing, vengeful cloud. It’s the horror gem that often gets overlooked between Halloween and The Thing, and it earned about 20 times what it cost to make.

Joined by Nicholas Pepin of Pop Culture Roulette and Laramy Wells of Moving Panels, we play a round of Risky Quizness on the film’s rocky pre-production.

We also dig into the stacked cast: Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Janet Leigh, Hal Holbrook, and the magnetic Tom Atkins. Plus favorite scenes, plot holes, behind-the-scenes trivia, box office numbers, and a debate about the remake. Then we rate it on the Rewatchability and Nostalgia Meter.

Whether you caught this on late-night cable or you’re finally getting to this 80s horror deep cut, hit play and join us in the fog.

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💬 Comment below: Where does The Fog land on YOUR Rewatchability and Nostalgia Meter, from 1 to 10?

⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 – Introduction to The Fog
03:40 – First Impressions and When We First Saw It
06:26 – Risky Quizness: Pre-Production Trivia Game
12:51 – The Cast: Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Hal Holbrook & More
27:16 – Iconic Scenes
32:42 – Favorite Scenes, Plot Holes & Tom Atkins
50:51 – Behind-the-Scenes Trivia
53:18 – Box Office Performance
54:20 – Rewatchability and Nostalgia Meter
59:19 – Wrap-Up and Upcoming Episodes

🎬 In This Video
- The Stonehenge origin of The Fog and why Carpenter’s first cut flopped with test audiences
- The emergency reshoots that make up about a third of the final film
- Why the John Houseman campfire opening was added later
- The cast, including Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Janet Leigh, Hal Holbrook, and Tom Atkins
- The fog machines placed in theaters as a marketing stunt
- Box office numbers, budget, and the remake debate
- Our final Rewatchability and Nostalgia Meter ratings