I can't see a damn thing!

Yet another flick on the remake chopping block is John Carpenter's 1980 ghost story, The Fog. Yep, it's slated for an October release and comes complete with the now-essential WB Fresh-Faced All-Star cast (Tom Welling of Smallville, Selma Blair of Hellboy). Now, I know I shouldn't knock it before it's out, and I won't...although I CANNOT HELP but point out that the man at the helm of this movie, director Rupert Wainwright, also brought us Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em: The Movie. I feel that was my duty. Other than that note, however, I will remain cautiously optimistic, even given my love for Carpenter's version. I swear. But...no Tom Atkins or Adrienne Barbeau...OK. That's it, I mean it this time. Would've been cool if they had cast Jamie Lee Curtis in the role her mother played in the original, just as a nod to geeks like me.

I'm actually more excited about Dark Horse Comics putting out a prequel comic, with input from Carpenter himself. Written by Dark Horse's editor-horror guru Scott Allie, it'll show the backstory to the curse over Antonio Bay, and how the fog got to be so durned nasty. With a cover by Hellboy maestro Mike Mignola, I'm all a-twitter. You can read more about the comic here, courtesy of Jen Contino and comicon.com's The Pulse.

While the original The Fog didn't thrill alot of people, I always found it to be an atmospheric, spooky ghost story with a strong EC comics-vibe...which is exactly what John Carpenter and the late Debra Hill intended. It'll be interesting to see how the story is told for today's audience. Will Mr. Wainwright keep with the quiet, dark atmosphere for the chills, or will be it more in line with what qualifies as horror today: jokes, nonchalance, and a heavy metal soundtrack? Moreover, will the audience get the shivers when, at the film's end, Stevie Wayne coos:

I don't know what happened to Antonio Bay tonight. Something came out of the fog and tried to destroy us. In one moment, it vanished. But if this has been anything but a nightmare, and if we don't wake up to find ourselves safe in our beds, it could come again. To the ships at sea who can hear my voice, look across the water, into the darkness. Look for the fog.