Feminism and The Fog (1980)

I think that girls who insult people are very attractive.

Howard Hawks

There was a type of female role in Hollywood of the 1940’s that came to be known as the Hawksian woman. Howard Hawks enshrined actresses Barbara Stanwyck, Angie Dickinson and most famously, Lauren Bacall as his ideal women in his films. Sassy, intelligent and more than capable of keeping up with men, they were inspirational for many directors, including John Carpenter. With the co-writing help of his then girlfriend, Debra Hill, he set out to follow up his directing debut Halloween (1978) with a completely different type of film built around not one, but several Hawksian women.

Stevie Wayne (Adrienne Barbeau) is a single mom making a new start for herself and her son Andy as a DJ at the independent radio station she owns in the small town of Antonio Bay. She is not looking for a man in her life as is clear with the banter she has on the phone with the local weatherman, Dan (Charles Cyphers). This is not the typical plot twist for a horror film that would have seen the weatherman come to the rescue of the woman in distress in the 1950s, which of course influenced future films.

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Carpenter and Hill were breaking new ground with their vision of a strong woman as hero, especially since Alien (1979) had only been released the year before. Stevie is vulnerable in a way a male hero would not be in that she has her young son at home when the threat of the film’s title makes an appearance. Not just a disc jockey but also a news reporter that the town relies on, she is compelled to stay at her microphone and warn of the incoming danger. She doesn’t bolt from her post at the radio station lighthouse, but begins to plea for help for her son and then begs forgiveness that she couldn’t be there for him. It’s a devastating scene and one of the chief reasons The Fog is so memorable.

In case of disaster, natural or supernatural, anyone could find themselves in a position to help the greater community, but at the cost of leaving loved ones to fend for themselves. Stevie Wayne can be seen as the first woman “essential worker” in horror since her station is basically an emergency response service, and that remains a powerful feminist statement.

Kathy Williams (Janet Leigh) is a widow and town dignitary who shoulders her loss of her fisherman husband, and carries on for the good of Antonio Bay. She probably didn’t have the greatest marriage with her husband being gone for long periods of time, but she does not run from her responsibilities to those whom she sees as extended family. There is a steely glint in her eyes as she resolves to go through with the town’s celebration of its centennial, despite her personal grief.

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In another twist of standard horror plot devices, Williams comforts the parish priest Father Malone (Hal Holbrook) rather than the other way around. Indeed, Malone turns out to be a direct descendent of one of the men who caused Antonio Bay to be cursed. He himself is of little help until he reveals a diary he discovers with a little paranormal assistance. Williams and Mrs. Kobritz (Regina Waldon), housekeeper and stand-in grandma to young Andy, represent the older generation of strong women who rose to the occasion in a crisis, be it a natural or manmade disaster.

Elizabeth Solley, young bohemian artist hitchhiking to find a place for herself, represents the next generation of Hawksian woman. She inspires her new fisherman boyfriend Nick with her humor and independence to investigate his friends’ death on their boat. With the exception of Nick, the men in the film are all continuations of the types who brought on the curse that now endangers the town.  Malone is an alcoholic, the fishermen are irresponsible and the weatherman is arrogant. Nick is redeemed by the love of Elizabeth and becomes a hero by saving Andy with her help. 

Howard Hawks helped to direct The Thing from Another World (1951) which Carpenter would later remake. As a homage to this classis horror film, Stevie Wayne warns the people of Antonio Bay to “Watch the fog!” at the end of the film, much like The Thing ended with a warning to “Watch the skies!” Carpenter continued the Hawks tradition of great horror being suggestive rather than seen in The Fog as well as roles for strong women to defeat whatever threat comes their way.