Fog (1933): A ship, a ghost, and a whole lot of questions

Should you watch it?

If you like old, dusty mysteries where everyone on a boat is suspicious, this is your jam. But if you need modern pacing or logic that actually makes sense, you might want to skip it. It is perfect for people who like to guess the killer based on who looks the most nervous in a tuxedo.

The whole thing takes place on a liner crossing the Atlantic. There is a lot of fog, obviously, because they named the movie Fog. It is not exactly subtle.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Fog (1933) through its definitive frames.

The vibe

The murders happen fast. Like, really fast. You barely get to know a passenger before they are off the manifest. It’s honestly a bit jarring.

Then there is the ghost. Yeah, you read that right. A ghost helps solve the crimes. It’s the kind of plot point that feels like it was written on a cocktail napkin during a long lunch.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Fog (1933) through its definitive frames.

Odd little notes

• The fog effects are basically just someone turning down the lights and adding some smoke. It’s charming in a cheap way.
• The cast is huge. Half the time I couldn't remember who was who.
• I kept thinking about The Roadhouse Murder while watching, just because of how much they rely on these tight, confined spaces to make the tension work.
• There’s a scene where a character reacts to a ghost, and the actor looks like they’re just trying to remember where they left their car keys. It’s hilarious.

Some of the dialogue is super snappy, but then it just drops off into nowhere. You can tell they were trying to be clever, but sometimes it just sounds like they ran out of ink.

The ending is a total mess. I won't spoil it, but let's just say the ghost does a lot of heavy lifting that the police probably should have handled themselves. Whatever works, right? 👻

It’s not as polished as something like Svengali, but it has that weird, desperate energy of a movie that just wants to get to the point. I kind of respect that. Even if the point is totally bonkers.

Don't look too hard at the continuity. The fog appears and disappears whenever the plot needs a distraction. It’s basically a character of its own, just a very inconsistent one.