The Fog Horn (2018 film)

The Fog Horn is a 2018 American science fiction giant monster film co-written and directed by Brad Bird and an adaptation of the short story of the same name. The Fog Horn was secretly filmed to be in conjunction with Legendary’s MonsterVerse, and was released on June 13th, 2018 as a Netflix Original on the streaming platform to commemorate the 65th anniversery of the story's adaptation, The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms. The film uses both CGI and Practical Effects and the story was given a complete overhaul and was reworked similar to how Kong: Skull Island reintroduced King Kong with a brand new backstory and mythos.

The film is an interquel, taking place in the year 2016, two years after the events of Godzilla, and three years before the events of Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

Plot
The film opens up in the year 2016. After San Fransisco is completely demolished by the battle between Godzilla and the two M.U.T.O’s, the general public is now aware of the existence of the giant super species that Monarch has been studying and keeping secret for years. A meeting is held between the United Nations and Monarch, hosted by Monarch Executive Leona Nesbitt (Jessica Lange), where the organization goes over the list of quarantine areas that have yet to show any activity, but show evidence of a MUTO within, such as a volcano in the center of Isla De Mona and a temple within the mountains of China, and a small rocky island off the coast of New England.

The film cuts to the small town of Rhedon Bay, Maine. Notable for the alleged cryptid known as the Rhedon Bay Monster, it has recently been on a downturn due to its fishstocks plummeting. Among them is Laura Johnson, a marine biologist studying long distance communications within cetaceans, as well as the potential reasons for the reason die offs.

In a mid-credits scene, two construction workers struggle to get a still-twitching tail out of a wall.

In a post-credits scene, set two months after the events of the main film, Lee Hunter meets with Leona, and Doctor Vivienne Graham in Antarctica, where they have discovered a 400 foot tall monster frozen deep within a glacier of ice. Lee compares the monster with the photos of cave paintings that Corey Brooks had managed to obtain. Leona asks if it’s the same creature as the one depicted in the paintings, and Lee agrees, saying that the Volcanic saurian they found in Isla De Mona, and the enormous moth found in China are also in the paintings, along with Godzilla, fighting this monster. Leona lights a cigarette, and says “It’s all coming together now”, while Vivienne agrees, stating that “The Devil has three heads.”

Cast

 * Vivica A. Fox as Laura "Johnney" Johnson, a marine biologist.
 * Robbie Coltrane as Angus McDunn, the owner of a lighthouse
 * Zachary Gordon as Mike Scotts, the son of Mayor. He is a law student who becomes infected with
 * Victor Garber as Mayor George Scott, the mayor of Rhedon Bay
 * Steve Buscemi as Horace Colton, the leader of PMAAT, a paramilitary group. He believes MONARCH and the government are responsible for the creation of the M.U.T.O.S.
 * Jessica Lange as Leona Nesbitt, the executive of Monarch, and the head of operations on Isla De Mona. Lange had expressed great enthusiasm on portraying “such a powerful, enigmatic character” once again, and gave the character the same personality from a previous role, Fiona Goode of American Horror Story: Coven.
 * Sarah Paulson as Lee Hunter, a microbiologist.
 * Sally Hawkins as Vivienne Graham, a chief scientist of Monarch, and an assistant to Serizawa. She appears in a post-credits cameo which depicts her find of King Ghidorah.

Monsters

 * Rhedosaurus
 * Godzilla (stock footage)
 * Hokmuto (stock footage)
 * Femuto (stock footage)
 * King Ghidorah

Production
On December 25, 2016, the film was officially announced by Warner Bros, with Sid Bennett having wrote the screenplay. Several directors were tapped, among them Joe Cornish, Vince Gillian, and Fede Álvarez. Eventually, Brad Bird confirmed via facebook he had signed on, having dropped out of Incredibles 2 over creative differences with Pixar.

Filming went into production on August 29th, 2017 under the working title of "Sedna". It was filmed largely at Pinewood Studios Toronto and some scenes in Maine were filmed in St. Johns, Newfoundland. Filming concluded on January 28th, 2018.

Influences
A major influence for the film were

Soundtrack
Michael Giacchino composed the soundtrack.

Reception
The film was categorized as the most surprising Netflix release for an original film or series since the surprise release of “The Cloverfield Paradox” after the end of Superbowl LII.

The film was met with mixed to positice positive reviews, and has a 73% certified “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Much praise was towards Lange and Fox’s performance, and the effects of the Rhedosaurus and it’s path of destruction. Overall response towards the story was somewhat mixed, citing the weaving inclusion of the story into the Monsterverse as “rushed” and the references to a wider cinematic universe were also noted/criticised.