lucyrfisher
Highlights are the girls, Mela White (pre-Bergerac) and Susan Travers, with their trashy look, high-pitched Cockney accents and bleached blonde hair. What a lovely time they're having, going to the movies or to the coffee-bar - an alternative to the pub that's open in the evening and provides endless cups of coffee, hits on the jukebox, and amusing beatniks. Our hero George the ex-con enjoys sketching the types (and he's not bad - I hope he gets that job at the commercial art studio). I also enjoyed the furniture shop that employs George and Susan T, the undercover cop. She takes her stand in front of a large ad for Ercol, and hipsters would simply adore that modernist sideboard.All this is a contrast to the ex-prisoners' hostel - a survival from the Edwardian era (only 50 years previously), with aspidistras everywhere and a lady in a flowery apron called Ma.George makes just one visit to his middle-class mother (we only get a glimpse of her house's plushy interior), but we learn enough to understand something of what made him rob shops instead of joining the army or studying law. Or perhaps he just prefers coffee-bar life with girls like Mela and Susan. I don't blame him.
Leofwine_draca
A nice little B picture from prolific thriller director Montgomery Tully. The plot is unusual enough to make this stand out and there are some great little moments portrayed very well despite what is obviously a low budget. Heck, even the fog is in short supply here, but OUT OF THE FOG still packs a punch as a murder mystery and has something to say at the same time.The plot sees the callow and unlikeable David Sumner being released from prison and going to live in a kind of halfway house populated by delightful old lags. Most of these ex-cons are made of great British character actors like Michael Ripper, George Woodbridge, and Richard Shaw. The jovial James Hayter is the nice chap who runs the place. However, this is just the background for the main plot, involving a serial killer with a penchant for strangling blondes.Sumner is the main suspect and OUT OF THE FOG follows the police's tailing and eventual attempts to apprehend him. Susan Travers has a fine role as the undercover policewoman used as bait. There's a wonderfully evocative ending and lots of good character work en route; nothing much feels out of place, and overall the film is a nice and tidy piece of work.
n_adams1
Another black and white English movie from Renown, this one was paired with another called Radio Cab Murder, that was'nt bad but I prefer this one.The main character is a surly ex convict called George Mallon played by David Sumner who has a wonderful quiff of hair. He is taken into a sort of halfway house when released from jail, he does manage to get a job, however he does'nt integrate very well with his new friends.Shortly after his arrival a series of murders start to occur, the victims are all blond and one he was having a little dalliance with.Obviously he becomes the main suspect although despite his surliness I kind of sided with him and was delighted when he was revealed not to be the killer.A short film only 68 minutes but I don't mind that, I would recommend it to other's who like this sort of film.
kevin olzak
1962's "Out of the Fog," issued in the US under its original source title, "Fog for a Killer," showed up on Pittsburgh's CHILLER THEATER on October 13 1979. Both titles lead one to believe it will be an atmospheric thriller about a madman who preys on helpless blonde women during the light of the full moon, cleverly hiding from detection in the foggy night. Unfortunately, the police investigation rarely strays from the office of the Superintendent (John Arnatt), focusing exclusively on a belligerent ex con (David Sumner) who can spot a 'copper' a mile away. All of the murders take place off screen, no other characters are regarded as genuine suspects, and most disappointing of all, there is no fog to be seen anywhere until the final reel of this 66 minute quickie. Although the police discover that the crimes are committed every four weeks, each time the moon is full, this too is a tantalizing detail that goes nowhere. Definitely not a horror film, and unsatisfying even as a mystery, benefiting from a fine supporting cast, including James Hayter, Jack Watson, and a blonde Susan Travers ("The Snake Woman," "The Abominable Dr. Phibes"), plus Hammer regulars Michael Ripper and George Woodbridge. Unseen on television for decades, this is now available on Region 2 DVD, on a double bill with another British melodrama centering on an ex con, 1954's "Radio Cab Murder."
AD
