While John Carpenter is most often known for using synth, many of his earliest film scores were remarkably piano-driven, such as The Fog. To be clear, The Fog does have plenty of synth, but it isn’t the driving force behind the score. Instead, it largely acts in the background, creating a creepy atmosphere as the fog and its evil inhabitants overtake Antonio Bay.
The bulk of Carpenter’s score comes from two rather simple, short piano themes that repeat regularly throughout the film. The first opens with a bombastic organ, then transitions to a faster paced piano melody, mildly reminiscent of the main theme in Halloween. Carpenter slows down the pace in the second theme with careful, deliberate notes that are far more haunting; the possessed keyboard in a Gothic tale. The foreboding sense of dread is so strong that it would fit in among far more extreme genres, like funeral doom. The rare choice of piano over synth makes sense, as the film reveals that its horror stems from a 19th century curse – to choose otherwise would feel rather anachronistic.
Perhaps the one downside to the relative simplicity is the score’s inability to serve as a standalone piece of music. The repetitiveness of the themes, interspersed by ambient synth, work fine alongside the film but aren’t as engaging when listened to directly. This issue is only enhanced in the expanded edition of the score, which clocks in at nearly two hours; despite how effective the music is in the film and how haunting the piano themes are in small chunks, they suffer as the sole focal point over an extended duration.