The Fog Horn: Difference between revisions
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'''"The Fog Horn"''' | |||
'''"The Fog Horn"''' is a 1951 American science fiction short story written by renowned science fiction author Ray Bradbury. The story served as a basis for the 1953 giant monster film ''[[The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms]]'', which in turn served as one of the main influences for ''[[Godzilla (1954 film)|Godzilla]]''. | |||
{{TOC}} | {{TOC}} | ||
==Plot== | ==Plot== | ||
Lighthouse keepers Johnny and his boss McDunn are working late one night at a remote | Lighthouse keepers Johnny and his boss McDunn are working late one night at a remote lighthouse in late November. McDunn contemplates the mysteries of the sea as he recounts an experience he had several years ago witnessing numerous fish gather around the bay swimming around until midnight when they appear to vanish back into the sea Mcdunn speculates the fish had gathered to “worship” the lighthouse among contemplating other things. | ||
McDunn later takes Johnny upstairs to show him something as the Foghorn blows every fifteen seconds. Johnny ask McDunn if he is wanting to show him the schools of fish, McDunn replies telling him no and that he had held off telling him about this believing he would be seen as daft for tonight was when “it” came as it came the previous year as he refuses to go into further detail and tells Johnny to simply to wait to see it for himself. | McDunn later takes Johnny upstairs to show him something as the Foghorn blows every fifteen seconds. Johnny ask McDunn if he is wanting to show him the schools of fish, McDunn replies telling him no and that he had held off telling him about this believing he would be seen as daft for tonight was when “it” came as it came the previous year as he refuses to go into further detail and tells Johnny to simply to wait to see it for himself. | ||
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==Trivia== | ==Trivia== | ||
*The original title for the story was The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms | *The original title for the story was The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. However, when Warner Bros. executives bought the rights to the story for their derivative film (then called Monster from Beneath the Sea) and changed its title to reflect this, Bradbury retitled the story to “The Fog Horn”. | ||
*[[Howl from Beyond the Fog]] is heavily based on this story. | |||
{{Books}} | {{Books}} | ||
Revision as of 21:14, 2 July 2021
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"The Fog Horn" is a 1951 American science fiction short story written by renowned science fiction author Ray Bradbury. The story served as a basis for the 1953 giant monster film The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, which in turn served as one of the main influences for Godzilla.
Plot
Lighthouse keepers Johnny and his boss McDunn are working late one night at a remote lighthouse in late November. McDunn contemplates the mysteries of the sea as he recounts an experience he had several years ago witnessing numerous fish gather around the bay swimming around until midnight when they appear to vanish back into the sea Mcdunn speculates the fish had gathered to “worship” the lighthouse among contemplating other things.
McDunn later takes Johnny upstairs to show him something as the Foghorn blows every fifteen seconds. Johnny ask McDunn if he is wanting to show him the schools of fish, McDunn replies telling him no and that he had held off telling him about this believing he would be seen as daft for tonight was when “it” came as it came the previous year as he refuses to go into further detail and tells Johnny to simply to wait to see it for himself.
McDunn offers Johnny to leave tomorrow after he witnesses “it” stating this is the third time in 3 years straight its appeared now but is now the first time anyone else is with him to witness and verify what he is witnessing and demands Johnny to wait and watch. Half an hour passes without much said, McDunn begins to discuss theories with a metaphorical story on why this thing keeps returning to the lighthouse every year speculating it is the Foghorn itself calling it as the Foghorn blows.
Mcdunn silences an interrupting Johnny as he points out a mass swimming towards the lighthouse rises revealing a large head attached to an immensely long neck followed by its body covered in coral shells and crayfish while Johnny estimates the creature to be ninety or a hundred feet in size Johnny is flabbergasted at the sight of the Beast exclaiming it’s impossible while Mcdunn retorts saying it is them who is impossible for they have changed over millions of years while the beast has stayed the same as the beast continues to swim, Johnny exclaims that the creature is a dinosaur and that it should have died out long ago while Mcdunn responds suggesting that the creature was able to continue existing in the most unfathomable deepest parts of the ocean.
A panicked Johnny ask what to do as McDunn tells him to continue working in the lighthouse believing it is safer there than on a boat out there, Johnny then ask a second question as to why the Creature comes here receiving his answer in the form of the Foghorn blowing once again and the Monster responded with an anguished cry sounding identical to the FogHorn.
Mcdunn believes the creature comes every year from the bottom of the ocean, possibly the last surviving member of its kind and the sound of the FogHorn resembling the calls of its kind calls it forward to appear.
He later speaks about how last year the creature swam around and around all night not coming close to the lighthouse possibly due to being puzzled or afraid and maybe even a bit angry the next day as the fog cleared the creature left leaving Mcdunn to speculate it went off brooding on it for a year.
The Monster then rushes towards the lighthouse as the Foghorn blew once again,McDunn then switches it off Causing the Beast to stop in its tracks simply observing the two men in anger, in a panicked state Johnny demands Mcdunn to turn the horn back on but as he fumbled to switch it back on the Beast began to rear up revealing its webbed paws as it claws at the lighthouse as the Foghorn blew again the Beast returned a cry as it seized the tower and gnashed against the windows shattering them The two men both panicked and attempted to run downstairs to hide in the cellar under the stairs as the foghorn stopped abruptly the Beast crashed itself against the tower causing it to crumble leading the two men no option but to kneel together holding onto each other.
Both men survived hiding under the collapsed cellar listening to the repetitive anguished cries of loneliness from the monster all throughout the night, The morning after the men were rescued from the cellar with Mcdunn creating a fabricated story of how waves caused the tower to collapse as an explanation to the rescuers and pinching Johnny to comply with the cover story.
A year later a new lighthouse was constructed with steel reinforced concrete, Johnny drives down to the bay parking across from the lighthouse around the same time as last year to ask Mcdunn if it ever came back, Mcdunn tells him the Creature didn’t return this year and that it had gone back to the deepest parts of the ocean once again waiting again for another millions of years while humans continue to exist and eventually will die off as it will continue to wait for its kind As Johnny sits in his car unable to see the tower or the light as he hears the Foghorn once more listening as he has nothing to say.
Appearances
Monsters
- Prehistoric Sea Monster
- Saber Tooths (mentioned)
- Sloths (mentioned)
- Reptile-Birds (mentioned)
Characters
- Johnny
- McDunn
Trivia
- The original title for the story was The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. However, when Warner Bros. executives bought the rights to the story for their derivative film (then called Monster from Beneath the Sea) and changed its title to reflect this, Bradbury retitled the story to “The Fog Horn”.
- Howl from Beyond the Fog is heavily based on this story.
Comments
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