User reviews

After the box-office failure of "Memoirs of an Invisible Man" in 1992 forced him to work in TV (with the movie "Body Bags"), director John Carpenter returned to his roots in the horror genre and began working in what would be his return to the big screen with the 1995 horror film, "In the Mouth of Madness", a movie that would become the third and final part of his Apocalypse Trilogy (an unrelated series of horror films started with "The Thing" and followed by "Prince of Darkness"). Together with writer Michael De Luca, Carpenter crafted a film that pays honest tribute to the genre's original root: the written word.

In the film, Sam Neill plays John Trent, a freelance insurance investigator hired to find out if the disappearance of horror writer Sutter Cane (Jürgen Prochnow) is part of a complicated marketing plan, as he is the most popular writer at the moment. However, it seems that Cane has really disappeared, as not even his publishers know where he is. Together with Cane's editor, Linda Styles (Julie Carmen), Trent will attempt to find out where Cane is, but will discover that the famed horror writer has a deep dark secret hidden in the apparently not so fictional town of "Hobb's End".

Inspired by legendary horror writer H.P. Lovecraft, De Luca's story is a powerful ride to the dark side where the line of fiction and reality disappear. Themes such as the duality of reality and fantasy and the concepts of God and free will are carried through the film's remarkably well-done script, becoming one of the most interesting, intelligent and insightful horror stories ever put on film. As a tribute to Lovecraft, De Luca captures that atmosphere of dread and madness that was so characteristic of Lovecraft's works and that no film adaptation of his works has managed to capture.

A fitting return to form, "In the Mouth of Madness" is again John Carpenter at his best, giving form to De Luca's imaginative script with amazing talent and an effective care for the story not seen since "The Thing". While the plot is clearly inspired on the work of H.P. Lovecraft, Carpenter completed the "tribute" by adding countless of references to Stephen King and Nigel Kneale (his own favorite writer), making "In the Mouth of Madness" a homage to writers of horror fiction. With great skill, Carpenter crafts a film that is never boring nor tiresome, and that even manages to transmit the feeling one would get by reading a book.

Sam Neill delivers an excellent performance as John Trent, who incredulous of Cane's talent, enters the unknown and discovers the source of Cane's popularity. It is a very natural and believable performance that can give the chills as Neill makes his character to be so easy to be identified with. Jürgen Prochnow and Julie Carmen deliver both excellent performances too, although their characters receive few screen time (even for important supporting roles) as it is truly Neill who carries the film becoming the focus of the story.

"In the Mouth of Madness" is a haunting horror film that is both intelligent and effective thanks to Carpenter's expertise as director, and more than 10 years after is release it's hard to see why it failed at the box-office. While it's not a perfect film, it's a lot better than the average, and while it's true that it seems to lose some steam in the last third, the ending is really one of the best in horror history. Despite some quibbles with the special effects (as I think that Carpenter shows a lot more than what was needed), the film is overall a very well-done film that deserved a better reception in its day.

With an excellent cast and a superb story, "In the Mouth of Madness" ends up as a really inventive story that proves that horror in film can deliver the same creative as it has in literature. An intelligent and twisted tale of horror, this homage to horror fiction makes a really great film. To most people, the name John Carpenter is (and will always be) related to the "Halloween" franchise, but personally, I find "The Thing" and this film as the best works of his career. 9/10

I found this film terrifying. Sure there is no man in a stripy jumper coming to 'stab you up' and no one is tied to a chair and worked on with an angle grinder.

This film makes excellent use of those iconic every day objects that become scary in the correct context. (E.G Clowns, mannequins, Victorian prams or a child's ball bouncing down a stair case.) People who have seen this will know what I mean when I say the word bicycle.

Rather than physical peril this film uses assaults on your grasp of reality. mine obviously isn't that great as I find this movie petrifying.

The production of the film isn't great and there are more exciting films out there. But if you have some imagination, are a little romantic and like being scared without having to sit through some poor soul forced to spectate live at their own autopsy, then this deserves every one of its eight stars.

Insurance claims expert John Trent (Sam Neill) Goes off on a search for missing horror author Sutter Cane (Jürgen Prochnow), convinced his disappearance is a hoax. Once Trent goes looking for the missing author, he's lead to Hobb's End, a supposedly fictional New England town, to discover that something very wrong is going on…and Sutter Cane is responsible. "In the Mouth of Madness" came as a delightful surprise to me.

I rented the DVD solely because I'd been wandering the video store shelves for close to 45 minutes (I have a little too much free time) and figured I'd be kicked out so I grabbed a handful of movies. This was one of them, and let me tell you I'm sure glad I did, because this is a damn fine flick!

To start, Sam Neill is excellent, as is Mr. Prochnow. The only bad performer here is Julie Carmen (Regina from Fright Night 2), who gives a wooden and thoroughly unconvincing "when-the-hell-do-I-get-my-paycheck?" performance.

Michael De Luca's script is sharp enough to never takes itself too seriously, while at the same time it can be very scary and dark. John Carpenter's direction was top-notch. Some of the guy's recent films have been…disappointing, to say the least, but here he delivers the gore, suspense and action like a pro.

The special effects are great. The boys over at KNB effects studios cook up lots of monsters, gore and slime, delivering the goods as usual. The creatures here are indeed reminiscent of Carpenter's "The Thing", their creative and all look very lovecraftian in design.

At times the film can be extremely scary. The old trick of using darkness and shadows to convey creepiness that Carpenter's so good at are present and good as ever.

"In the mouth of madness" pulled all the right strings and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommended.

8/10.

Oh, and great ending.

The stories of H.P. Lovecraft can be summarized in a simple equation: Mankind + Ancient, Inescapable Horrors = Utter Doom. With IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS, Director John Carpenter uses the dread-filled atmospherics of Lovecraft, in order to pay homage to the writer.

Insurance fraud investigator, John Trent (Sam Neill) is sent to discover what happened to a pulp horror writer named Sutter Cane (Jurgen Prochnow), who seems to have vanished without a trace. Trent, a normal, rational man, soon finds himself entangled in a web of incredible, unexplainable occurrences upon finding the mysterious town of Hobb's End. Here, his skeptical / logical mind is tested beyond its limit.

Like Lovecraft, Carpenter gives us small glimpses of immense things that defy description. Reality bends in on itself, until we, along with Trent, can no longer discern fact from fiction. From the ax-wielding, mutant maniacs, to the unspeakable black church, Hobb's End is a place existing only in nightmare. A very satisfying, apocalyptic horror film...

This film is by far one of the best horror movies I've watched in a couple of months, and I watched a lot. This film succeeds in suspense and thrills, I actually jumped a couple of times. The plot was really good, there was an in-pending sense of doom.

The film moved along fast, and I wished it was a little longer, I didn't want it to end. Sam Neil is the most notable character, and I enjoy most of his work. The rest of the cast didn't have much to do. I loved the inclusion of monsters, even if they had a small part.

I think this film is severely underrated, and deserves a bigger fan base. Check this film out, it's worth your time and money.

In The Mouth Of Madness is a scary and terrifying film and one of the best Horror films of the 90s. Filled with great direction,wonderful performances and great special effects In The Mouth Of Madness is John Carpenter at his best.

In The Mouth Of Madness tells the story of private investigator John Trent(Sam Neill),an investigator who investigates phony insurance claims. Now,Trent is asked to investigate the disappearance of best selling Horror novelist Sutter Cane(Jurgen Prochnow). Unfornately for John Trent this not going to be a typical investigation and for John Trent will be an journey he will never forget and it will blur the lines of fiction and reality and will be a battle for John's sanity.

During the time from the early to mid 1990s the Horror genre was seen by critics and most Horror fans as dead. I don't think the Horror genre was dead I think the Horror genre was in a coma and was waiting to wake up. During the time the Horror genre was seen as dead there was a few great Horror films that came out during the early to mid 1990s and one of those Horror films was John Carpenter's In The Mouth Of Madness. In the Mouth Of Madness is the final film in Carpenter's Apocalypse Trilogy which also includes The Thing and Prince Of Darkness and when it was released in 1995 In The Mouth Of Madness flopped at the box office like most of Carpenter's films. But In The Mouth Of Madness has gain a cult following among Carpenter fans and Horror fans over the years be the film is great and unique. If The Thing was about an Alien Invasion and Prince Of Darkness was about a dark religious theme then In The Mouth Of Madness is about Horror literature coming to life and drawing the line between fiction and reality. That is what so brilliant and scary about this film is the story and concept of the film:what if the stories of authors such Stephen King,H.P Lovecraft or Clive Barker came to life and you are not sure what is reality or what is fiction? In The Mouth Of Madness answers this question in a scary way. ITMOM is a Psychological Horror film in the truest since of the words because it's a Horror film that not only scares you physically but also mentally because when you watch ITMOM you are not sure if the events in the film are really happening or is it all in John Trent's mind or Sutter Cane's mind and you are put into a frightening and bizarre journey into darkness. With Carpenter's Apocalypse Trilogy was about the end of the world and possibly for this film the end of the world doesn't come from human beings explosions or diseases but books. The film was greatly influence by the works of H.P Lovecraft whether it's the title of the film or the scenes with monsters and supernatural things hiding in the dark and visuals that are haunting and disturbing. The screenplay by Michael De Luca is well-written and original with the dialog being cynical but at the same time very scary and creepy. John Trent is a classic Carpenter Antihero is a private detective in the spirit of Film-Noir like classic detective characters like Sam Spade and Phillip Marlow and like those characters Trent is cynical and a loner. While Trent is cynical at the same time we relate to Trent because his character represents the audience and like the audience Trent doesn't understand what is going on or why. There is danger all around the film and Trent can't do anything to stop it or prevent it and you are scared for Trent. Sutter Cane is a scary character not because of the things he does but because of his thinking and his books. Cane thinks that his books are real and that they are more than just literature and not just reality but his reality. The fans of Sutter Cane's books read his novels like reading the Bible and Cane is influencing and affecting his readers to do horrific things. Sutter Cane is more dangerous with his words then his fists or eyes. ITMOM moves at a great pace and when the terror starts it never stops until the end. The violence and gore in the film is shocking and frightening because at times the violence and gore is shown or implied with visuals. The ending of the film is one of the best endings in Horror film history and is a classic Carpenter ending because it is so hopeless,sad and at the same time very funny. It's a great ending that you will never forget.

The cast does great jobs in their roles. Sam Neill is excellent as John Trent,with Neill bringing intensity and cynicism to the performance. Julie Carmen does a wonderful job as Linda Styles,Cane's editor who helps John look for Sutter Cane. Jurgen Prochnow is brilliant and frightening as Sutter Cane,with Prochnow bringing believability to role. Charlton Heston(Jackson Harglow),David Warner(Dr. Wrenn),John Glover(Saperstein),Bernie Casey(Robinson),Francis Bay(Mrs. Pickman)and Willeim Von Homburg(Simon)give good performances as well. Also lookout for a cameo by a young Hayden Christensen as a paper boy.

The direction by John Carpenter is excellent,with Carpenter giving the film a dark and frightening atmosphere and always moving the camera. Great direction by Carpenter.

The score by John Carpenter and Jim Lang is great,dark and effective and goes with the scary tone of the film. Another great score from Carpenter.

The special make-up effects by K.N.B is amazing,disturbing and realistic. Another great effects work from K.N.B.

In final word,if you love John Carpenter,Horror films or H.P Lovecraft,I highly suggest you see In The Mouth Of Madness,an effective underrated Horror film that is one of John Carpenter's best films. Highly Recommended. 10/10.

I have been somewhat disappointed by Carpenter this year, "The Fog" was pretty good, a bit flawed, but still highly enjoyable. "Prince of Darkness" had some mediocre and dull parts, but had some great concepts, a good atmosphere and some good effects. "In the Mouth of Madness" has some of the same problems "Prince of Darkness" had, and much like "Prince of Darkness", it has many good elements that save it from being completely mediocre and elevates it.

I liked this one better than "Prince" since it has a really good performance by Sam Neill, his character was really enjoyable to watch and you sympathize with him because of his charm, without him the film wouldn't have been as entertaining, unfortunately.

I believe I liked the build up better than the action itself, once monsters start appearing and we find out more about what's happening the movie sort of becomes standard, nothing bad but nothing great either, much like "Candyman" this movie lacks more rules to its horror, it just feels like a bunch of random events and ghouls appearing just because.

The ending is a bit inventive, predictable, but still riveting to watch. The movie actually has some creative moments and some great special effects to accompany them, but it never becomes more interesting than its premise.

Overall, a good film that falls flat at moments but has some great ideas and very suspenseful scenes that save it.

PD: Points extra for Robot Monster.

I knew about this movie, and knew it was a movie heavily influenced by Lovecraft, but oddly enough I have never gotten around to watching it before now in 2023. Which is rather odd, given my fascination with Lovecraftian writing, horror movies and John Carpenter movies.

And boy, have I been missing out on a rather interesting and entertaining movie experience here. Writer Michael De Luca put together a very enjoyable and entertaining script, where the audience follows John Trent's (played by Sam Neill) descent into madness. And it is done in a very good way, where we as the audience feel like we are right there alongside him. And wow, this was indeed a very Lovecraftian themed movie.

There were lots of nice little details that were tributes and nods towards H. P. Lovecraft and his work throughout the movie, which was something I found very interesting and a nice touch for director John Carpenter to have in the movie.

The acting performances in "In the Mouth of Madness" were good, and Sam Neill really carried the movie quite well with his performance. But there are other familiar performers on the cast list as well, with the likes of Jürgen Prochnow, David Warner, John Glover, Bernie Casey, Peter Jason, Frances Bay, Wilhelm von Homburg and even Charlton Heston. So you are in capable hands here.

Visually then I found "In the Mouth of Madness" to be rather impressive. The movie starts out subtle and then John Carpenter gradually piles on the effects and reveals more and more of the monstrosities and otherworldly things that start to manifest and take form.

It was really a great mistake on my account that I never got around to watching "In the Mouth of Madness" before now in 2023. If you enjoy Lovecraftian-themed movies, then this is definitely a movie you don't want to miss out on.

My rating of "In the Mouth of Madness" lands on an eight out of ten stars.

The efficient and skeptical freelance insurance investigator John Trent (Sam Neill) is hired by the publisher Jackson Harglow (Charlton Heston) to find where the famous writer Sutter Cane (Jürgen Prochnow) might be. After writing a series of best-sellers in the horror genre, affecting the reason and causing disorientation, memory loss and paranoia in the readers, Sutter has simply vanished near the release of his new novel, "Horror in Hobb's End". There is a mass hysteria of his anxious fans waiting for the new release, and John believes that his disappearance is a strategy of marketing. John follows his instincts and travels with Cane's editor, Linda Styles (Julie Carmen), to New Hampshire seeking for the apparently fictional town of Hobb's End. While driving along the night, Linda reaches the Hobb's End, and John discloses that Sutter Cane has unleashed a powerful evil force in the black church of the mysterious town, and his twisted imagination is changing the reality and perception of those that read his novels.

"In the Mouth of Madness" is a journey to fear and madness through the darkness of a twisted mind of a writer. This story follows the style of "Twilight Zone" and actually shows how a writer with the support of the media is able to manipulate hearts and minds. Further, there is a certain criticism in the values and standards of the society where those who think differently or have a different behavior are outcast or even considered crazy. John Carpenter is one of my favorite directors and Sam Neil is perfect in the role of a skeptical man, used to find schemes and con everywhere, having difficulties to accept what is happening. The conclusion is very dark and without perspective to mankind. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "À Beira da Loucura" ("On the Edge of Madness")

Note: On 23 June 2015 I saw this movie again. Note: On 20 September 2020 I saw this movie again.

This is my second favorite horror film of all time mainly because it still weirds me out (a horror movie plus in my book) and it reminds me of the work of our lord - H.P. Lovecraft.

Sam Neil is a great actor and before watching this, I had only seen him in dramas and thrillers, so I did not know what to expect - believe me, it is the best way with this film. I actually caught the film (on TV) at the point when he begins his journey in the car with Linda. "Another road movie" I remember thinking to myself - hah! Was I in for a shock/good time.

It involves an insurance detective named Trent (Neil), who is asked to investigate a mysterious horror novelist called Sutter Cane (by ape-hater, Charlton Heston). Unfortunately, Cane's work has a nasty habit of turning its' reader insane in the membrane. So Trent teams up with Linda styles, a foxy brunette to search for the strange one, and believe me things do get strange.

This film seams like a dream, no... a nightmare.

Is this reality...or not?

Oh damn, I've poo-poo'd myself again. NURSE!

I know how to appreciate an "Old" movie, but i have to say that i was pretty excited about viewing this one, and found me laughing on the creepy parts. That is the only negative thing i have to say about this movie, and was really disappointing. Nevertheless the script is FREAKING AMAZING. The way the movie is directed and its development is really good. Dialogues are impregnated of religious and evolution theories topics. I personally loved the way how all this conversations and subject-matter were developed in the movie's plot... that isn't predictable. It's a good movie to see and pay attention, surely wont burn your brain but if you have a good sense for hidden things, you'll be thinking about them for quite a while. So in summary: great movie! (all thanks to the script and directors ability), failed horror intention and smart people plot.

7/10.

Unlike "The Thing" this film hasn't aged as well as that masterpiece. It is, without a doubt, a great idea turned into an entertaining story. It's hard to get past the suspicion that it somehow is a response to the overwhelming success of Stephen King. In any case, the acting is on par for a horror flick, although I doubt Sam Neill would claim this to be his finest work, Jürgen Prochnow delivers his usual unsettling character, a pedestrian performance from Julie Carmen and Charlton Heston delivers a stellar imitation of Charlton Heston. There are plot holes galore (why does he turn around instead of simply driving through the bloodthirsty crowd the second time?) It all comes together in the last 20 minutes, though and proves that this was John Carpenter doing what he does best, leaving you with a sense of unease and a wonderful queasy feeling with which to fall asleep.

IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Panavision)

Sound formats: Dolby Stereo SR / DTS

Pointless, meandering homage to the Lovecraft mythos, replacing the virtues of a strong narrative drive with a succession of surreal set-pieces which go nowhere and add up to...well, nothing at all, really. Sam Neill (badly miscast) is the insurance investigator who's assigned to track down a world-famous horror writer who's gone missing with his latest manuscript, a (literally) mind-twisting book set in the town of Hobb's End. Having located this 'mythical' venue, Neill falls prey to a variety of monstrous visions conjured by the writer's imagination, at which point the plot becomes irrelevant and the casual viewer might just as well pack up and go home. To be fair, Carpenter still knows how to set up the kind of shocks and scares which made him famous, and he makes fascinating use of the wide Panavision frame, but the tissue-thin tale wasn't worth telling in the first place. And unless I've misconstrued the final sequence, the film concludes with an uncomfortable suggestion that Carpenter is laughing at his audience for taking such rubbish even remotely seriously. A waste of time and talent.

What a treat of a film this was. It is witty, intelligent, and scary. The basic plot premise is anything but basic as the line between reality and fantasy is almost indistinguishable through most of the film. What is going on? Who really knows...I'm not sure even director John Carpenter knows. But what we do get is a guessing game of what is real and un-real in a very stylish, sophisticated, almost bizarre fashion. The film opens in a mental asylum with protagonist Sam Neill being put in a padded cell whilst in a straight-jacket. The setting is larger than life. The characters around Neill are caricatures for the most part. John Glover plays a doctor(Doctor Saperstein...a possible homage to Rosemary's Baby) with complete camp. David Warner, another doctor, begins talking to Neill and asking him about what happened. The rest of the film then details what Neill did working with regards to a lost author named Sutter Cane. The plot is much more complicated than that and may take subsequent viewings to fully understand WHAT can be understood. The end result is at the very least a very gratifying one as Carpenter constructs a dream-like story that has obvious roots in both the fiction of H. P. Lovecraft and Stephen King. The acting is good all around...Neill is excellent as John Trent. He makes a very believable presence in a sea of un-reality. Julie Carmen is also very good in her role. Look for Charlton Heston as a publisher and Bernie Casey in a cameo as well. Kudos to Mr. Carpenter for bringing his visions of horror to the silver screen once again. This may be his best film...certainly his most thought-provoking and sophisticated.

As someone who has read all of Lovecrafts books I can assure you that this movie has a strong Lovecraftian vibe to it. And even the title seems to be some sort of homage to Lovecrafts work, I presume (In the mouth of madness -> Innsmouth ?) Or maybe I'm just over-interpreting things. Who knows?

With that being said I really enjoyed the movie. It was refreshing and different. Sometimes the prospect of "not knowing what's real or not" is even scarier than straight up gore or monsters. After all the fear of the unknown is the ultimate essence of true horror. This movie had plenty of it so I can't complain.

This movie is steadily growing on me. I've seen it twice now, and I more fully appreciate the descent into total insanity that it represents. Inspired heavily by H. P. Lovecraft with some nods to Stephen King, In the Mouth of Madness is John Carpenter creating a dream in a similar vein as Argento's Suspiria or Dreyer's Vampyr. These kinds of movies are about creating an alternate reality so complete and believable while being so removed from our actual experience that the unreality becomes ultimately believable in a subtle and subconscious way. This is also Carpenter, well-experienced in the technical side of filmmaking, bringing his A-game to the production.

Sutter Cane is the most successful horror author in the world, selling hundreds of millions of copies of his six books with his seventh, In the Mouth of Madness, due soon. The problem is that Cane has disappeared. In comes Sam Neill's John Trent, an insurance investigator, sent by the publishing house's insurance company to investigate the claim they made on the author's disappearance. Trent is a complete skeptic from the start, seeing right through people's bull from the start and unwilling to believe in much beyond man's ability to lie to each other. He doesn't think Cane disappeared inexplicably. He thinks that the head of the publishing firm (played by Charlton Heston) has created a publicity stunt to help them sell more books. He's willing to investigate if the publishing house is willing to accept the risk of him finding out that it's all a scam. He's sent, and with him the publisher sends Linda Styles (Julie Carmen), Cane's editor.

Now, the first act is interesting in how it tells all this. The first scene is Trent being dragged into an insane asylum, ranting and raving about the end of the world. He's interviewed and tells his story, beginning with a scene dealing with a fraud case, and the acting seems stiff and mannered here, reminding me of William Hurt's uncomfortable (I think intentionally so) performance as the detective in Dark City who's not really a detective. I think this was an intentional choice to make "reality" in In the Mouth of Madness feel off. When Trent is presented with the case by his occasional employer, they are attacked in a restaurant by a madman with an axe who asks Trent the simple question of, "Do you read Sutter Cane?" There's a sickness to the world, a world that doesn't quite seem right to begin with, from the start.

Things get more interesting when Trent buys the six books and begins reading them. Tales that Styles told him of people encountering mental issues after reading them sit in the back of his mind as he begins to have increasingly disturbing variations of the same dream of a cop beating a man in an alleyway with the cop transforming from a man to some kind of deteriorating monster.

Trent and Styles take a car to New Hampshire, following clues found on the covers of Cane's books, to look for a town on no map, and the trip is this weirdly ethereal journey out of reality and into the world of Hobb's End. Repeated images of a boy riding a bicycle, later shown as an old man still riding, greet them. Trent falls asleep, Styles drives as the lines on the road disappear in the middle of the night, and she's suddenly over a covered bridge and into Hobb's End, the town of Cane's novels, a place that shouldn't be real.

The time in Hobb's End is a bit of a meandering bit of business in terms of strict storytelling, but it never lets up this increasing sense of unease. We kind of reset once the two characters enter Hobb's End. Night instantly turns to day, and everything looks happy and cheerful, but no one's around. There's definitely something wrong. They go to the hotel and check in, finally meeting the old woman who runs the place who also ends up being a character from Cane's books. In the books, she tortures and murders her husband, but she seems like such a nice little old lady that we, and Trent, have a hard time believe that she could do much of anything. But there's definitely something going on, and it becomes obvious when they travel to the church at the center of town and see Cane. He holds a child hostage against the force of townspeople who rush the place and try to free the boy, but can any of this be real?

Through it all, Trent maintains his insistence that everything he sees is some kind of publicity stunt designed to get him to run to the newspaper to spread the story of Sutter Cane's secret town and the evils that lay beneath it, but as things gets weirder, his efforts to explain it all away become increasingly inward justifications for his own beliefs. His reality is breaking down around him.

The final third of the film is Trent escaping from Hobb's End and trying to make sense of the deteriorating world around him. Cane gives him the manuscript for In the Mouth of Madness that he must give to the publisher so that belief in Cane's world will increase and open up the portal for the Old Ones, hideous beyond description monsters from another dimension that we only see in the edges of frame, chasing Trent out of Hobb's End and back into the real world. What follows is the complete destruction of society, supposedly wrought by the insanity hiding in the book. Trent goes further down the track as well, eventually turning into an axe murderer himself, the event that leads him to the insane asylum at the beginning of the film.

The terror at the heart of In the Mouth of Madness is the idea that everything we see is wrong, and that the reality we deny ourselves is more horrible than we can even imagine. It's the sort of terror that H. P. Lovecraft was well known for, and it only ever seemed to work in print. The terror of the unknown, resolving to solid writing around the indescribable is one thing, actually having to use image is something else. Carpenter, as well as the film's writer Michael de Luca (also executive producer and head of New Line Cinema at the time), find ways to make this sort of horror real in the visual space as well. It's the application of the inexplicable, like the image of Sutter Cane whom we have known as a real person, suddenly tearing at his face like a page of a book revealing terror beneath it. It so betrays the laws of reality as we know it, but the world created around it has been so convincing and removed from our own experience at the same time that it becomes both believable and awful.

Anchoring all of this is Neill as Trent, and he's fantastic. The steady degradation of his mental state is precisely played out by Neill, going from collected to completely embracing his own insanity. Jürgen Prochnow is Sutter Cane in complete control of his own madness. Julie Carmen as Styles is a bit of a weak link in a part that doesn't seem to go as far as it should, but it's great to see Charlton Heston in the small role as the publisher, creating pure gravitas with every line.

There's so much to admire in In the Mouth of Madness, but it's also easy to see why it might have rubbed people the wrong way upon its original release. It does have a traditional three act structure, but that familiarity is undermined by the absolute ruthlessness that Carpenter takes Trent into complete insanity. There's something really special at the heart of this film, and it just keeps growing on me with every viewing.

Insurance investigator John Trent (Sam Neill) is hired by a publisher to find missing horror novelist Sutter Cane (Jurgen Prochnow) before his new novel is released. Following clues hidden in the covers of Cane's books, Trent and editor Linda Styles (Julie Carmen) drive to a small town in New England. There they discover that Cane has unleashed a powerful evil on the world and it may be too late to stop it.

Considered by many to be John Carpenter's last great movie. I'm hard-pressed to disagree with that. I think it's the last one that really feels like a Carpenter film. Fans of his will probably know what I mean. Here he crafts a number of creepy images and scary moments that are very effective. If you are a fan of his previous horror films, I think you will like this one. Sam Neill starts out a little rough but he gets better as the film progresses. His American accent is strained at times but it's never too distracting. Jurgen Prochnow is perfectly cast and brings a presence to the role of Sutter Cane that the movie depends upon. Julie Carmen is the weak link in the cast. Neither the way her part is written nor how she acts it is impressive. She has a colorless personality and I just couldn't care what happened to her. It reminds me somewhat of some of the odd performances in Prince of Darkness, which was also part of Carpenter's so-called Apocalypse Trilogy, along with this movie and The Thing. It's an entertaining movie, particularly for Carpenter fans. Not perfect and far from his best but very good nonetheless.

"In The Mouth of Madness" puts forth an interesting premise – what if H.P. Lovecraft was right? What if portals to horrific dimensions are waiting to be opened, and what if slavering, horrific creatures with god-like powers are waiting to return to Earth . . . and to destroy mankind?.

Well, `In the Mouth of Madness' is a lot like other John Carpenter films – interesting concepts, but the results are often hit or miss. The film itself deals with an insurance investigator named John Trent (Sam Neill, in an unexpectedly great performance), a man who defines rational, logical thought. A book publisher (a feisty Charlton Heston, who steals every scene he's in) sends Trent looking for a missing best-selling author – Sutter Caine, who's supposed to be a cross between H.P. Lovecraft and Stephen King. During his search for Sutter Caine, Trent finds himself encountering bizarre situations that literally come straight out of Sutter Caine's novels. . . and the situations get progressively worse and worse.

The film moves along at a decent pace, and manages to put together a number of shocking, disturbing scenes (and also makes the viewer wonder at times if the horror onscreen is `real' or just in Trent's head), but it never manages to sustain its intensity for any significant length of time. Some of the scenes which try to be horrifying wind up just being confusing, or stupid, or both. Carpenter also relies a lot on camera tricks (extreme close-ups, quick scene cuts, etc.) which are supposed to be disturbing – and instead, they're intrusive and annoying. Also, the special effects budget must've been awful, because the effects are a joke – check out Julie Carmen's dummy head! Clint Eastwood made a more realistic looking head in `Escape From Alcatraz'! Still, the good outweighs the bad, and I have to give John Carpenter credit for at least trying to create a chilling horror film, even if the results are somewhat spotty.

`In the Mouth of Madness' is decent, but not one of Carpenter's best. For a great example of a John Carpenter horror mind-trip, check out `The Thing' first. When you're finished with that, then watch `In the Mouth of Madness.' It's slightly stupid at times, but fun nonetheless. B-/C+

I don't want to spoil anything so i'll keep this short. It's about an insurance investigator (Sam Neill) who seeks out to find a famous horror writer after his books seems to have a very odd effect on his readers, only to actually find the village in his novels. Suddenly it seems like his books are coming true. Now I'll stop there and leave the rest for you to see. This movie is both a tribute to the genre (and maybe a slight parody) and literally an existentialism story(you know what I mean when you finish the movie). This movie is scary, horrifying, intelligent, well written, well acted, and also somehow a bit funny. (Warning, this is not for the light hearted, freakiest thing I've ever seen, but still made me laugh somehow)

I can only say in conclusion Watch it!

John carpenters In the mouth of madness we follow John Trent(Sam Neil) an insurance investigator who's hired by a Book publisher(Charlton Heston) to track down their client the renowned horror novelist Sutter Cane(Jurgen prochnow). Who's gone missing just before the publication of his new book in the mouth of madness.now the publishers want Trent to either bring back Cane or their investment the final manuscript of the novel. Trent soon finds himself succumb to a series of bizarre & surreal Visions. It's understandable why somebody can find this film good or find it bad. The movie is heavy based off Lovecraftian horror. If your not familiar with that It's a more obscure otherworldly style of horror, named after the writer The theme of the movie is more centered around the concept of madness,occultism and beyond human comprehension in someways it's not supposed to make sense entirely. Unfortunately it could be for that reason why many just as back then, can't find this film very exciting or interesting because it's not really spoonfed to you and can come off as just weird. Though carpenter still manages to add a sense of self aware of his own style. To the visual of the scenery to the Practical effects of the monsters very reminiscent of when he did the thing. It's kinda on the nose that Sutter Cain is supposed to be an analogy of Stephen King. It can be seen from the book covers, to the self referencing to even the story majority of the story takes place in a small town just south of Maine. The characters are written well for the situation cabin however it does feel like most I just went to service more background filler characters honestly the only two that are really all that interesting or Sam Neill and Juergen prochnow. As stated Charlton Heston's in the movie but he doesn't really have a big of a role, kind of disappointing to have someone like him in your movie but don't really use them.

An insurance investigator is tasked with finding an author of famous horror novels, but the mystery is not easily solved when the novels themselves seem to be infecting the world.

A horror film that borders more on the surreal. The film although a horror explores more the insecurities and distresses of man when faced with uncertainties and mystifying incidents. This film can be rather reality bending and can be placed alongside films from David Lynch.

The film features some great acting especially from Sam Neill, who does some of his best work in this film, a real standout that is memorable. The great Charlton Heston also features in a small role. In the Mouth of Madness features some great practical effects, in the same vein as Carpenter's The Thing, and visuals that effectively demonstrates the surreal and reoccurring situations.

In the Mouth of Madness has a unique plot that starts of quite strong with a mystery that keeps the viewer engaged, it might fall a bit in the middle, but as many Carpenter films do it ends strong.

Recommend this to those who seek to watch a unique horror film or to those who are looking for something a bit Lynchian.