Plot
An insurance investigator begins discovering that the impact a horror writer's books have on his fans is more than inspirational.
Release Year: 1994
Rating: 7.0/10 (21,608 voted)
Director:
John Carpenter
Stars: Sam Neill, Jürgen Prochnow, Julie Carmen
Storyline With the disappearance of hack horror writer Sutter Cane, all Hell is breaking loose...literally! Author Cane, it seems, has a knack for description that really brings his evil creepy-crawlies to life. Insurance investigator John Trent is sent to investigate Cane's mysterious vanishing act and ends up in the sleepy little East Coast town of Hobb's End. The fact that this town exists as a figment of Cane's twisted imagination is only the beginning of Trent's problems....
Cast: Sam Neill
-
John Trent
Julie Carmen
-
Linda Styles
Jürgen Prochnow
-
Sutter Cane
(as Jurgen Prochnow)
David Warner
-
Dr. Wrenn
John Glover
-
Saperstein
Bernie Casey
-
Robinson
Peter Jason
-
Mr. Paul
Charlton Heston
-
Jackson Harglow
Frances Bay
-
Mrs. Pickman
Wilhelm von Homburg
-
Simon
Kevin Rushton
-
Guard #1
Gene Mack
-
Guard #2
Conrad Bergschneider
-
Axe Maniac
Marvin Scott
-
Reporter
Katherine Ashby
-
Receptionist
Trivia:
At the end of the film, when Sam Neill approaches the movie theater showing the meta-film, the following credits can be seen (though some names are slightly blurred) on the movie poster outside the theater: "New Line Cinema Presents a John Carpenter Film 'In the Mouth of Madness' Starring John Trent, Linda Styles, Jackson Harglow, Written by Michael De Luca, Associate Producer Artist Robinson, Director of Photography Gary B. Kibbe, Production Designer Jeff Steven Ginn, Produced by Sandy King, Director John Carpenter." Except for the three lead character names, all the other credits are for the real film's actual crew.
Goofs:
Continuity:
When Linda Stiles is introduced for the first time and is speaking about Sutter Cain's book, she takes her glasses off and folds them twice.
Quotes: John Trent:
Your books SUCK!
User Review
An underrated jewel
Rating: 8/10
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
0