In the Mouth of Madness (1994)

Director:

John Carpenter

Writer (WGA):

Michael De Luca (written by)

Release Date:

3 February 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Horror | Thriller | Mystery

Tagline:

Lived Any Good Books Lately?

Plot:

An insurance investigator begins discovering that the impact a horror writer's books have on his fans is more than inspirational.

Plot Keywords:

Novel | Horror Writer | Publisher | Church | Book

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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

Also Known As:

John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated R for images of horror, and for language.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR | DTS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:R-18 | Germany:18 (DVD release) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Manitoba) | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | USA:R (certificate #32596) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Australia:MA (DVD rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Norway:18 (video premiere) | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:PG | Spain:18 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

King City, Ontario, Canada

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

The silly monster movie that Trent sees on the television was a real movie. The scene was from Phil Tucker's Robot Monster (1953).

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:

Saperstein: [to Dr. Wrenn] Things must be getting pretty bad out there to bring you fellas in.

Movie Connections:

References Rosemary's Baby (1968)

Soundtrack:

WE'VE ONLY JUST BEGUN

2/3 brilliant, final third not so brilliant

It's hard to go deeply into the story of In the Mouth of Madness without spoiling it. It's best to know absolutely nothing at all. That was my experience with this film and I was completely blown away. The story is very original and inventive and also has a good critique about the influences of the horror franchise.

The first 2/3 of the film are masterful, the old John Carpenter seems to have returned at full force. Effortlessly creating a creepy atmosphere, astounding visuals, some gross-out horror combined with a Chandleresque detective mystery, In the Mouth of Madness seems to be competing for the title of Carpenter's best ever film. But the final third is a letdown, the conclusion not satisfactory and the terribly slow pacing kills the momentum so memorably established before.

Still, overall this is one effective horror film made by a master filmmaker. Although it misses the bull's eye, it ranks as the best of Carpenter's later works. He has a good cast to work with here; Sam Neill is terrific in the lead, Jurgen Prochnow is creepy and it's fun to see Charlton Heston in a small role.

For horror fans and Carpenter disciples this film is a must see.