In the Mouth of Madness
In the Mouth of Madness
R | 03 February 1995 (USA)
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An insurance investigator begins discovering that the impact a horror writer's books have on his fans is more than inspirational.

Reviews
Perry Kate

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

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Vashirdfel

Simply A Masterpiece

SpunkySelfTwitter

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

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Portia Hilton

Blistering performances.

rzajac

Carpenter really does cut an interesting figure wrt to the tone he explores in his work. I've enjoyed some of his work, like "The Thing" and "They Live". They're cozy blends of high-concept, decent writing, clever pacing, and fine production."Mouth" is another thing. To my tastes, it sorta regresses to what I guess they call "gothic horror"; general creepiness, incessantly stinging, monsters, slime... just the interminable presentation of the vile and impending-ly violent.Well... that's not my cup of tea. I never found that kind of stuff compelling. Carpenter obviously exerts himself mightily to make it so--and that's impressive. So I don't fault the flick by as many stars as I might have.If you go for this stuff, it may be a cut above the usual "horror" fare out there.Whatever the case may be, I hope the foregoing clues you in on the kind of flick "Mouth" is.

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LovecraftLass

I can't believe that it took me so long to watch this movie. It has practically everything I love in it: Lovecraft, Stephen King, and a ton of references to look for and spot and conjecture about. In short, I'm very disappointed in myself for not watching it sooner. In my defense, I had no idea it was even about a book, so, there ya go.I loved the plot to it. It was creepy and took many unexpected twists and turns. Reality itself gets distorted in interesting ways that did not come across as cheatery and contrived. It also raises some interesting questions about readers and the free will of the characters in fiction.Sorry, a small digression here. Just pretend for a moment that it's true (c'mon, you can do it, you guys read horror and sci-fi. I know you have imaginations). That a fictional character is aware of what is happening to him or her. They realize this but can't do anything about it. They are forced to live through whatever unimaginable horror the author can think of to inflict upon them. I can't imagine anything more horrifying. I'm not really talking about meta-horror, exactly, because to me it's a different kind of awareness.Anyways, you didn't read this to get my half-assed attempt at midnight psychology. You want to hear about the movie. It starts out with a bang and the pace keeps up until the last fifteen minutes or so. It does start to slow down a bit near the end but it's a necessary slowness so it's acceptable. The plot stays on point throughout without any digressions that don't add to the movie.The effects are top-notch and some really managed to give me the creeps. Some of the creepier ones are also the most simple. Maybe not simple to pull off but in the plot they're somewhat minor happenings but add to the general atmosphere and general creepiness. The bridge into Hobb's End. The changing picture. Simple, but very effective. And the creature effects? Excellent.Sam Neill is very believable as the cocky insurance investigator, totally convinced he is the master of his own, cynical view of the world. Julie Carmen is very able in her role, if a little lat at times but since I've never seen her in anything else I'm not really sure if that was an acting choice or her typical acting ability. Jürgen Prochnow is perfect as the "author" of the end of the world. Oddly enough, this is not the first time Jürgen has brought about the Apocalypse. The first time was in a movie called 'The Seventh Sign" (which I'll be reviewing soon). He's perfect as the elusive Sutter Cane. Even the secondary characters are played well.And of course, all the references. I'd love to point out as many as I noticed (and I'm pretty sure there's more I didn't) but since some are plot points I don't want to spoil anything for you. I don't like to assume that just because a movie is older then it's ok to tell the whole story. Suffice it to say that there are many and Lovecraft and King fans alike will have many happy egg hunts.There is only one part that I don't get and it bugs me: SLIGHT SPOILER AHEAD BUT A MINOR ONE - How on Earth did he figure out that the book covers make a map? Was it wiping the ink under his eyes? I have no idea.

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BA_Harrison

When bestselling horror novelist Sutter Cane (Jürgen Prochnow) disappears before the completion of his latest book, insurance investigator John Trent (Sam Neill) is called in to try and locate the missing writer. Trent's search leads him to the sleepy town of Hobb's End, the originally-presumed-fictional setting for Cane's last book, home to some really weird characters and potential portal for the 'old ones', who become more powerful with each new convert to Cane's work.I have to admit that the mind-bending 'what is reality?' narrative of In The Mouth Of Madness had me scratching my head at times, but I still enjoyed the overall experience, partly thanks to the excellent central performance from Neill, a good supporting cast that includes John Glover, David Warner and Charlton Heston, and director John Carpenter's lively direction, but largely because the film is just so damn FREAKY.Carpenter doesn't bother explaining all of the weirdness… he simply lets it wash over the viewer like a bad dream, the disturbing visuals and unsettling atmosphere slowly worming their way under the viewer's skin. A kid riding a bicycle on a lonely road turns into a creepy old man, the figures in a painting slowly change position, and an old woman keeps her naked husband shackled by his ankle. There are slimy Lovecraftian creatures with thrashing tendrils, axe wielding maniacs, and an ugly cop who beats the hell out of a kid for doing graffiti. None of this makes much sense, and the ending does nothing to make matters clearer. But it sure is freaky!

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tylergerard

I saw this movie 3 times with my friends at the old Manors in Newcastle and of course we loved it, this movie just shows how Mr Carpenter never lost his natural aptitude and talent since he threw the classic anthology Body Bags at us a year earlier. I think I came across writing this review by listening to the soundtrack and inspired by the opening theme for the film. Sam Neill is superb and Julie Carmen still has that look in her eye and gives off the scent since the great 80s sequel Fright Night. The scene of the guy on the bike with the long white hair was creepy and wouldn't fancy passing him during the day let alone at night, there are a few memorable moments and maybe stay with you but not hauntingly. This is a creepy atmospheric,dream-like horror story which rolls into the satisfying horror of the mid 90's. And by the way " This is not the ending. You haven't read it yet"

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