In the Mouth of Madness

This review contains some slight spoilers. Many people say that John Carpenter does either GREAT or VERY BAD films. I think his only two duds were Escape from LA and Village of the Damned. But he is one of my two fave directors (David Lynch is the other) and this is one of his best movies. It may seem confusing at first but trust me…it does make sense. The premise of this film fascinates me. What happens when the line between fantasy and reality disappears and creatures from fiction can exist in the real world? Wow! This makes the basis of a totally cool movie. John Carpenter always used 2.35:1 photography and in this film we get a screen filled with creepy imagery and cool locations. The film was shot entirely in Canada in 1993 and was released in 1995. It is set basically in the city and in the fictional town of Hobbs End. When I say that Hobbs End is fictional I really mean it. In the film the town does not exist but Sam Neill ends up there. Some dark magick/logic at work methinks. This is definitely a horror film for the thinking audience. If you like your horror deep, intriguing and downbeat without being depressing…you'll LOVE this one.

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!

source: In the Mouth of Madness

In The Mouth of Madness is a very entertaining film with a strong lead performance from the great Sam Neil. The production design is very good, the storyline is interesting and it keeps me invested throughout. The Stephen King analogies in this one make it more fun to if you consider the character to be a representation of him and other famous horror authors. Overall this movie is a good time and gets a 7 out of 10!

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.

I absolutely loved this film. Let me tell you why. I loved this film becuase it's pretty scary. I'm a horror fan and a movie that scares me is something I look forward to. This movie is strange which makes it very creepy. I loved how the music makes you jump at certain parts of the film. John Carpenter is great at composing music for this reason. I loved where the movie was filmed. It's film in a small deserted town and that makes every all the more creepy. Sam Neille does a great job of struggling about whether he is in the real world or a made up character by Sutter Kane. For those of you who have not seen it, one of the creepiest scenes, I think, was during the road scene. You have to watch it so you know what I mean. If you want a good scare, watch this movie and make sure the lights are off. Also a good date movie becuase the girl might sit closer to you and grab you. Great John Carpenter movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, the concept of this film is what made it truly awesome. The questions "What is fiction?", "What is reality?", "Does life imitate art or does art imitate life?". These questions make this film truly terrifying. When even the characters in this film don't know what is reality and what isn't reality, the viewer has twice the amount of struggle. Great acting by Sam Neill and an effectively creepy storyline draw the viewer further into the depths of this film. Most of us know that John Carpenter is an outstanding director and he doesn't let us down on this one in that department, but some of the music soundtrack (the beginning and end credits) is a cheesy rock/heavy metal sound when Carpenter has been composing wonderfully simplistic and eerie soundtracks in the past (ala 'Halloween' & 'Prince of Darkness'). But the soundtrack is my only gripe about this film, so get up off your computer, rent this flick, and prepare for a dose of cinematic madness.

Idk what to say. This movie is amazing. One of my very favorites. Why did I give a genre flick a 10? Because it's smart and beautiful and I seriously can't think of anything wrong with it. It gets compared to Event Horizon, another genre classic. But Event Horizon has editing issues that mar it. The editing here is immaculate. If you like smart horror this is a definite must watch. Okay I'm done gushing.

I'm a casual fan of John Carpenter ("The Thing (1982)", "Halloween (1978)"); I've seen his bigger films, and some of his smaller ones, and for the most part, they vibe with me. "The Thing" is absolutely fantastic, and while I think "Halloween" is a bit overrated, it's still decent. This film, "In the Mouth of Madness" is nowhere near as good as either of those films previously, but I, personally, think it's about on par with "Escape from New York" and "Big Trouble in Little China", and it's better than "They Live" and "Vampires" (and that's the extent of my Carpenter knowledge). While, quality-wise, I wouldn't say this isn't one of Carpenter's best, I actually thought the ideas in this movie were better than some of his other films. This movie feels part Lovecraft (particularly The Dunwich Horror), part Stephen King (anything that happens in the town of Derry), and part acid-trip gone wrong (ald. It's a movie that feels like you've wandered into an inescapable nightmare.

Wow, what a fun ride! This movie was like "Prince of Darkness" meets "Videodrome" with a little bit of "The Thing". It also reminded me of "Event Horizon" because of Sam Neill's face with crosses written all over it. Another great one from John Carpenter.