In the Mouth of Madness (1994)

Director:

John Carpenter

Writer (WGA):

Michael De Luca (written by)

Release Date:

3 February 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

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:

Insurance Investigator | Horror Writer | Novel | New Hampshire | Church

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

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
Ben Gilbert	...	Young Teen
Dennis O'Connor	...	Cop
Paul Brogren	...	Scrawny Teen
Sharon Dyer	...	Homeless Lady
Sean Ryan	...	Bicycle Boy
Lance Paton	...	Little Boy
Jacelyn Holmes	...	Little Girl
Hayden Christensen	...	Paper Boy
Garry Robbins	...	Truck Driver
Sean Roberge	...	Desk Clerk
Robert Lewis Bush	...	Hotel Man
Louise Beaven	...	Old Lady
Cliff Woolner	...	Bus Driver
Deborah Theaker	...	Municipal Woman
Chuck Campbell	...	Customer
Carolyn Tweedle	...	Nurse
Thom Bell	...	Farmer
Mark Adriaans	...	Window Teen
Jack Moore-Wickham	...	Simon's Son (Johnny)
David Austerwell	...	Kid
Richard Kohler	...	Kid
Kieran Sells	...	Kid
Laura Schmidt	...	Kid
Kyle Sheehan	...	Kid
Daniel Verhoeven	...	Kid
Kevin Zegers	...	Kid
Katie Zegers	...	Kid
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jim Fyfe	...	Fan In Bookstore (uncredited)

Directed by
John Carpenter

Writing credits (WGA)
Michael De Luca		(written by)

Produced by
Michael De Luca	....	executive producer
Sandy King	....	producer
Artist W. Robinson	....	associate producer (as Artist Robinson)

Original Music by
John Carpenter
Jim Lang

Cinematography by
Gary B. Kibbe		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Edward A. Warschilka

Production Design by
Jeff Ginn		(as Jeff Steven Ginn)

Art Direction by
Peter Grundy

Set Decoration by
Elinor Rose Galbraith

Costume Design by
Robin Michel Bush

Makeup Department
Howard Berger	....	special makeup effects
James D. Brown	....	hair stylist
Robert Kurtzman	....	special makeup effects
Donald Mowat	....	makeup artist (as Donald J. Mowat)
Gregory Nicotero	....	special makeup effects
Sean Sansom	....	special makeup effects artist
David P. Barton	....	dental prosthetics (uncredited)
Rob Hinderstein	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Colin Penman	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Adrianna A.J. Cohen	....	executive in charge of production
John Danylkiw	....	unit production manager
Ric Keeley	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Adam Druxman	....	second assistant director
Olly Jansen	....	trainee assistant director
Glenn MacIntosh	....	trainee assistant director
Artist W. Robinson	....	first assistant director (as Artist Robinson)
Stuart Williams	....	second second assistant director

Art Department
Gordon Barnes	....	first assistant art director
Stephen Myles Berger	....	draftsman (as Stephen M. Berger)
Robert Bonney	....	assistant carpenter
Carlos Caneca	....	set dresser
Karen M. Clark	....	second assistant art director
Peter Dwyer	....	carpenter
Danielle Fleury	....	assistant set decorator
Graeme Gossage	....	assistant props (as Graeme B. Gossage)
Joe Griffith	....	illustrator (as Joseph F. Griffith Jr.)
Ron Hewitt	....	assistant props
Henry Ilola	....	head carpenter
Scott Morrison	....	art department assistant
Ian Nelmes	....	head scenic artist
Peter P. Nicolakakos	....	lead set dresser
William F. O'Brien	....	draftsman
Roberto C. Ramacciotti	....	scenic painter
Vic Rigler	....	property master
Clive Thomasson	....	lead man
Donald Vandewater	....	construction coordinator

Sound Department
Ron Bartlett	....	sound effects mixer
Denis Bellingham	....	boom operator
Damon Cohoon	....	assistant sound editor (as Damon D. Cohoon)
Jeff Courtie	....	foley mixer
John Dunn	....	supervising sound editor
Stephanie Flack	....	dialogue editor
Donald Flick	....	sound editor
Galen Goodpaster	....	first assistant sound editor
Robin Harlan	....	foley artist (as Robin Harlin)
Larry Hoki	....	sound recordist
Sarah Jacobs	....	foley artist
Owen Langevin	....	sound mixer (as Owen A. Langevin)
Matthew C. May	....	sound editor
Harry B. Miller III	....	supervising adr editor
Rick Mitchell	....	foley editor
Howard Neiman	....	dialogue editor (as Howard S.M. Neiman)
Andrew Patterson	....	adr editor
Jeffrey Perkins	....	supervising re-recording mixer
Ken S. Polk	....	sound re-recording mixer
John Pospisil	....	sound designer
Robert Thirlwell	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Brent Armstrong	....	crew: KNB
Karrie Aubuchon	....	crew: KNB
John Bisson	....	crew: KNB
Evan Campbell	....	crew: KNB
Tony Chappell	....	special effects puppeteer
Kathy Clark	....	crew: KNB
Gino Crognale	....	crew: KNB
Mark DeLuca	....	special effects puppeteer
Jeff Edwards	....	special effects mechanic (as Jeffrey Edwards)
George Engel	....	crew: KNB
Mark Goldberg	....	special effects mechanic
Erin Haggerty	....	special effects coordinator
Mecki Heussen	....	special effects mechanic
Bill Hunt	....	crew: KNB
Katy Limmer	....	special effects puppeteer
Martin Malivoire	....	special effects
Susan Mallon	....	special effects coordinator
Claire Manion	....	crew: KNB
Heather McKee	....	crew: KNB
Kevin McTurk	....	crew: KNB
Douglas Noe	....	crew: KNB (as Doug Noe)
Jeremy Padow	....	crew: KNB
Thomas Quinn	....	special effects mechanic
Brian Rae	....	crew: KNB
Ted Ross	....	special effects
Donna R. Schultz	....	crew: KNB (as Donna Salmon)
Shannon Shea	....	crew: KNB
David Smith	....	crew: KNB
Stacy Smith	....	special effects puppeteer
Heidi Snyder	....	crew: KNB
Jackie Sowards	....	crew: KNB
Dean Stewart	....	special effects technician
Mark Tavares	....	crew: KNB
Mike Trcic	....	crew: KNB
Aaron Woods	....	special effects puppeteer

Visual Effects by
Randall K. Bean	....	film scanning operator
Patricia Blau	....	executive ICO producer
Kim Bromley	....	visual effects producer
Ronn Brown	....	CG production assistant
Sean M. Casey	....	visual effects still photographer
Rob Coleman	....	computer graphics animator
Giovanni Donovan	....	chief model maker
Lisa Drostova	....	digital paint artist
Carl N. Frederick	....	computer graphics supervisor
John Gazdik	....	motion control camera assistant
Ray Gilberti	....	motion control camera operator
Michael J. Halsted	....	visual effects production assistant
Rebecca Heskes	....	rotoscope artist
Robert Hill	....	motion control camera assistant
Mark Holmes	....	digital compositor
Brad Jerrell	....	visual effects electrician
Bill Kimberlin	....	visual effects editor
Jennifer Lee	....	optical line up: ILM
James Lim	....	optical camera operator
Euan K. MacDonald	....	computer graphics animator
Jack Mongovan	....	rotoscope artist
Mark Moore	....	visual effects art director
Patrick Neary	....	technical assistant
Bruce Nicholson	....	visual effects supervisor
Lorne Peterson	....	cloud model maker
Joshua Pines	....	film scanner supervisor
Mary Serafini	....	editor: CMX
Kenneth Smith	....	optical supervisor
David Tanaka	....	assistant editor: CMX
Lisa Vaughn	....	optical scanning coordinator
Wade Howie	....	effects animation supervisor (uncredited)

Stunts
Lloyd Adams	....	stunts
Randy Butcher	....	stunts
Phil Chiu	....	stunts
Shelley Cook	....	stunts
Rick Forsayeth	....	stunts
Shane Harvey	....	stunts
Jeff Imada	....	stunt coordinator
Jeff Imada	....	stunts
Danny Lima	....	stunts
Risa Litwin	....	stunts
Steve Lucescu	....	stunts
Dwayne McLean	....	stunts
Larry A. McLean	....	stunts
Rick Parker	....	stunts
Ken Quinn	....	stunts
Buck Randel	....	stunts
Alison Reid	....	stunts
Bryan Renfro	....	stunts
Paul Rutledge	....	stunts
Helen Scott	....	stunts
John Stead	....	stunts
John Stoneham Jr.	....	stunts
Robert Thomas	....	stunts
Tye Tyukodi	....	stunts (as Anton Tyukodi)
R. Ruddell Weatherwax	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Kevin Alanthwaite	....	co-gaffer
Rob Conde	....	electrician
Carolyn Cox	....	camera trainee
Cesare DiGiulio	....	rigging grip
Kevan Dutchak	....	second assistant camera
Tim Evans	....	gaffer
Dave Ferguson	....	best boy grip
Michael Galbraith	....	electrician
Michael Hall	....	first assistant camera
Bob Hannah	....	rigging gaffer
Shane Harvey	....	still photographer
Delroy P. Jarrett	....	electrician (as Delroy Jarrett)
Jud Kehl	....	camera operator
Mike Kirilenko	....	dolly grip
John Scott MacDonald	....	rigging grip
Robert MacDonald	....	first assistant camera
Mark Manchester	....	key grip
Brian Montague	....	best boy electric
Richard Scaini	....	camera trainee
Ken Wyke	....	electrician (as Kenneth Wyke)
Ron Yolevsky	....	grip

Casting Department
Ross Clydesdale	....	casting: Canada
Scott Mansfield	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Derek J. Baskerville	....	set costumer: men
Robert Lewis Bush	....	costume supervisor: men (as Robert Bush)
Cody Carpenter	....	wardrobe production assistant
Daniel Davies	....	wardrobe production assistant
Morganne Newson	....	additional costumer (as Ann Tree Newson)
Delphine White	....	set costumer: women

Editorial Department
Joe Fineman	....	executive in charge of post-production
Gary Fluxgold	....	second assistant editor
Sharon McGeeney	....	negative cutter
Paul O'Driscoll	....	color timer
Richard Sellmer	....	second assistant editor
Paul C. Warschilka	....	assistant editor

Transportation Department
Mike Doyle	....	driver (as Michael Doyle)
W. Doyle	....	driver
Frank Eldridge	....	driver
Lorne Frederick	....	driver
Jazz Helie	....	driver (as Jazz G. Helie)
Neil Montgomerie	....	transportation coordinator
John Muir	....	driver
Jeff Peebles	....	driver
Gerry Savoy	....	head driver (as G. Savoy)
Dave Staples	....	driver
Frank Tenaglia	....	transportation captain
Truman van Duzen	....	driver: honeywagon

Other crew
John 'Frenchie' Berger	....	armorer
Benu Bhandari	....	script supervisor
Lesley Boylen	....	production assistant
Shelley A. Boylen	....	co-production coordinator (as Shelley Boylen-Wakefield)
Brian Campbell	....	location manager
Casie Marie Carleton	....	production secretary
Vikki Dodds	....	assistant production accountant
Lori Keith Douglas	....	coordinator: New Line Cinema
Paul T. Gordon	....	stand-in (as Paul Gordon)
Lisa Greco	....	first aid
Siobhan Hegarty	....	production secretary
Tony Hoffman	....	product placement
Greg Holmgren	....	location production assistant
Tish Johnson	....	assistant accountant: Toronto
Randy Kennedy	....	location scout
Teresa Lovegrave	....	stand-in
Ernie Malik	....	unit publicist
Cheryl Miller	....	production coordinator
Mary Nichol	....	craft service
Kwame Parker	....	production assistant
Rachel E. Prentiss	....	production accountant
Paul Prokop	....	production coordinator
Phillip L. Rosen	....	production attorney
Tanya Shuster	....	craft service
Sonya Thompsen	....	contract supervisor
Tye Tyukodi	....	dog trainer
R. Ruddell Weatherwax	....	dog trainer
Derek Brady	....	location scout (uncredited)
Karin Costa	....	assistant to director (uncredited)
Francois Frey	....	press attache (uncredited)
Sean Sobczak	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• New Line Cinema

Distributors

• New Line Cinema (1995) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metropolitan Filmexport (1995) (France) (theatrical)
• Laurenfilm (1995) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Prooptiki (1995) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Roadshow Entertainment (1995) (Australia) (theatrical)
• ci Vertriebsgemeinschaft (1995) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Gativideo (2003) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (1997) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1999) (Finland) (TV)
• New Line Home Video (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• New Line Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Prooptiki Video (1995) (Greece) (VHS)
• Roadshow Entertainment Video (Australia) (VHS)
• SPO (Japan) (VHS)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (1995) (Argentina) (VHS)
• VMP (1995) (Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1995) (Finland) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)
• K.N.B. Effects Group
• Martin Malivoire Pictures

Other Companies

• Alvin Animal Rentals  dogs provided by
• Back Seat Casting Associates  casting
• DDA Public Relations (DDA)  publicity
• DRG Records  soundtrack
• David J. Woods Productions  video playback services
• Film Capers  catering
• International Recording  sound re-recording
• Joan Pearce Research Associates  legal research
• Knobworld  music recorded at
• Media Services Payments Plus  payroll services
• Panavision  location equipment
• Percenterprises Motion Picture Guarantors  completion bond
• RHH/Albert G. Ruben Insurance Services  insurance services
• S.G. Ferrier Lighting Services  generator operator
• Starcraft Services  craft service
• Suzy Vaughan & Associates  legal clearances
• Title House  titles
• Weddington Productions  sound effects

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:

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

Filming Locations:

R. C. Harris Water Treatment Plant, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

In the film, the works of Sutter Cane are occasionally quoted. Most if not all of these quotes are actually taken directly from several H.P. Lovecraft short stories with some adaptations to fit them into the film story. Most notably, in the scene where Styles reads to Trent as he gazes into the abyss--her speech lifts much of its description, including such elements as "the illimitable gulf of the unknown" from the last few paragraphs of Lovecraft's "The Rats in the Walls." In an earlier scene as well, Trent reads a line verbatim from Lovecraft's "The Haunter of the Dark," in reference to the black church being "the seat of an evil older than mankind and wider than the known universe."

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:Every species can smell its own extinction. The last ones left won't have a pretty time with it. In ten years, maybe less, the human race will just be a bedtime story for their children. A myth, nothing more.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Scream: The Inside Story (2011) (TV)

Soundtrack:

WE'VE ONLY JUST BEGUN

John Carpenter delivers again.

"In The Mouth of Madness" is one of John Carpenter's better flicks. It features the usually bland Sam Neill in a surprisingly good and likable performance, and is packed with oodles of intriguing concepts and spiffy details. The music is good (it was cowritten by Carpenter) and the movie has a great look. There are also lots and lots of ginchy make-up effects, and while some are better than others (the kid who turns into an old man looks like a kid wearing a Spencer's Gifts Old Man mask and fright wig), but the sheer abundance of them make this unique.

Neill plays John Trent, a no-nonsense insurance investigator who loves his job and has disdain for most of humanity- but with a sense of humor. He's sent to find a missing mega-selling author Sutter Caine (Jurgen Prochnow, in a role that would have been kick-ass if played by Stephen King), whose books are a nation-wide craze. Trent ends up in Hobb's End, a town right out of Caine's books (literally) where the morbid tales of fiction are becoming reality.

The movie, although muddled in places, too repetitive (on purpose), and too reliant on flash forwards, has lots of things to say about the perception of reality and it interesting and entertaining.

The supporting cast is good: John Glover and David Warner are psychiatrists, a subdued Charleton Heston is a publisher, and Bernie "Revenge of the Nerds" Casey is Trent's boss, but the highlight is Frances Bay as the sweet Mrs. Pickman. She provides the film's high points and ends up looking like something from the director's "The Thing". The weak link in the cast is the leading lady, Julie Carmen, who delivers every line like she just chugged a case of Nyquil. In addition to her lousy acting, she's dressed in ugly outfits and has a kind of "in-your-face" ugliness. In one scene there is a special effects dummy head in place of Carmen's and the dummy head out-acts her.

This is not as great as "The Thing" but better than "They Live" as far as John Carpenter's paranoid, reality-bending flicks go, and is worth checking out.