In the Mouth of Madness (1995)

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

Director:

John Carpenter

Writer:

Michael De Luca

Stars:

Sam Neill, Jürgen Prochnow, Julie Carmen

1 win & 4 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

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.

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Plot Keywords:

fantasy becomes reality | h.p. lovecraft | madness | parallel dimension | ghost town | 

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Taglines:

Lived Any Good Books Lately?

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for images of horror, and for language

Did You Know?

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."

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Goofs

The bar code for the book being printed out in the open ending sequence is "1234567890"

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Quotes

John Trent: This shit really sells doesn't it?
Linda Styles: More than you'd think. Surprised?
John Trent: Lady, nothing surprises me anymore. We fucked up the air, the water, we fucked up each other. Why don't we just finish the job by flushing our brains down the toilet?

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Crazy Credits

The closing credits exclude all the main characters and begin with Frances Bay

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Alternate Versions

The original theatrical release had the 1987-1994 New Line Cinema logo at the opening. The 2013 Blu-ray from Warner Bros. plasters it with the modern New Line logo. But the 2018 Blu-ray release from Shout! Factory restores the original logo.

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Connections

Referenced in Scream: The Inside Story (2011)

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Soundtracks

WE'VE ONLY JUST BEGUN
Written by Roger Nichols and Paul Williams
Performed by The Carpenters
Published by Irving Music, Inc. (BMI)

User Reviews

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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 February 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness

Filming Locations:

Cathedral of the Transfiguration, Markham, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,441,807, 5 February 1995

Gross USA:

$8,924,549

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$8,924,549

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1