In the Mouth of Madness (1994)

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

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)

Gross USA:

$8,946,600

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Sutter Cane character is clearly based on John Carpenter's friend Stephen King, even referencing King's New England roots, with Hobb's End filling in for King's Castle Rock. Carpenter directed a film version of King's Christine (1983). Additionally Michael De Luca had previously written the screenplay for the King adaptation The Lawnmower Man (1987). However, the characters say that Sutter Cane is even more popular than Stephen King.

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Goofs

(at around 1h 11 mins) When Sutter Cane peels himself away to reveal the abyss, although most of his upper half is no longer "in reality" his shadow on the wall behind him remains perfectly intact.

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Quotes

Linda Styles: Why don't you try reading his stuff? See if you can get it.
John Trent: Got any on tape?

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Crazy Credits

Animal action was monitored by the American Humane Association with on set supervision by the Toronto Humane Society. No animal was harmed in the making of this film.

Human interaction was monitored by the Inter Planetary Psychiatric Association. The body count was high, the casualties are heavy.

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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

Featured in Atop the Fourth Wall: Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines (2015)

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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

One of Carpenters best.

This film is by far one of the best horror movies I've watched in a couple of months, and I watched a lot. This film succeeds in suspense and thrills, I actually jumped a couple of times. The plot was really good, there was an in-pending sense of doom.

The film moved along fast, and I wished it was a little longer, I didn't want it to end. Sam Neil is the most notable character, and I enjoy most of his work. The rest of the cast didn't have much to do. I loved the inclusion of monsters, even if they had a small part.

I think this film is severely underrated, and deserves a bigger fan base. Check this film out, it's worth your time and money.