In The Mouth Of Madness (1994)
-
47% of critics liked it
(32 reviews) -
71% of users liked it
(23,271 ratings)
Hired to help locate a missing author, an insurance investigator discovers to his terror that the nightmarish events depicted in the writer's best-selling horror novels are coming true. Wishing to be both a horror film and a parody of the genre, John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness… More Hired to help locate a missing author, an insurance investigator discovers to his terror that the nightmarish events depicted in the writer's best-selling horror novels are coming true. Wishing to be both a horror film and a parody of the genre, John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness combines supernatural thrills with winking references. For instance, the vanished author, Sutter Cane (Jürgen Prochnow), is modeled on writers like Stephen King and Howard Phillips Lovecraft, from his great popularity to his obsession with small-town New England. Indeed, it is to one such hamlet that investigator John Trent (Sam Neill) and Cane's female editor (Julie Carmen) travel, discovering a town filled with terrifying scenes right out of Cane's books, from random axe murders to far worse. Have Cane's fans gone psychotic and begun imitating his writings, or are Cane's stories of an otherworldly evil invading the earth actually true? In the Mouth of Madness's mix of self-referential satire and real frights anticipates the later Scream (1996). ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- Directed By
- John Carpenter
- Genres
- Horror
- In Theaters
- Feb 3, 1995 Wide
- Studio
- New Line Home Entertainment
Critic Reviews
-
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
A thinking person's horror picture that dares to be as cerebral as it is visceral.
-
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
One wonders how In the Mouth of Madness might have turned out if the script had contained even a little more wit and ambition.
-
John Hartl, Film.com
A stylized collection of well-timed shockers, helped along by the contributions of its capable cast.
-
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
Confusing, weird, and not very involving.
-
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
Hardly terrifying, but where Carpenter fails in that device he makes up for in ambitious leaps of mind-boggling and odd entertainment.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Also available on
UltraViolet Retailers
Other Retailers
Subscription Services
Cast
-
Sam Neill
as John Trent
-
Julie Carmen
as Linda Styles
-
Jürgen Prochnow
as Sutter Cane
-
Charlton Heston
as Jackson Harglow
-
David Warner
as Dr. Wrenn
-
John Glover
as Saperstein
-
Frances Bay
as Mrs. Pickman
-
Tom Bell
as Farmer
-
Conrad Bergschneider
as Axe Maniac
-
Bernie Casey
as Robinson
-
Peter Jason
as Paul
-
Gene Mack
as Guard #2
-
Sean Roberge
as Desk Clerk
-
Deborah Theaker
as Municipal Woman
-
Wilhelm von Homburg
as Simon
-
Dennis O'Connor
as Cop
-
Ben Gilbert
as Young Teen
-
Sharon Dyer
as Homeless Lady
-
Garry Robbins
as Truck Driver
-
Marvin Scott
as Reporter
-
Carolyn Tweedle
as Nurse
-
Kevin Zegers
as Kid
-
Hayden Christensen
as Paper Boy

