En la boca del terror

The stories of H.P. Lovecraft can be summarized in a simple equation: Mankind + Ancient, Inescapable Horrors = Utter Doom. With IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS, Director John Carpenter uses the dread-filled atmospherics of Lovecraft, in order to pay homage to the writer.

Insurance fraud investigator, John Trent (Sam Neill) is sent to discover what happened to a pulp horror writer named Sutter Cane (Jurgen Prochnow), who seems to have vanished without a trace. Trent, a normal, rational man, soon finds himself entangled in a web of incredible, unexplainable occurrences upon finding the mysterious town of Hobb's End. Here, his skeptical / logical mind is tested beyond its limit.

Like Lovecraft, Carpenter gives us small glimpses of immense things that defy description. Reality bends in on itself, until we, along with Trent, can no longer discern fact from fiction. From the ax-wielding, mutant maniacs, to the unspeakable black church, Hobb's End is a place existing only in nightmare. A very satisfying, apocalyptic horror film...

Insurance investigator John Trent (Sam Neill) is hired by a publisher to find missing horror novelist Sutter Cane (Jurgen Prochnow) before his new novel is released. Following clues hidden in the covers of Cane's books, Trent and editor Linda Styles (Julie Carmen) drive to a small town in New England. There they discover that Cane has unleashed a powerful evil on the world and it may be too late to stop it.

Considered by many to be John Carpenter's last great movie. I'm hard-pressed to disagree with that. I think it's the last one that really feels like a Carpenter film. Fans of his will probably know what I mean. Here he crafts a number of creepy images and scary moments that are very effective. If you are a fan of his previous horror films, I think you will like this one. Sam Neill starts out a little rough but he gets better as the film progresses. His American accent is strained at times but it's never too distracting. Jurgen Prochnow is perfectly cast and brings a presence to the role of Sutter Cane that the movie depends upon. Julie Carmen is the weak link in the cast. Neither the way her part is written nor how she acts it is impressive. She has a colorless personality and I just couldn't care what happened to her. It reminds me somewhat of some of the odd performances in Prince of Darkness, which was also part of Carpenter's so-called Apocalypse Trilogy, along with this movie and The Thing. It's an entertaining movie, particularly for Carpenter fans. Not perfect and far from his best but very good nonetheless.

I knew about this movie, and knew it was a movie heavily influenced by Lovecraft, but oddly enough I have never gotten around to watching it before now in 2023. Which is rather odd, given my fascination with Lovecraftian writing, horror movies and John Carpenter movies.

And boy, have I been missing out on a rather interesting and entertaining movie experience here. Writer Michael De Luca put together a very enjoyable and entertaining script, where the audience follows John Trent's (played by Sam Neill) descent into madness. And it is done in a very good way, where we as the audience feel like we are right there alongside him. And wow, this was indeed a very Lovecraftian themed movie.

There were lots of nice little details that were tributes and nods towards H. P. Lovecraft and his work throughout the movie, which was something I found very interesting and a nice touch for director John Carpenter to have in the movie.

The acting performances in "In the Mouth of Madness" were good, and Sam Neill really carried the movie quite well with his performance. But there are other familiar performers on the cast list as well, with the likes of Jürgen Prochnow, David Warner, John Glover, Bernie Casey, Peter Jason, Frances Bay, Wilhelm von Homburg and even Charlton Heston. So you are in capable hands here.

Visually then I found "In the Mouth of Madness" to be rather impressive. The movie starts out subtle and then John Carpenter gradually piles on the effects and reveals more and more of the monstrosities and otherworldly things that start to manifest and take form.

It was really a great mistake on my account that I never got around to watching "In the Mouth of Madness" before now in 2023. If you enjoy Lovecraftian-themed movies, then this is definitely a movie you don't want to miss out on.

My rating of "In the Mouth of Madness" lands on an eight out of ten stars.

I found this film terrifying. Sure there is no man in a stripy jumper coming to 'stab you up' and no one is tied to a chair and worked on with an angle grinder.

This film makes excellent use of those iconic every day objects that become scary in the correct context. (E.G Clowns, mannequins, Victorian prams or a child's ball bouncing down a stair case.) People who have seen this will know what I mean when I say the word bicycle.

Rather than physical peril this film uses assaults on your grasp of reality. mine obviously isn't that great as I find this movie petrifying.

The production of the film isn't great and there are more exciting films out there. But if you have some imagination, are a little romantic and like being scared without having to sit through some poor soul forced to spectate live at their own autopsy, then this deserves every one of its eight stars.

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.