L'Antre de la folie

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.

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.

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.

The efficient and skeptical freelance insurance investigator John Trent (Sam Neill) is hired by the publisher Jackson Harglow (Charlton Heston) to find where the famous writer Sutter Cane (Jürgen Prochnow) might be. After writing a series of best-sellers in the horror genre, affecting the reason and causing disorientation, memory loss and paranoia in the readers, Sutter has simply vanished near the release of his new novel, "Horror in Hobb's End". There is a mass hysteria of his anxious fans waiting for the new release, and John believes that his disappearance is a strategy of marketing. John follows his instincts and travels with Cane's editor, Linda Styles (Julie Carmen), to New Hampshire seeking for the apparently fictional town of Hobb's End. While driving along the night, Linda reaches the Hobb's End, and John discloses that Sutter Cane has unleashed a powerful evil force in the black church of the mysterious town, and his twisted imagination is changing the reality and perception of those that read his novels.

"In the Mouth of Madness" is a journey to fear and madness through the darkness of a twisted mind of a writer. This story follows the style of "Twilight Zone" and actually shows how a writer with the support of the media is able to manipulate hearts and minds. Further, there is a certain criticism in the values and standards of the society where those who think differently or have a different behavior are outcast or even considered crazy. John Carpenter is one of my favorite directors and Sam Neil is perfect in the role of a skeptical man, used to find schemes and con everywhere, having difficulties to accept what is happening. The conclusion is very dark and without perspective to mankind. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "À Beira da Loucura" ("On the Edge of Madness")

Note: On 23 June 2015 I saw this movie again.

Note: On 20 September 2020 I saw this movie again.

Note: On 03 March 2025 I saw this movie again.

As someone who has read all of Lovecrafts books I can assure you that this movie has a strong Lovecraftian vibe to it. And even the title seems to be some sort of homage to Lovecrafts work, I presume (In the mouth of madness -> Innsmouth ?) Or maybe I'm just over-interpreting things. Who knows?

With that being said I really enjoyed the movie. It was refreshing and different. Sometimes the prospect of "not knowing what's real or not" is even scarier than straight up gore or monsters. After all the fear of the unknown is the ultimate essence of true horror. This movie had plenty of it so I can't complain.