In the Mouth of Madness

Starring: Sam Neill, Jurgen Proctnow, Julie Carmen, David Warner, John Glover, Bernie Casey, Peter Jason, Charlton Heston, Frances Bay, Hayden Christensen
Directed by: John Carpenter
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Drama, Fantasy
1994

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: An insurance investigator (Sam Neill) searches for a missing author (Jurgen Proctnow) whose latest novel, some claim, can make people go insane.

Review:

Tim: John Carpenter directs a different and engaged horror movie in In the Mouth of Madness, a love letter to H.P. Lovecraft, with some Stephen King thrown in. I've read nearly all of Lovecraft's work, so I was able to connect easily with the plot and saw the many homages to Lovecraft's frightening writing. I'm a big Stephen King fan, too, so it was fun to see those connections, too. This film does have some flaws, but I believe it should mostly be celebrated. It's creepy, holds your attention, and keeps you invested until the very end. It's a well-made horror film.

The plot itself is really intriguing. You have a famous horror author whose latest book makes some reader go insane and begin a murderous rampage. An insurance investigator searches for the truth. Is that what's actually happening? Where did the author disappear to? Is it part of some larger sinister plot? Is it a publicity stunt from his publishing company? The movie throws these questions out at the audience and while it never really commits to tricking us, it at least raises interesting doubts along the way. The plot itself is interesting- it really does feel like a mashup between what Stephen King would write, mixed with many elements from Lovecraft, especially his Cthulhu mythos. I found myself having no trouble staying focused throughout the film's quick 1 hour, 35 minute runtime.

The story itself is compelling and attention-grabbing, but it helps that John Carpenter keeps us in a near-constant state of suspense. He uses a number of tactics to create a nightmarish reality that we have trouble looking away from. From disturbing practical effects, to psychologically disturbing images, Carpenter keeps the frights ramped up throughout the film. He uses disturbed citizens, possessed children, inescapable vortexes, a really weird hotel manager, changing paintings, and so much more. There's a lot thrown into this film and it distorts the very reality around our characters. As they question their sanity, to a lesser extent, we question what our eyes are seeing, too. How much of this is real? It adds up to a film that truly holds our attention throughout.

It helps that Sam Neill is in the lead role. I'm a big Neill fan. He always seems like an intellectual, yet relatable. Here, he's a bit arrogant, but in a likeable way. We have no problem identifying with his character and enjoying the journey with him. Neill makes for a great leading man. He is never overly expressive, but he uses all his facial expressions to maximum effect. It creates this end result of the audience leaning forward just a little, to see what he will do next. Jurgen Proctnow was a great supporting add. He doesn't get a ton of screen time, but his performance is quite memorable. Julie Carmen felt a bit weak to me. She has some decent moments, but I didn't completely love her performance. It was fun seeing Charlton Heston here, although his role ultimately felt a bit pointless in the grander scheme of the plot. His scenes were solid, but didn't impact the film much. Frances Bay was creepy and unforgettable in one of the film's odder moments. I didn't even recognize a young Hayden Christensen, making his feature film debut as the paperboy. I'd call the cast "decent", but it's not one of the film's strengths.

What the film lacks in star power, Carpenter makes up in frightening images and effects. It felt like we were indeed watching a horror master, someone who greatly understands how to frighten audiences. I don't think I ever jumped (it's not a jump-scare kind of film), but I felt fairly unsettled throughout the movie. It wasn't enough to make me look around the corners of my house (I slept just fine after watching it), but it did make an impact on you. I'd never consider this a horror classic, but it's effective. Ultimately, I was never as invested in the story or the characters as I should have been. I was intrigued, but I didn't feel much of an emotional pull towards them.

Horror movies are tough to do well, and Carpenter definitely succeeds with In the Mouth of Madness. This was an entertaining film that felt elevated from typical horror movies. It tells an interesting story that you want to see how it ends. It's a film I'd definitely recommend to horror movie fans.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Village of the Damned, The Thing, Christine