The Thing (1982) is widely considered John Carpenter’s best film. It’s timeless, and its tension is derived from paranoia, with visceral body horror imagery that defined the genre. It was about an extraterrestrial shapeshifting organism that assimilates and impersonates its hosts, which could spread globally if it escapes, causing an apocalypse.
While not as well-liked, The Prince of Darkness (1987) pits religious dogma vs. scientific rationalism. It was about the coming of Satan, taking the form of an amorphous black goo that will summon the anti-God, which may have been an entity from another universe. Some people become zombies via an AIDS-like epidemic, and if the dark God is brought to our world, it will cause an apocalypse.
These two films are the first and second parts of what John Carpenter calls his “apocalypse trilogy”. They are linked, not by shared characters or plot, but by a central apocalyptic premise that explores nihilism, human hubris, and cosmic insignificance, with Carpenter’s signature blend of horror, sci-fi, and dark humor. The third and final part might be one of his better films, and it’s finally available in 4K. How does it hold up? Find out in our In the Mouth of Madness review!
In the Mouth of Madness (1995)
Production Company: New Line Cinema
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Director: John Carpenter
Release Date: February 3, 1995
John Trent (Sam Neill), a cynical, hyper-rational insurance investigator, is hired by Arcane Publishing to find their missing star author, Sutter Cane (Jürgen Prochnow), a horror novelist whose books cause mass hysteria, violence, and amnesia in readers. Trent doesn’t believe in the supernatural. He thinks Cane’s disappearance is a publicity stunt.
With Cane’s editor, Linda Styles (Julie Carmen), they set out to find Arcane’s cash cow. Trent laughs it off… until he and Ms. Styles actually end up in Hobb’s End, a fictional town that exists only in Cane’s books. Every step of the way, Trent’s sanity is put to the test as he delusionally tries to rationalize the seemingly impossible events that surround him.
Ms. Styles was the only other living person who knew what Cane’s final book would be about, and her foreknowledge guides her and Trent to the awful truth: Cane is not exactly a man; he’s a cosmic conduit, a living manuscript, and the architect of the apocalypse. In his own words, he described his writing as not his own, but something that comes through him from a higher plane.
Sutter Cane is an interesting character. He is an amalgam of multiple literary figures, including Stephen King, Clive Barker, and H.P. Lovecraft, and bears a resemblance to Neil Gaiman. His character was seemingly the basis for Alan Wake, a writer whose works also reshape reality itself.
Like the Alan Wake games, In the Mouth of Madness also explores meta-themes where the characters realize that they may be fictional. Trent himself is suspiciously a perfect protagonist for the story that Cane created.
Who better to investigate a plot dense with supernatural elements than a skeptic who stresses about reality while in a film? It’s like the film is deliberately calling attention to the irony.
During their time at Hobb’s End, Trent and Ms. Style encounter some weird shit. The town’s kids are acting like freaks and abusing animals, spreading their madness to the adults who start to transform into body horror-like abominations. Riots break out, and people start killing each other. Getting around becomes impossible because space itself is twisted and warped.
To make matters worse, there are actual, physical monsters lurking around. Cane keeps a bunch of shoggoths in his creepy black church. Unfortunately, the creature effects are not the best for 1995 standards.
Carpenter and the editor must have realized they look out of place and belong in Power Rangers, because the shots are fast and obscure. If it were still 1982, the creature effects would impress, but Jurassic Park had already come out two years prior.
The monsters are a very small aspect of the greater fears within In the Mouth of Madness, so the disappointing creature effects can be excused. Compared to the reality-shattering existentialism, the goofy monsters seem quaint. It isn’t too bad since the film itself understands this and smartly keeps the creatures restrained in the plot.
The film masterfully showcases its fast-paced and gripping storytelling. Not a moment is wasted, and the script boldly presents significant ideas for viewers to contemplate, which establishes In the Mouth of Madness as a film with exceptional rewatch value. Even after 30 years, I am still uncovering new layers within it, having appreciated its brilliance since childhood.
Sam Neil is fun to watch as Trent. He is a professional debunker, not a hero, but Cane’s pawn, and the last sane man in a world that never was. The scenes in the asylum are darkly comedic, and make me wonder why he never pursued straight comedy roles. He is both unhinged and desperately clinging to a delusion of control and skepticism.
Fans of Event Horizon will enjoy this film. It shares some cosmic themes and features Sam Neill descending into madness. While he isn’t menacing here, as he’s meant to be the emotional anchor, he does hilariously punch a woman and has a few hilarious lines and demented, meme-worthy facial expressions.
In the Mouth of Madness moves at a breakneck pace, almost too fast to fully absorb the chaos. While it’s great that there’s never a dull moment, many details fly by so quickly that it’s hard to catch them all. Some of the ideas are massive in scope, but the story doesn’t take the time to delve deeper, leaving viewers with only a surface-level understanding.
The movie is also surprisingly funny. Creepy scenes are often punctuated by bizarre comedic moments. Most of the jokes land, but occasionally you get something like Vigo the Carpathian trying to pass as an American farmer. It’s not that it isn’t funny, it just doesn’t seem intentionally funny.
In the Mouth of Madness is a flawed film, but it stands as one of John Carpenter’s better works. It surpasses The Prince of Darkness, Vampires, Ghosts of Mars, and Escape from L.A., though it falls short of The Thing, Halloween, Assault on Precinct 13, and Christine for technical reasons.
Compared to Carpenter’s finest films, In the Mouth of Madness falls short in style. Despite its impressive 2.39:1 aspect ratio, the visuals feel surprisingly uncinematic.
Many shots and angles resemble those of a made-for-TV movie, with most scenes evenly lit and entirely lacking flair. Unfortunately, Dean Cundy was not shooting this film, and the absence of his wizardry is harshly felt.
In the Mouth of Madness has its share of striking visuals. The scene where Trent talks to Cane in the confessional is particularly memorable for its creative lighting and angles, while the infamous “blue” scene is one of the film’s standout moments.
The use of a wide aspect ratio combined with an anamorphic wide-angle lens in many establishing shots creates a fascinating spatial distortion, perfectly suiting the story’s tone.
Arrow’s 4K remaster makes In the Mouth of Madness look as good as it possibly can. As mentioned before, this movie has fairly restrained visuals and was never too showy. The best aspects are the improved clarity, color correction, and deeper black levels without any banding or noise.
The added detail in this new In the Mouth of Madness 4K is appreciated, especially for a film that moves so fast that you can’t always catch what’s happening.
Things like the distorted and mutated townspeople appearing in blink and you miss it moments, which are more noticeable now that the image has been cleaned and sharpened. Another detail I never noticed before was that Hayden Christensen appears as a paperboy.
Arrow provides DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 stereo options for its releases. The 5.1 surround sound mix, used during the film’s theatrical run, has been the standard choice for all subsequent releases. This track was impressive at the time and remains excellent today. The dialogue levels are as clear as a crisp spring morning, consistent with previous versions, and there is added depth to the synth musical score.
The image and sound quality for In the Mouth of Madness is as good as it can get, but where this release impresses the most is the wealth of bonus features. There are tons of introspectives that go deep and explore the broader themes and layers touched upon in the film. There’s all-new interviews with Jürgen Prochnow, the effects artists, and the cinematographer. You also get three audio commentaries, two of which feature John Carpenter himself.
The packaging is sleek and classy, showcasing new artwork and a reversible cover for fans of the original. It even comes with a fold-out poster replica made of high-quality, sturdy paper. In the Mouth of Madness has received top-notch treatment via Arrow Films. It’s a fantastic watch with big ideas that set it apart from typical horror films, sneaking a few sly chuckles along the way, making it ideal for Halloween viewing.
In the Mouth of Madness (1995) was reviewed with a 4K Blu-ray copy purchased by Niche Gamer. Additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy is here. In the Mouth of Madness is now available via Arrow Home Video and Amazon.
