In the Mouth of Madness

R

Now Playing

1 hr. 35 min.

Horror

List

59%

49 Reviews

Tomatometer

73%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

When horror novelist Sutter Cane (Jürgen Prochnow) goes missing, insurance investigator John Trent (Sam Neill) scrutinizes the claim made by his publisher, Jackson Harglow (Charlton Heston), and endeavors to retrieve a yet-to-be-released manuscript and ascertain the writer's whereabouts. Accompanied by the novelist's editor, Linda Styles (Julie Carmen), and disturbed by nightmares from reading Cane's other novels, Trent makes an eerie nighttime trek to a supernatural town in New Hampshire.

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Critics Consensus

If it fails to make the most of its intriguing premise, In the Mouth of Madness remains a decent enough diversion for horror fans and John Carpenter completists.

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Audience Member

Criminally underrated film it should be among the horror classics

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/16/24

Full Review

Nooway N

One of the better one's this one! Way ahead of They live and the declining quality of later efforts with Ghosts of Mars as a real rock bottom mark. Village and Vampires as an exception though. And with an impressive cast this one really gets on. The story is very Lovecraftian which isn't bad, not at all. Enjoy a little bit of scare for a while.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/29/23

Full Review

The O

The most Lovecraftian film ever. More Lovecraftian than actual adaptations of Lovecraft's work. While not an official adaptation of Lovecraft, it hits all the right tropes of Lovecraft and wisely steers clear of some of the uglier tropes (as most modern Lovecraftian films do). Easily my favorite Sam Niel film. All and all, if you're a fan of Lovecraft's Work, and would have liked to read and or see a depiction of the "Old Ones" finally awakening, this is it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/18/23

Full Review

Robert H

Great Lovecraftian horror.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/10/23

Full Review

Ruben A

A mi si me gustó que CHM los críticos jaajaja

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/06/23

Full Review

Scott S

One of the most underrated John Carpenter films to date. Sam Neil puts on a fantastic performance!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/28/23

Full Review

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John Carpenter

Director

Sam Neill

John Trent

Julie Carmen

Linda Styles

Jürgen Prochnow

Sutter Cane

Charlton Heston

Jackson Harglow

David Warner

Dr. Wrenn

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Adrian Martin

The Age (Australia)

Carpenter's work with music and sound design has never been so radical and the film's set pieces are breathtakingly executed.

Mar 2, 2024

Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

In the Mouth of Madness isn't John Carpenter's best horror movie to date, but it may well be his scariest.

Rated: 3/4

Jun 7, 2022

Full Review

Sheila Johnston

Independent (UK)

This is one of those self- referential horror movies that gets buried alive in an avalanche of clever special effects and an incredible imploding plot.

Mar 29, 2019

Full Review

Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

John Carpenter's 1994 finale to his Apocalypse Trilogy is a no-holds-barred blitzkrieg of horror that will have you watching the movie a second time just to confirm that you did indeed see what you think you saw.

Rated: FOUR STARS

Nov 5, 2023

Full Review

Kristy Strouse

Wonderfully Weird and Horrifying

In the Mouth of Madness is a film that defies expectations and promises to be an unsettling journey. Imaginative and distinct, it’s a treat for all horror fans to embrace with plenty of tricks along the way.

Oct 7, 2023

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

While it's more ambitious than most Carpenter works from this period, it's not any more satisfying.

Rated: 2/4

Jun 7, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

When horror novelist Sutter Cane (Jürgen Prochnow) goes missing, insurance investigator John Trent (Sam Neill) scrutinizes the claim made by his publisher, Jackson Harglow (Charlton Heston), and endeavors to retrieve a yet-to-be-released manuscript and ascertain the writer's whereabouts. Accompanied by the novelist's editor, Linda Styles (Julie Carmen), and disturbed by nightmares from reading Cane's other novels, Trent makes an eerie nighttime trek to a supernatural town in New Hampshire.

Director: John Carpenter
Screenwriter: Michael De Luca
Distributor: New Line Home Video [us], New Line Cinema
Production Co: New Line Cinema
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 3, 1995, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $8.9M
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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