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In the Mouth of Madness

Play trailer Poster for In the Mouth of Madness R Released Feb 3, 1995 1h 35m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
59% Tomatometer 51 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
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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In the Mouth of Madness

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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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Critics Reviews

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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 David Parkinson Radio Times John Carpenter's treatise on the psychological power of horror begins well, only to descend rapidly into special-effects genre cliché. Rated: 3/5 Sep 13, 2024 Full Review Justine Smith Vague Visages The film articulates that moral standards are representative of a dominant system of beliefs rather than an ingrained sense of righteousness, and that the fabric of our experience with the natural world itself can be altered through an infectious idea. Jun 5, 2024 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 Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Nick O Feels like Stephen King meets H.P. Lovecraft at the end of the world in this psychotic, surreal slime trip that just proves that John Carpenter was nowhere near done earning his title of Master Of Horror by the mid-1990's! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/06/25 Full Review Stephen C Meant to be scary in 1 hour and 35 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $8,900,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/02/25 Full Review Ian S Some good moments but pretty dreary. Sam Neill tries hard and Charlton Heston was quite good as well. The first hour was incredibly slow. Basically a B Grade homage to Lovecraft. Little, in the way of scares or suspense. Made during Carpenter's dry spell, where his best work was long behind him. Basically Carpenter was done creatively by 1990. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 06/29/25 Full Review Jack M 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 4 out of 5 stars 06/21/25 Full Review Korra N Simply one of the best horror films ever made, Carpenter's final entry in his Apocalypse Trilogy is a brilliantly twisted time at the cinema. Cosmic Lovecraftian horror at its best! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/27/25 Full Review Slappy W Did a long overdue rewatch (guess it's been about 20 years) of this over the weekend and was reminded of how it blew me away in the mid 90's. Always gobbled up anything Lovecraft and always kind of wanted to be a horror writer, so this movie was like manna from heaven to me. Throw Lovecraft, John Carpenter (love the synth heavy soundtrack) and Sam Neil together and just enjoy the cinematic brilliance. Just pound for pound one of the greatest horror movies ever made and in my mind the most brilliant apocalypse movie ever made. Just a very neat idea. I do indeed......read Sutter Cane! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/21/25 Full Review Read all reviews
In the Mouth of Madness

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Cast & Crew

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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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In the Mouth of Madness

In the Mouth of Madness (1995) In the Mouth of Madness (1995) In the Mouth of Madness (1995) In the Mouth of Madness (1995) View more photos

Movie Info

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
Producer
Sandy King
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
Runtime
1h 35m
Sound Mix
Surround, Stereo
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