Review by Peter Syslo
IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS (1995) is a lesser known, but decent, John Carpenter film, from that completely forgettable and nondescript decade called the 1990s. Yes, Carpenter is my favorite horror director and his HALLOWEEN still remains my favorite horror movie of all time. Personally, my favorite Carpenter era consists of his work in the 1970s-mid 1980s; THE THING (best remake – ever!), THE FOG, and ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK are all classic and incredible films. I have enjoyed his recent films, as well, but those early ones are really where my preferences lie. But, I will say that IN THE MOUTH… was a pleasant surprise and I did like the film.
IN THE MOUTH… is directed by the legendary John Carpenter and it is written by Michael DeLuca. The film stars Sam Neill, Julie Carmen, Jurgen Prochnow, David Warner, John Glover, Bernie Casey, Peter Jason, and the gun-toting Moses himself – Charleton Heston.
The movie is about a private detective named John Trent (Neill), who is telling the story from a psychiatric institution. Strange things began to happen at the time of the publication of a new horror book – some of the depictions in the book were occurring in real-life, and Trent was “accidentally” drawn into the whole mess. He was hired by a publishing company to find their star writer, Sutter Cane (Prochnow), who apparently just up and disappeared. Trent , along with Linda Styles (Carmen), travels to New Hampshire , where he deduces Sutter Cane is residing (in a town called “Hobb’s End”). Anyway , the town turns out to be a complete nightmare – there is violence breaking out, there are zombie-like people running amok, and the elusive Sutter Cane is at the center of it all, writing in a church. Trent tries to do the right thing, he finds that he is actually a prisoner in the town, and he finds that his role in the whole story may be bigger than he originally thought.
IN THE MOUTH… is reminiscent of reality-bending films, such as THE NINTH GATE and STRANGER THAN FICTION, and I could definitely see the Lovecraft influence in the overall story (summoning demons and such). While the premise may be pretty crazy at times, it is actually the visual element of the film which really left an impression upon me. The cinematography is simply incredible – the movie looks gorgeous, with rich, vibrant colors and awesome sets (the gothic church); all of which make the story seem “larger than life”. The movie definitely displays the style of John Carpenter – the dialogue seemed “forced” at times and the story was convoluted, but I actually got more from just watching the beautiful scenes unfold before me. That is one of the great things about Carpenter – he knows how to tell a tale, visually.
While the material isn’t necessarily original, it is handled in an interesting way and, like I said, the visuals are just simply “eye-candy”. That being said, I did have issues with some of the other aspects of the film. The acting overall, was okay; at times, the actors didn’t seem totally invested in their roles and the emotional responses seemed stunted - with the exception of Jurgen Prochnow, who played an ominous and interesting Sutter Cain. Also, some of the supporting cast members were really good, such as Frances Bay , who starred as the unusual innkeeper in “Hobbs End”. Aside from acting, the other aspect of the film, which I felt needed a little more attention, was the makeup effects (and some of the special ef fects). Some of the people who were turning into creatures looked a little (I hate to say it, but…) “fake” and the scene towards the end, when Trent is running from demons, just doesn’t seem to be “deadly”. The creature designs were original, but the creatures didn’t look intimidating - let me state it that way.
Cutting to the chase: I did like IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS. I think that Carpenter’s direction, which includes the visual story-telling, was the high point of the film (along with cinematographer Gary B. Kibbe’s superb camera work). The acting and the effects were okay; there was a lack of emotion and a lack of that feeling of imminent danger, but those things did not ruin it for me. In short, if you like Carpenter’s work (past and present), the stories of Lovecraft, literary horror, or surrealistic horror, then you might like IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS. It is worth seeing and it did leave an impression on me. I give it a 7 out of 10.