Review of In the Mouth of Madness (1995) by Ian B — 13 Oct 2018

While I think it's fair to say John Carpenter owned the 1980s, the following decade wasn't as kind to the director. Thankfully he had one more masterpiece up his sleeve. In the Mouth of Madness was the perfect vehicle for Carpenter to mix his brilliant visual storytelling techniques with the ideas and themes of H.

P. Lovecraft and Stephen King. It revolves around the search for a missing horror writer whose work is so popular it starts to cause mass hysteria and insanity. I remember first seeing this in the VHS days and immediately falling in love with it.

In the Mouth of Madness is so effective because it's a movie that demands you pay attention, but it's also just a terrifically entertaining horror flick. Part of its brilliance is the more you watch it, the more you notice how layered it is, and you start asking yourself questions that can only be answered by watching the movie again.

Everything about it just gels so perfectly...the story, cinematography, music, editing, effects, locations, etc. Not to mention Sam Neill gives one of his best performances, playing a man whose life is slowly turned upside-down as he begins to questions everything about his reality.

In the Mouth of Madness works on a bunch of different levels. But it remains one of Carpenter's best because it's a smart, scary, fun horror flick that's extremely well-written and directed.

Highly recommended.