In the Mouth of Madness (1995)

Director: John Carpenter

Writer: Michael De Luca

Tagline: Lived Any Good Books Lately?

Actors: Sam Neill, Julie Carmen, Jürgen Prochnow, David Warner, John Glover, Bernie Casey, Peter Jason, Charlton Heston, Frances Bay, Wilhelm von Homburg, Kevin Rushton, Gene Mack, Conrad Bergschneider, Marvin Scott, Katherine Ashby

Runtime: 1h 35m

Category: Outbreak, Psychological, Thriller

Synopsis: John Trent is an insurance investigator looking into a man named Sutter Cane. Mr. Cane is a very accomplished horror-fantasy writer with a devout following. Only, those who read his writings end up going completely mad! Unfortunately, Sutter Cane has mysteriously gone missing. So Trent and his newly appointed assistant, a Ms. Linda Styles, head to Hobb’s End, a small town mentioned in Sutter Cane’s books in search of the missing author. There they find a hellish reality were horrific creatures roam free and consume the lives of the residents! With his final masterpiece, Sutter Cane proves to set all of mankind on a hell-bent rampage of epic proportions.

Review: This movie was referred to me by…get this…my dad. Yes, my father. And I have to say that for someone who is none too keen to the horror genre, I was extremely proud. If there was ever a sleeper of a psychothriller, this was it.

The compelling story makes for a terrific film; would have made an even better book. The imagery used and the continuous story changes make it quite the thriller. As Trent follows his hunch of where to find Sutter Cane, that’s when all of the weird stuff starts happening. But the story is just so demented and psychotic you can’t help but be completely drawn in.

The acting was wonderful (sans Julie Carmen). Actually…Sam Neill is the shit! He took this movie all the way through and didn’t stop. From sanity to antithesis Neill as Trent takes you on a journey of maddening psychosis. Do not be fooled by his laid-back, lovey-dovey character in Jurassic Park, who helps children escape a rampaging Tyrannosaurus Rex. He is one of those actors that can turn his screen emotions on and off without the use of dimmer switches (Yes...YES! Dimmer switches everywhere!).

The gore, or rather the effects, was of another high caliber. With some very interesting creatures very reminiscent of Hellraiser (1987) and Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988), they were able to capture the essence of the fear Sutter Cane was aiming for. Not a whole lot of blood or chunkies, but just enough cinematography to leave you wide-eyed and jaw-dropped. This is not a movie to miss…at all.

Rating: 20. Simply because the Linda Styles character had no substance and a little background on Cane would have done nice. I think if Styles would have had more “girth” (not physically), the story would have been even better. But, all the same, I loved this movie. Even if psychothrillers are not in your repertoire…this is a movie for those who like to have their mind taken advantage of. (20of25).