In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
…………………………………………………
In the Mouth of Madness Movie Review
In the Mouth of Madness is a 1994 supernatural horror film directed by John Carpenter and starring Sam Neill. It’s a disappointing flick.
………………………………………………….
“A reality is just what we tell each other it is“
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
An insurance investigator begins discovering that the impact a horror writer’s books have on his fans is more than inspirational. This movie has very little to do with the titular Lovecraft novel, which was a shame as that work is ripe for cinematic treatment. What we have instead is Carpenter’s take on psychological as well as supernatural horror that heavily hinges on atmosphere.
That atmosphere worked to a degree. The movie has that insane anything could happen attitude that made it quite twisty and creepy at times. But the main issue here was its pacing that was too sluggish to support such a premise. The first half was promising, but then the second half did not go anywhere interesting with the cool premise. I expected more.
Sam Neill was actually quite good in a role that was very strange and different for him. His character is underwritten for sure, but at least the performer managed to elevate him. The other actors did not stick out to me as this was pretty much a Sam Neill showcase throughout.
In the Mouth of Madness has a couple of chilling moments. The highlight for me was that older person riding a bike on the road. That entire sequence set on the road was excellent and the best moment was that bike imagery that was truly creepy and unforgettable. I wished that the rest of the movie was as striking.
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
The opening was intriguing for sure, but that third act ruined all of the goodwill gathered before. This is because the script was too messy and complicated. The ending was a letdown itself. Where the story went simply wasn’t all that interesting to me. Carpenter’s directing is slick per usual, but the screenplay, dialogue and characterization left a lot to be desired. The creature effects were great, but it seemed to me that he threw them in out of despair and for no reason at all, muddling the purpose and identity of the entire project in the process.
In the Mouth of Madness is a passable John Carpenter joint that could and should have been much better than it ended up being. The premise was great and a couple of moments were genuinely chilling. Sam Neill was very good in the main role himself. However, the second half was quite a big letdown plotwise, the characterization is quite weak, and the movie never quite formed its own identity as the director tried to do way too many different things and ideas all at once with no strong structure or cohesion.
My Rating – 3
Results
