John Carpenter’s resume includes many classics, but his 1995 Lovecraftian horror effort In the Mouth of Madness doesn’t get the credit it deserves. Carpenter is still probably best known for writing and directing 1978’s Halloween, which effectively gave birth to the slasher sub-genre that took hold of the 1980s. He also helmed sci-fi/horror classics The Thing and They Live, and created the iconic antihero Snake Plissken with Escape from New York. That’s all in addition to making possessed cars scary with 1983 Stephen King adaptation Christine.
Carpenter also counts among his filmography several movies that tend to get unjustly overlooked, such as Prince of Darkness and Vampires. Still, no Carpenter film is more underrated than In the Mouth of Madness, arguably Carpenter’s last truly great directorial effort. Sam Neill stars as insurance investigator John Trent, who’s hired to track down Sutter Cane, a best-selling horror author who disappeared in the process of writing his latest book. Trent expects a normal case, but instead ends up on a journey into psychological terror.
In the Mouth of Madness was mostly ignored by critics upon release, and also bombed huge at the box office. Sadly, this hasn’t been an uncommon fate for Carpenter’s films over the years, but as usual, In the Mouth of Madness has acquired a cult following in the decades since. The thing is though, it deserves to be appreciated by even more people, as it’s in the top tier of Carpenter’s work.
John Carpenter’s Most Underrated Movie: In The Mouth of Madness
While In the Mouth of Madness is a part of John Carpenter’s “apocalypse trilogy” of films themed around the end of the world, alongside The Thing and Prince of Darkness, it’s truly unlike anything else in the director’s filmography. Only Prince of Darkness even rivals the level of weirdness present in In the Mouth of Madness, and wow is that weirdness glorious. In the Mouth of Madness is arguably one of the greatest H.P. Lovecraft adaptations ever made, and that’s without being based on any of his stories. Carpenter’s film - written by Michael De Luca - captures so much of the Lovecraft vibe, from the rural New England setting, to the tentacled monstrosities lurking behind the facade of everyday life, and even how the main character gets less and less sane the more he learns about Sutter Cane and the ancient, unimaginably terrible forces his books have unleashed upon the world.
Carpenter, as he’s won’t to do, also turns in an impeccable score for In the Mouth of Madness, including a rocking guitar riff over the opening credits that would do Metallica proud. Other aspects that make In the Mouth of Madness a truly excellent film include a charismatic lead performance from Sam Neill, a fast-paced plot progression, and a building sense of dread that permeates every scene. Things just keep going from bad to worse, and once Neill and co-star Julie Carmen head to Hobb’s End, the situation shifts into overdrive, presenting some intensely unsettling imagery, and a growing feeling of impending doom. The ending doesn’t let down on that front either, breaking the fourth wall on the way to sending John Trent into total insanity, and the world seemingly into ruin. In the Mouth of Madness is a film that demands to be seen, and anyone who hasn’t experienced it is hereby advised to.
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