In the Mouth of Madness

Name: In the Mouth of Madness
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Fantasy, Horror
Released: February 3, 1995
Duration: 95 min
Rating: 53
Cast: Jürgen Prochnow, Sam Neill

1995

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 51 Ratings

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7.2

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7.2	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 51 Ratings

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In The Mouth Of Madness

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Movie Details & Credits

New Line Cinema | Release Date: February 3, 1995 | R

Starring: Jürgen Prochnow, Sam Neill

Summary: An insurance investigator begins discovering that the impact a horror writer's books have on his fans is more than inspirational.

Director: John Carpenter

Genre(s): Mystery, Thriller, Fantasy, Horror

Rating: R

Runtime: 95 min

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Critic Reviews

Kevin Thomas

In the Mouth of Madness is a thinking person's horror picture that dares to be as cerebral as it is visceral. Read full review

Joey O'Bryan

All in all, In the Mouth of Madness is a fun, clever horror picture, full of creepy crawlies, things that go bump in the night, and references to everyone from H.P. Lovecraft to Dario Argento. Read full review

Rick Groen

In the Mouth of Madness may leave your spine a little short on tingle (any amount of irony always dissipates the scares), but it compensates by neither insulting your grey matter nor sparing your funny bone. In a genre more brain-dead than not, that's an awfully attractive trade-off. [03 Feb 1995]

John Petrakis

The story ceases to make sense. It sounds clever on paper, but on screen it degenerates into a series of random scenes that don't connect until, by the end, there are more questions than answers, and more goo than resolution. [03 Feb 1995, p.J]

Roger Ebert

One wonders how In the Mouth of Madness might have turned out if the script had contained even a little more wit and ambition. Read full review

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Look for bloody axes, grotesquely disfigured zombies, and creepy visions — much of it bloatedly self-indulgent and a small part wicked funny about the influence of guys like Stephen King/Sutter Cane who write words read by people who don’t read anything else, or maybe don’t read at all but only go to movies like this one. Read full review

Desson Thomson

A bewildering, boring assembly of rock-video-surreal nightmare sequences with more repetitive episodes than Groundhog Day. Read full review

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User Reviews

Panchogul

Apr 13, 2020

En la Boca del Miedo (1994)

Sinopsis: John Trent es un cínico investigador que sigue el rastro de Sutter Cane, un escritor que desaparece y que, a través de sus novelas de terror, ejerce un extraño poder sobre sus lectores. Opinión: Probablemente una de las mejores películas de terror deEn la Boca del Miedo (1994)

Sinopsis:

John Trent es un cínico investigador que sigue el rastro de Sutter Cane, un escritor que desaparece y que, a través de sus novelas de terror, ejerce un extraño poder sobre sus lectores.

Opinión:

Probablemente una de las mejores películas de terror de la década de 1990, es retorcida, intrépida, alucinante y aterradora con una atmósfera escalofriante y envolvente que no te dejará pestañear ni un solo segundo, caray si de niño me asustaba bastante y sufría pesadillas, cosa que acabo de darme cuenta que no ha cambiado para nada...

Valoración:

5 ⭐ de 5 ⭐… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

ArkonBlade

Jul 19, 2023

Still my favorite horror movie of all time. Im a huge Lovecraft fan and the only person to come close to getting it right is John Carpenter. Though this isnt based off any of his books it is heavily inspired by his work and it shows. If you like Lovecraft work and want too see something thatStill my favorite horror movie of all time. Im a huge Lovecraft fan and the only person to come close to getting it right is John Carpenter. Though this isnt based off any of his books it is heavily inspired by his work and it shows. If you like Lovecraft work and want too see something that resembles it it in movie form this and The Thing 1982 are the closest you will get. I love horror that slowly steps on the gas then just guns it and never lets up. The practical effects for the most part are very well done. the only notable one i always kind of cringe at is the kid with the bad old man mask. Otherwise everything else is great.

I just love horror where everything just falls apart around a character and just keeps getting worse and worse. The acting is well done. the plot is good, and the horror element is perfect. I wish we could get more Cosmic Horror films like this.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

akshatmahajan

Jul 28, 2021

From last few days, I have been watching John Carpenter's movie. I read alot of things about this movie and watched it. I liked the idea of the movie and it was different for that time and also ahead of it's time. For your info, this movie is now considered cult classic like Carpenter'sFrom last few days, I have been watching John Carpenter's movie. I read alot of things about this movie and watched it. I liked the idea of the movie and it was different for that time and also ahead of it's time. For your info, this movie is now considered cult classic like Carpenter's other movies.

For me, the movie was nicely made and was dark and tense like Carpenter's other movies. There were many good tense scenes. The suspense is also nicely built up and there are alot of surprises.

If we talk about performances, everyone did their job nicely. Direction by John Carpenter was just like his other movies such as Halloween and The Thing.

This movie is too much underrated. The reason why movie didn't perfom good at box office was that it was ahead of it's time and audience failed to measure the significance of this movie.

Overall, the movie is good and different for it's time. I want this movie to be re-released/ remade just like Halloween so that we can enjoy the modern touch.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

Thwomp

Jan 21, 2023

This like Event Horizon. Pure trippy horror and it's glorious and perhaps underrated.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JeBjBo

Oct 18, 2022

"In the Mouth of Madness" is not quite up there with Carpenter's best work but still very enjoyable.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

JLau

Sep 27, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Insurance claim guy is hired to look for a missing writer (who is pretty much Stephen King) whose books are becoming reality and have even resulted in the construction of an entire town.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Broyax

Jul 11, 2017

Une chouette distribution, un peu trop chouette d'ailleurs pour un film qui échoue sur tous les tableaux puisqu'il n'est ni satanique, ni horrifique, ni surréaliste, ni même inquiétant... On saisit bien l'ambiance et l'histoire à la Stephen King mais là encore, l'aspect fantasque (ouUne chouette distribution, un peu trop chouette d'ailleurs pour un film qui échoue sur tous les tableaux puisqu'il n'est ni satanique, ni horrifique, ni surréaliste, ni même inquiétant... On saisit bien l'ambiance et l'histoire à la Stephen King mais là encore, l'aspect fantasque (ou fantastique ?) est traité par dessus la jambe et ne suscite en vérité que l'ennui ou au mieux un baillement poli.

Je ne suis pas un fan de Stephen King, loin de là, mais il faut lui reconnaître quelques idées intéressantes qui ont connu d'innombrables adaptations ; or ici, ce serait lui faire injure que de tenter de comparer cette affligeante médiocrité torchée par Monsieur Carpenter à la moindre création de l'écrivain américain.

Même en se cantonnant à la folie pure et simple, cet Antre échoue encore à en restituer l'essence et nous en décrire les rouages, y compris le décalage réalité/fiction totalement bâclé ici. Ainsi, n'importe quel film de David Lynch sait infiniment mieux retranscrire la folie, n'importe quel livre de Philip K. Dick sait mieux nous faire partager l'effondrement de la réalité que ce pauvre film si mollement réalisé.

Voilà donc un pétard mouillé qui a fait long feu et qui sent déjà le mauvais téléfilm à des kilomètres, ce qu'il ne fait que confirmer du début à la fin.… Expand

1 of 7 users found this helpful16

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83	#83 Best Movie of 1995
41	#41 Most Discussed Movie of 1995