This film belongs to a small sub-genre of movies in the mid 1990s, such as "Wes Craven's New Nightmare" (1994) and "Scream" (1996), which were horror films about horror. "In the Mouth of Madness", however, differs from the rest in that it deals with written horror fiction rather than film.
The story revolves around an insurance investigator, played by Sam Neill, who is hired to find out whether the disappearance of best-selling horror novelist Sutter Crane (Jurgen Prochnow) is a scam or not. The investigator tracks Crane down to a small town in New Hampshire and begins to discover that Crane's gruesome novels may not be as fictional as they appear.
The film works as a homage to writer H.P. Lovecraft, whose work is referenced throughout the film. The film also has a bit of a joke at the phenomenal popularity of Stephen King.
John Carpenter is a good director, even if his career can be politely described as uneven, and he does a good job here with an intelligent script and descent performances from a talented cast. The special effects are imaginative and wisely used sparingly.
For the most part this is an excellent horror film, with tension, scares and humour, however it falls apart with the increasingly bizarre ending, although even that has it's share of effective moments.
Perhaps not a masterpiece, then, but this is still a treat for horror fans and is definitely one of John Carpenter's better films.
The story revolves around an insurance investigator, played by Sam Neill, who is hired to find out whether the disappearance of best-selling horror novelist Sutter Crane (Jurgen Prochnow) is a scam or not. The investigator tracks Crane down to a small town in New Hampshire and begins to discover that Crane's gruesome novels may not be as fictional as they appear.
The film works as a homage to writer H.P. Lovecraft, whose work is referenced throughout the film. The film also has a bit of a joke at the phenomenal popularity of Stephen King.
John Carpenter is a good director, even if his career can be politely described as uneven, and he does a good job here with an intelligent script and descent performances from a talented cast. The special effects are imaginative and wisely used sparingly.
For the most part this is an excellent horror film, with tension, scares and humour, however it falls apart with the increasingly bizarre ending, although even that has it's share of effective moments.
Perhaps not a masterpiece, then, but this is still a treat for horror fans and is definitely one of John Carpenter's better films.