‘A reality is just what we tell each other it is…’
Over the past few years I’ve gone from thinking that John Carpenter is one of the finest horror directors of all time to being almost certain that he is actually the best to ever do it in that genre, and also one of the most accomplished filmmakers in any genre generally. It can take a while to tap into Carpenter’s innate genius, but I’m there now. After rewatching (and loving) Prince of Darkness last week, I revisited In the Mouth of Madness this week and on this second viewing, I’m delighted to confirm that it is yet another Carpenter masterpiece…
John Trent (Sam Neill) is a cynical insurance investigator tasked with travelling to the small town of Hobb’s End, New Hampshire to search for missing author Sutter Kane (Jürgen Prochnow), alongside Kane’s editor, Linda (Julie Carmen). Upon arrival, it soon becomes clear that Kane’s latest novel has taken on a grim power all of its own. David Warner and Charlton Heston also appear.
Inspired by both Lovecraft and Stephen King (who is namechecked in the dialogue), In the Mouth of Madness is the third film in Carpenter’s ‘Apocalypse Trilogy’, a thematically connected trio of films that also includes The Thing and Prince of Darkness. While those two films presented the end of the world as experienced in one small corner of the globe, In the Mouth of Madness takes place on a much larger scale.
Upon release, Carpenter’s final masterpiece was derided as too complicated, confusing and pretentious. As with many Carpenter films, this is simply because what he was presenting was so radical, mainstream audiences and critics weren’t ready for it. The film arrived in what was a tough spell for horror cinema. The slasher boom of the ’80s had begun to fade, and in its place were so-called prestigious horror films such as Interview with the Vampire, Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Kenneth Branagh’s misguided take on Frankenstein. Tellingly, In the Mouth of Madness arrived in the same year as Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. Both films see two master directors reckoning with their legacy and looking inwards to provide a meta commentary on the genre that they themselves helped to build. Both films were misunderstood by audiences upon release, and both are, predictably, brilliant.
What makes this film so compelling is the heady combination of exceptional practical effects, Neill’s hysterical but captivating performance, and Carpenter’s canny direction. While it is zany in places, the film is also genuinely unsettling, and the general feeling of cosmic menace that pervades throughout is reminiscent of stuff like Jacob’s Ladder or The Devil’s Advocate. Indeed, while many know Neill from the Jurassic Park franchise, he is low-key a horror mainstay, having also appeared in Possession, The Omen III and Event Horizon.
In the Mouth of Madness is not just one of the best horror films of the ’90s; it is also Carpenter’s most underrated film and his final masterpiece. I absolutely adored it.
