rzajac Carpenter really does cut an interesting figure wrt to the tone he explores in his work. I've enjoyed some of his work, like "The Thing" and "They Live". They're cozy blends of high-concept, decent writing, clever pacing, and fine production."Mouth" is another thing. To my tastes, it sorta regresses to what I guess they call "gothic horror"; general creepiness, incessantly stinging, monsters, slime... just the interminable presentation of the vile and impending-ly violent.Well... that's not my cup of tea. I never found that kind of stuff compelling. Carpenter obviously exerts himself mightily to make it so--and that's impressive. So I don't fault the flick by as many stars as I might have.If you go for this stuff, it may be a cut above the usual "horror" fare out there.Whatever the case may be, I hope the foregoing clues you in on the kind of flick "Mouth" is.

tuckerconstable-07055 Sam Neil plays John Trent, who is an insurance investigator currently investigating the disappearance of a famous author-Sutter Cane. Trent believes it's all just a publicity stunt, but he finds out pretty quick that he's wrong. I failed to mention that Cane's books literally drives his readers insane. They pretty much become zombies. Anyway, Trent finds where Cane is hiding, a supposedly fictional town from his books known as Hobb's End. Everything is very murky and odd at first, however Trent eventually pieces everything together and finds out that everything is not what it seems. And that Trent may actually hold the keys to reality as we know it.Throughout the film the idea of reality and insanity being one in the same is toyed around with. It's a clichéd topic to talk about, but Carpenter actually brings some meat to the idea and makes it a serviceable subplot. The rest of the film is influenced heavily by H.P. Lovecraft and carries this incredible sense of dread throughout it. Sam Neil is great as John Trent and Linda Styles is pretty good as his partner. Sometimes her acting is a tad over the top, but, for the most part, she fits very well in the role.The pacing leading up to the discovery of Hobb's End is great. We spend a good fifteen minutes with John Trent as he tries to piece together clues found in Sutter Cane's books. He eventually finds out that when the covers to his books are put together they create a sort of map to Hobb's End. It's all very interesting and the way in which Hobb's End is discovered is also very intriguing and smart."In The Mouth of Madness" is a good Carpenter vehicle, but in places it relies way too much on simple jump scares and gross out effects. Instead of Carpenter's typical minimalism, the picture is very big and effects heavy. Sometimes this works, like in the ending when reality comes crashing down all around John Trent. But, sometimes the effect feel unnecessary and the the usually minimalist approach would have been better for the film.All in all though, "In The Mouth of Madness" is a pretty good film. It's creepy and disturbing, but sometimes it's a little clichéd. However, after flop after flop from Carpenter-"In The Mouth of Madness" is a great return to form from John Carpenter, even if it's a little flawed in places.

BA_Harrison When bestselling horror novelist Sutter Cane (Jürgen Prochnow) disappears before the completion of his latest book, insurance investigator John Trent (Sam Neill) is called in to try and locate the missing writer. Trent's search leads him to the sleepy town of Hobb's End, the originally-presumed-fictional setting for Cane's last book, home to some really weird characters and potential portal for the 'old ones', who become more powerful with each new convert to Cane's work.I have to admit that the mind-bending 'what is reality?' narrative of In The Mouth Of Madness had me scratching my head at times, but I still enjoyed the overall experience, partly thanks to the excellent central performance from Neill, a good supporting cast that includes John Glover, David Warner and Charlton Heston, and director John Carpenter's lively direction, but largely because the film is just so damn FREAKY.Carpenter doesn't bother explaining all of the weirdness… he simply lets it wash over the viewer like a bad dream, the disturbing visuals and unsettling atmosphere slowly worming their way under the viewer's skin. A kid riding a bicycle on a lonely road turns into a creepy old man, the figures in a painting slowly change position, and an old woman keeps her naked husband shackled by his ankle. There are slimy Lovecraftian creatures with thrashing tendrils, axe wielding maniacs, and an ugly cop who beats the hell out of a kid for doing graffiti. None of this makes much sense, and the ending does nothing to make matters clearer. But it sure is freaky!

SnoopyStyle Dr. Wrenn comes to interview volatile psych patient John Trent (Sam Neill). Trent was an independent insurance investigator. The movie flashes back to an ax welding stranger who tells him about successful horror writer Sutter Cane (Jürgen Prochnow). Publisher Jackson Harglow (Charlton Heston) asks him to find the missing Cane. People seems to turn violent from Cane's books. The next book is suppose to be In the Mouth of Madness. Using the book covers, Trent discovers the location of Hobb's End, New Hampshire. Harglow sends editor Linda Styles (Julie Carmen) to join Trent on the search.This is more ambitious than most slasher horrors. It tries to bring in the nature of reality. It's rather disjointed with random apparitions. Essentially, nothing is real and therefore there is nothing solid to hold on to. Sam Neill is great but Julie Carmen is not particularly good. The premise is interesting but it's not that thrilling.