In the Mouth of Madness
An often overlooked (1994) paranormal horror film – one that managed to deliver an admirable blend of kitsch, cosmic chills. With Carpenter’s trademark and sometimes garish practical FX touch but this time in an entirely Lovecraftian manner. ‘In the Mouth of Madness’ is John Carpenter at his most twisted. While ‘Halloween’ offered a grounded-thriller anchored in “realism based dread”, this later-movie by Carpenter deals in mind-warping existential dread: a whole different variety of spine-tingling apprehension that’s nearly impossible to mollify. Perhaps more effective in its morosity and ability to cause a mixture of fright and outright manic heart palpitations! Albeit I may be overstating a bit, the effects have aged since the mid-90s (and not well in some cases) and more considerably – many of the gore FX and makeup/prosthetics – did not qualify as anything but over-the-top and rubbery upon its release in 1994. Carpenter has a reputation due at least in part to his pioneering of ‘The Thing’ which is admittedly a visual extravaganza; a severe feast for the eyes sitting at the top of all horror features utilizing cutting-edge visual effects, but alas Carpenter has not always gained the same amount of acclaim from his other films. Most of which are inarguably, firmly positioned in the “B-movie” horror-thriller genre – with of course a few exceptions here and there. A few black sheep if you will….
(btw ‘Black Sheep’ is a great New Zealand made “creature feature” totally worth checking out. Horribly and purposely dumb, irreverent as all hell, fun nevertheless!)
Now, when I say Lovecraftian, what I really mean to say is that John Carpenter yanked a leaf out of HP Lovecraft’s version of the “Necronomicon”. Specifically, the Cthulhu Mythos as presented in one of the writer’s widely-recognized pivotal tales ‘The Call of Cthulhu’. A seminal piece that examines large portions of our world’s mythoi – as combined in the idea of “Eldritch Gods” a reinterpretation of the Titans (or Leviathan) present in Herculean and Hebrew creation myths. Which in turn was adopted by the biblical narrative present in modern day Western faiths, as well as any associated sects, or less accepted fringe systems of worship. August Derleth, literary protege to Lovecraft, coined the term “Cthulhu Mythos” to describe the shared universe present in different works by HP Lovecraft.
Along with Edgar Allen Poe, (and other Victorian writers, with a preference for romanticism intertwined in grotesquerie) Lovecraft is often given the title: originator of modern horror – as his early contributions are considered the most lasting and enduring. Fecund even. They helped bring about a luxuriant and varied template that would later spawn many, many subgenres of horror themed literature – before the genre impressively managed to span mediums to inform film, radio, and yes, even television – for decades to come.
Adaptations of Lovecraft’s work from the 1800s haven’t stopped being produced. Simply look to ‘The Colors Out of Space’ starring Nicolas Coppola for an instance of this. Available on Netflix, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime and other digital streaming platforms.
‘In the Mouth of Madness’ – on the other hand – is more vaguely inspired by the source material. As is true of all cosmic horror with otherworldly elements; it’s infused with motifs that scream in a Lovecraftian tone but don’t quite echo the narrative structure beat-for-beat; a stylistic reverberation but not an all out creative evocation.
Okay, so, Lovecraft and Poe started it all.
And what does that specifically have to do with ‘In the Mouth of Madness’?
Well, the plot revolves around Sam Neil’s character John Trent tracking a horror novelist Sutter Cane (Jürgen Prochnow) for insurance reasons, in short order his disappearance and the publishing agent’s refusal to handover a final manuscript. As John Trent (Neil) descends into the lurid madness inhabiting the town of Hobb’s End New Hampshire he’s accompanied by Linda Styles (Julie Carmen) Sutter Cane’s editor who insists she is instrumental in any search for the habitually reclusive literary giant. But, not all is as it seems in the eerily quaint town of Hobb’s End – NYC becomes a distant memory as the two are entangled in a mind-altering, terrifying conspiracy, one which they unwittingly follow all the way to the depths of hell itself.
What begins as a seemingly tame thriller with only tentative jump-scares, subtly spooky elements, swiftly turns into a Silent Hill-like journey through the demonic depths of a writer’s mind as his thoughts have begun to infect the physical realm. Turning a once charming town into a bastion of pure evil. Indeed, many of the tropes present in the Silent Hill films (and award-winning games) appear to have been plucked clear out of ‘In the Mouth of Madness’.
Just a few minor tweaks of the story, an update to the visuals; and wham, bam, you got “In the Mouth of Silent Hill”.
(Or some variation thereof.)
An earlier property that also seems to have drawn implicitly from the film, and by extension, Lovecraft’s work, is the game ‘Alone in the Dark’. It features an interdimensional locale (illustrated through a hidden, subterranean entrance, metaphysical in nature) in the source material that’s located under an unassuming mansion. Comparisons can also be drawn to ‘Colors Out of Space’, ‘The Call of Cthulhu’, ‘Seize the Night’ by Dean Koontz, and a swath of other Lovecraftia infused tales.
‘Alone in the Dark’ is considered a precursor to Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and assumedly a bevy of other horror-themed action games, but often overlooked.
Why I’m mentioning it – and going off topic with this little tangent – there’s an atrociously bad film by Uwe Boll… one that is funny enough, hell even kind of enjoyable, if just watched for ironic value. Uwe Boll’s failed 2005 adaptation of ‘Alone in the Dark’ stars Christian Slater and doesn’t really manage to capture any of the aesthetic or spirit of the original feel of the title. The film instead opted for a polished look in adapting the source material; very commonplace in the 2000s but failed to pull it off and ended up an incoherent mess embodying a poor man’s ‘13 Ghosts’ if you will. A grittier, bare-bones adaptation similar to ‘The Blair Witch’ may have succeeded where it failed. All that having been said, ‘Alone in the Dark’s still a moderately fun “good-bad watch” and definitely worth a try. If you can laugh at on-screen mediocrity.
If not, steer clear.
Personally, Uwe Boll’s earlier foray into arcade-horror, ‘House of the Dead’ was a much better video game adaptation – as camp as it is – and a brief glance at RottenTomatoes implies that’s not a wild opinion to have.
Call me Captain Obvious
(But, let’s move on shall we? We’re here to talk some Carpenter so enough with Boll.)
To sum it all up, let me say this:
If you love some of Carpenter’s other popular low-budget feeling B-tier horror films; E.G., ‘They Live’, ‘Prince of Darkness’, ‘Vampires’ – then you should get a disembodied kick out of this one. Charlton Heston has a smaller role alongside Sam Neil as Sutter Cane’s literary publisher. The film has two devilishly delightul bookends: dual scenes of Sam Neil locked away in an insane asylum in the prologue and aftermath of the plot. The scenes taking place at the beginning and ending to the film adding a burst of flavour that otherwise might be lacking; a theatrical zest/garnish.
Plus, some really blood-curdling acting there! Wholly – or rather unholy – effective in its portrayal of rendre fou as raw as intended to be. It stands out above the rest of the performances, others are more heavy handed…while not entirely ham-fisted. Undeniably one of my favourite aspects of the piece, along with the strangely unique practical FX used to provide a convincing “portal to hell” underneath the fictional Hobb’s End church. Assuredly lots of latex, fake blood (corn syrup, anyone?) applied very painstakingly for days on end. Loads of work. Now for a quick foray into the negatives!
It’s an early 90s horror film with some bad, garishly obvious practical FX so there’s definitely certain levels of… let’s say regrettable and caricature-ish acting. But this isn’t really a knock on the film, it just amounts to ‘In the Mouth of Madness’ being a product of its time. Bad effects with noticeable seams – and lighting in all the wrong places?
Simply a bygone relic to be treasured!
Don’t call me a B-movie apologist because that I am not. ‘In the Mouth of Madness’ just happens to shine despite its failings.
Oh, shit, almost forgot.
Sutter Cane is essentially a stand-in for Stephen King as he and John Carpenter had a slight rivalry, stemming from King’s dissatisfaction with Carpenter’s adaptation of ‘Christine’.
You’d know this if you read the tabloids. Which I do.
I’m done, Google it.
‘Til next time dear reader.
May the spirits be scared all the way back to whence they came.
Rating 7.5/10
HAPPY ALL HALLOW’S EVE
