In the Mouth of Madness

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In the Mouth of Madness

R

1995

1h 35m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

61%

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57 Reviews

73%

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10,000+ Ratings

When horror novelist Sutter Cane (Jürgen Prochnow) goes missing, insurance investigator John Trent (Sam Neill) scrutinizes the claim made by his publisher, Jackson Harglow (Charlton Heston), and endeavors to retrieve a yet-to-be-released manuscript and ascertain the writer's whereabouts. Accompanied by the novelist's editor, Linda Styles (Julie Carmen), and disturbed by nightmares from reading Cane's other novels, Trent makes an eerie nighttime trek to a supernatural town in New Hampshire.

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Critics Consensus

If it fails to make the most of its intriguing premise, In the Mouth of Madness remains a decent enough diversion for horror fans and John Carpenter completists.

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Ryan Gilbey

Independent (UK)

Jul 16, 2026

John Carpenter makes a partial return to form with this eerie horror.

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Jake Cole

Slant Magazine

Oct 13, 2025

With 1994’s In the Mouth of Madness, John Carpenter again drew on cosmic horror traditions, like he did for The Thing and Prince of Darkness, but ramped up the metatextual vibes.

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Adrian Martin

The Age (Australia)

Mar 2, 2024

Carpenter's work with music and sound design has never been so radical and the film's set pieces are breathtakingly executed.

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Bryce Hanson

Horror Movie Talk

Jul 22, 2026

7/10

The idea takes center stage and isn’t handled preciously. It presents itself as a cool thing and lets the audience take a little ride without delving deep into the psychological or taking itself too seriously. Kind of like a Stephen King novel actually.

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

Jul 15, 2026

It’s a movie with more promising (if borrowed) ideas than it can comfortably develop in 95 minutes, on probably a tighter budget than would have been ideal. Still, Carpenter and his cast seem to be enjoying themselves, and the viewer will too.

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John Scalzi

Fresno Bee

Jun 9, 2026

B-

Carpenter's directorial panache makes the material seem fresh, even when it's not.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 9, 2026

This movie = a 3.5 star Movie

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B P

@Bradster69 Sep 4, 2026

Definitely Recommend It

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Tomek D

@SzybkiSeans Sep 1, 2026

W paszczy szaleństwa zaczyna się jak historia o zaginionym pisarzu, a kończy pytaniem, czy cokolwiek, co właśnie obejrzeliśmy, było w ogóle prawdziwe. John Trent jest idealnym bohaterem takiej historii. To cynik i sceptyk, zawodowo zajmujący się wykrywaniem oszustw. Nie wierzy w duchy, potwory ani zjawiska paranormalne. Przede wszystkim nie wierzy ludziom. A potem trafia do miejsca, które nie powinno istnieć, i krok po kroku odkrywa, że rzeczywistość może być czymś znacznie mniej trwałym, niż mu się wydawało. Carpenter bierze tutaj lovecraftowski horror i robi z nim coś kapitalnego. Potwory nie potrzebują portalu do naszego świata. Nie potrzebują armii ani żadnego wielkiego rytuału. Potrzebują… wydawcy. Im więcej ludzi czyta książki Suttera Cane'a, tym więcej osób wierzy w opisany przez niego świat. A im więcej ludzi w niego wierzy, tym bardziej staje się on prawdziwy.

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Zachary S

@Zach154 Aug 20, 2026

Getting to see this film on the big screen for the first viewing was beautiful. Rest in peace Sam Neill your final scene inside the cinema for this film was glorious.

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Blobbo X

@Blobbo Aug 4, 2026

Stylish with scares make Blobbo jump two times. Interesting story. A little thrown together feeling. Not terrible.

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Tim M

@tgmacman Jul 26, 2026

While its literary inspirations make for some memorable visuals, In the Mouth of Madness and its scary story is hardly a page-turner.

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John Carpenter

Director

Sam Neill

John Trent

Julie Carmen

Linda Styles

Jürgen Prochnow

Sutter Cane

Charlton Heston

Jackson Harglow

David Warner

Dr. Wrenn

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Synopsis

When horror novelist Sutter Cane (Jürgen Prochnow) goes missing, insurance investigator John Trent (Sam Neill) scrutinizes the claim made by his publisher, Jackson Harglow (Charlton Heston), and endeavors to retrieve a yet-to-be-released manuscript and ascertain the writer's whereabouts. Accompanied by the novelist's editor, Linda Styles (Julie Carmen), and disturbed by nightmares from reading Cane's other novels, Trent makes an eerie nighttime trek to a supernatural town in New Hampshire.

Director: John Carpenter
Producer: Sandy King
Screenwriter: Michael De Luca
Distributor: New Line Home Video [us], New Line Cinema
Production Co: New Line Cinema
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 3, 1995, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $8.9M
Runtime: 1h 35m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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