In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
(Second viewing, On DVD, September 2022) I had been waiting a while to revisit In the Mouth of Madness. My first viewing, back in 1994, was almost accidental: My friends were going to the movies and I didn’t want to see the one they were going to, so I picked the most interesting thing on the schedule. It’s fair to say that my mind was blown by the end of that accidental viewing—the combination of apocalyptic horror, Lovecraftian horror and metafictional playfulness (all at a time when such things weren’t as popular in pop-culture) had me raving about the result for a while. I bought the DVD around 2010 when the area’s Blockbusters shut down, but didn’t watch it until now—probably because it became one of my “break glass in case of emergency” films lurking on my shelves, just waiting for an ideal occasion. Well, such “ideal occasion” stuff is counterproductive: Every day you’re alive is an ideal occasion. I’m not sure what pushed me (maybe the thought that there wasn’t a review of the film on this site), but I dared revisit In the Mouth of Madness. Would it be as good as the first time? Would it have aged well in a century of commodified spectacle? I shouldn’t have doubted: sure, In the Mouth of Madness has its rough moments: some of the early-digital special effects aren’t that special anymore, and you can imagine that the apocalypse presented in the film’s final act would have been far more expansive at a time of cheap CGI. But director John Carpenter (working from a good script by Michael de Luca) makes the last of his great movies here: a nightmare given form in deliciously playful way, with reality blending with dreams and fiction in a deliriously fun way. There’s a solid cast of characters as well: Sam Neill headlines as a private investigator asked to find a missing horror writer, but there are noted moments for Julie Carmen, David Warner, Jürgen Prochnow, Bernie Casey and Charlton Heston as well. But it’s really the script that shines here. Yes, I could think of a few ways to make it better (more New-Englandish, anyway, and far more horrifying toward the end), but as a completed piece of work there’s not a lot to dislike about In the Mouth of Madness. Like a lot of films that I loved upon theatrical release despite lukewarm reviews, I’m happy to note that its reputation has considerably improved over the years—it remains a solid, unconventional horror film well worth tracking down. I’ve trodden light on plot spoilers because part of the appeal of the film is how it turns narrative inside-out. Track it down and watch it: you shouldn’t regret it.