Movie Review: John Carpenter's in the Mouth of Madness

In The Mouth Of Madness stars Sam Neil as John Trent who is an insurance investigator. John Trent is a straight man who is always looking for the con with anything he comes across so when he's hired to find a best selling horror author he immediately figures it's a scam to sell more books, but he goes along with it to see where it leads. Before John leaves for his search of the author he's told that the author Sutter Cane's (Jurgen Prochnow) work has been known to have an affect on his less stable readers. This information comes to Trent just as violence has broken out across the country, but the authorities have no idea what is causing these terrible acts so Trent figures the story is a bunch of bull to drum up more interest in the author's new book.

John Trent leaves the city in the company of a woman (Julie Carmen), they head to a small New England town (Hobb's End) that Trent believes the publisher has set up as a kind of publicity stunt. When they start searching the town weird things begin to happen, and our two hero's figure out that what is happening to them is exactly what is in Sutter Cane's new book. Trent tries to rationalize the whole thing believing that it's all just a hoax, but as things get weirder, and the horror of the town begins to get to John Trent things begin to spiral out of control.

John finds out that he is a messenger for Sutter Cane, and that he was created by Sutter Cane to deliver his new book, or what he calls the new Bible. Cane promises that his new book will drive people insane, and as Trent escapes from the small town we find out that Cane was right, and the world has turned into a dark place filled with nasty creatures.

Sam Neil is terrific as the straight-laced John Trent, and as his mental stability deteriorates Sam makes John a wild man out of his mind, or is he? The rest of the cast does great work here as well with Charlton Heston, John Glover, Jurgen Prochnow, and Julie Carmen.

John Carpenter has made many classic horror, and science fiction films in the past, and this is another one to add to the list. Carpenter directs the movie with his firm handed style, and reminds us why he's one of the master's of horror.