In the Mouth of Madness (1995)
74%RT Audience Score: 73%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win & 4 nominations
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
In the Mouth of Madness is like a rollercoaster ride that takes you through the depths of insanity and back. John Carpenter’s horror masterpiece is a must-watch for any Lovecraft fan or anyone who wants to experience a truly terrifying movie. The special effects are mind-blowing, the plot is twisted, and the scares are real. Just make sure you have a nightlight handy after watching this one!
Production Company(ies)
Walter Shenson Films, Proscenium Films,
Distributor
New Line Home Video [us], New Line Cinema
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Cathedral of the Transfiguration, Markham, Ontario, Canada
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for images of horror, and for language
Year of Release
1995
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby SRDTS
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 35m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Feb 3, 1995 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 8, 2000
Genre(s)
Horror
Keyword(s)
starring Sam Neill, Julie Carmen, Jürgen Prochnow, Charlton Heston, David Warner, John Glover, directed by John Carpenter, written by Michael De Luca, horror, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Jonathan Rosenbaum, Sheila Johnston, Chris Stuckmann, Lisa Schwarzbaum, Nick Schager, Almar Haflidason, Matt Brunson, Michelle Kisner, Molly Henery, David Nusair, Sean Fennessey, Sean Mulvihill, Stephen King, H.P Lovecraft, insurance investigator, missing novelist, supernatural town, New Hampshire, meta-horror, reality, nightmares, manuscript, publisher, insurance claim, editor, MPAA rating R, Sandy King, New Line Home Video, New Line Cinema, Surround, Stereo
Worldwide gross: $8,924,549
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $17,548,875
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,758
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,913,727
US/Canada gross: $8,924,549
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $17,548,875
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,453
US/Canada opening weekend: $3,441,807
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $6,767,831
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,043
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $8,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $15,730,879
Production budget ranking: 1,495
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $8,471,078
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$6,653,082
ROI to date (est.): -27%
ROI ranking: 1,549
Julie Carmen – Linda Styles
Jürgen Prochnow – Sutter Cane
Charlton Heston – Jackson Harglow
David Warner – Dr. Wrenn
John Glover – Saperstein
Director(s)
John Carpenter
Writer(s)
Michael De Luca
Producer(s)
Sandy King
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 4 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (45) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (26) | Rotten (19)
In the Mouth of Madness isn’t John Carpenter’s best horror movie to date, but it may well be his scariest.
June 7, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
This is one of those self- referential horror movies that gets buried alive in an avalanche of clever special effects and an incredible imploding plot.
March 29, 2019
Sheila Johnston
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The most simplified stories are often the best ones…it’s not just an entertaining Twilight Zone-esque film, you can really tell that Carpenter and De Luca were trying to create something different.
November 2, 2018 | Rating: A
Chris Stuckmann
ChrisStuckmann.com
TOP CRITIC
September 7, 2011 | Rating: C
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
Finely attuned to the disquieting realm of the irrational.
April 22, 2010 | Rating: B
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness
TOP CRITIC
This is terror at its most delicious.
July 25, 2001 | Rating: 4/5
Almar Haflidason
BBC.com
TOP CRITIC
While it’s more ambitious than most Carpenter works from this period, it’s not any more satisfying.
June 7, 2021 | Rating: 2/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
This is one of the best Lovecraft adaptations committed to film and it’s not even based on any of his works!
November 6, 2018
Michelle Kisner
The Movie Sleuth
In the Mouth of Madness is another marvelous work of art by John Carpenter, albeit a lesser known work.
November 2, 2018 | Rating: 9/10
Molly Henery
The Blogging Banshee
Filmmaker Carpenter, working from Michael De Luca’s screenplay, kicks John Carpenter’s In the Mouth of Madness with a striking (and engrossing) in-media-res opening that immediately captures the viewer’s interest and attention…
November 1, 2018 | Rating: 3/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
[The] movie has a lot to say about the dangers of cultural obsession and what happens when you give yourself over to the creators you idolize.
October 29, 2018
Sean Fennessey
The Ringer
We’ve all seen monsters and murders on the screen before, but what’s terrifying is not understanding the very nature of the reality that you occupy.
October 29, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Sean Mulvihill
FanboyNation.com…
Plot
With the disappearance of hack horror writer Sutter Cane, all Hell is breaking loose…literally! Author Cane, it seems, has a knack for description that really brings his evil creepy-crawlies to life. Insurance investigator John Trent is sent to investigate Cane’s mysterious vanishing act and ends up in the sleepy little East Coast town of Hobb’s End. The fact that this town exists as a figment of Cane’s twisted imagination is only the beginning of Trent’s problems.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film stars Sam Neill, Julie Carmen, Jürgen Prochnow, and Charlton Heston.
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