Rating: 
Summary: A Potrait Of A World Gone Mad!
Review: "Reality is just what we tell each other it is."
That is the premise of this movie, and an interesting one at that. What happens when the insane outnumber the sane? It's all shown very well in the movie. Loosely based on H.P. Lovecraft' life more than his works. (The rumor about him was that he actually BELIEVED that the things he wrote about were real.) Makes me wonder what would have happened if he was as popular as Stephen King. It's a movie that messes with your head and confronts you with those types of scenarios more than bombard you with gruesome effects and things that jump out at you. Should keep you thinking about reality and fantasy (and the thin line between them) long after you've seen it.The only bad thing about the DVD is commentary with John Carpenter and the cinematographer (Gary Kibbe). Basically all it has is 95 minutes of John interviewing Gary about the lighting used in each and every scene. Very disappointing and extremely boring with the same questions asked and answered over and over and over....etc.
Rating:
Summary: COOL CARPENTER MOVIE
Review: This review contains some slight spoilers. Many people say thatJohn Carpenter does either GREAT or VERY BAD films. I think his only two duds were Escape from LA and Village of the Damned. But he is one of my two fave directors (David Lynch is the other) and this is one of his best movies. It may seem confusing at first but trust me...it does make sense. The premise of this film fascinates me. What happens when the line between fantasy and reality disappears and creatures from fiction can exist in the real world? Wow! This makes the basis of a totally cool movie. John Carpenter always used 2.35:1 photography and in this film we get a screen filled with creepy imagery and cool locations. The film was shot entirely in Canada in 1993 and was released in 1995. It is set basically in the city and in the fictional town of Hobbs End. Some dark magick/logic at work methinks. This is definitely a horror film for the thinking audience. If you like your horror deep, intriguing and downbeat without being depressing...you'll LOVE this one. The DVD is in Dolby 5.1 and is anamorphically enhanced at 2.35:1. END
Rating:
Summary: Great Horror
Review: This movie really grasps at what's truly scary to most people: the fear that you are wrong. This whole story questions everything this one man thinks he knows and then in the end tells him he is wrong.
The movie has some violence, but it isn't gorry or graphic to any extreme. There are a few moments of "jumpy" horror, but most of it is more intellectual or at least ideas that are frightening. This may sound stupid to some, but I think its a much more frightening horror because it stays with you and you tend to think about it more than just something jumping out in front of you which you can blow off after you've seen the movie.
This movie stays with you and can even make you think about your very of existence if you watch it late at night when you're really tired and have drank too much.
Rating: 
Summary: Lovecraft tribute easy to love.
Review: In the Mouth of Madness was one of the better movies John Carpenter put out in the 1990s. Fraud investigator Sam Neill is sent out to look for mega-bestselling horror writer Sutter Caine (Jurgen Prochnow) to insure that the author's hotly anticipated new novel, In the Mouth of Madness, is released on time. Neill believes it's just a publicity stunt, especially when he figures out the way to Cane's supposed fictional community of Hobb's End. But Hobb's End isn't real, it isn't a mock community built as a tourist attraction, and, most importantly, Cane's novels about the returning Elder Gods aren't really fiction at all... In the Mouth of Madness is, at times, witty as well as scary. It features some of Carpenter's best direction, a great performance by Sam Neill, and a nifty supporting cast (both Bernie Casey and Charlton Heston along with Carpenter Alumni David Warner and Peter Jason), not to mention a creepy score and sound design. On the downside, Michael DeLuca's script has some serious narrative flaws (POV changes in first person narrative flashback structure?), but it's nothing serious. Fans of either/both Carpenter and Lovecraft will find plenty to enjoy, but it should really be seen in the widescreen format for full effect. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: One of Carpenter's best, for a while anyway...
Review: Most John Carpenter fans were pleased with this 1995 horror/thriller that really delivers until the last half hour or so. Sam Neil (he's great in this role) plays John Trent, an insurance investigator in the looney bin telling his story to David Warner. Turns out poor old John was hired by Charlton Heston to find a missing Stephen King-esque horror author named Sutter Cane (played convincingly by Jurgen Pronchow). It leads him to the supposedly fictional town of Hobbs End, and what he finds is a town full of whacked out locales and resulting murder, mayhem, and standard John Carpenter thrills, chills, and spills. The direction is nearly flawless, maybe some of Carpenter's best, but towards the last half hour the movie wears down and the storyline wears thin, leaving you asking "Why the...?" rather than leaving you on the edge of your seat. The ending is a bit of a letdown too, and could have been done a lot better, but other than that, this is one of John Carpenter's better movies of late, and I recommend it to anyone who digs horror movies.
Rating:
Summary: A minor masterpiece
Review: As stated, not based on an actual Lovecraft tale, but - nevetheless - "In the Mouth of Madness" must rank as one of the finest exercises in Lovecraftian terror ever committed to celluloid. It's mercifully free of the gibberish that accompanies many Lovecraftian imitations (the so-called 'Cthulhu Mythos')because John Carpenter is more interested in taking the central concepts from Lovecraft's best tales and putting his own unique spin on them. The result is a film that is genuinely scary, beautifully filmed and full of images that will remain with you long after you've switched the DVD player off. Everyone involved seems to be giving their best, and the results speak for themselves. A criminally underrated gem that by rights should be in everyone's list of favourite horror films!
Rating:
Summary: Great work by Carpenter and Cast
Review: Before I get into my review of the film itself, let me say that one of the other reviewers is quite correct. The commentary on this DVD is hands-down the most mind-numbing exercise in boredom ever. "So, you used a soft focus back lighting here to deepen the shadows, right?" "yep". Not a real quote from the commentary, but it gives you a taste of the tedious nature of their conversation. The movie, on the otherhand is anything but boring. I had been a Carpenter fan for quite some time when I went to see this in the theater. Most of Carpenter's films seemed to be centered around a certain atmosphere. IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS is wrapped around a concept. If enough people believe something, does it become reality? Sam Neill plays John Trent, an insurance investigator who specializes in smoking out con artists. He is hired to find Sutter Cane (played with relish by Jurgen Prochnow), the world's leading author. The search leads to a town that shouldn't exist; Hobb's End, a town featured prominently in Sutter Cane's books. What follows is a mixture of John Carpenter atmosphere, H.P. Lovecraftian madness, and deep concepts. Even if you don't want to think that much, you can still enjoy the film for it's terrifying beauty, disturbing images, and great performances by a fine cast that includes Charlton Heston and Bernie Casey. Although not taken directly from any one H.P. Lovecraft story, the locations and creatures are probably the best depiction of Cthulhu-type content ever filmed. Even the title of the movie sounds very much like "In The Mountains of Madness", a Lovecraft story. It does a fine job of honoring Lovecraft's work without copying any of his ideas directly. If I was grading the film by itself it would definately get 5 stars, but I am rating the DVD as a whole. I must take off a star for the horrible commentary track. The DVD comes in a paper case with a plastic snap lock. Hopefully someone will release a deluxe edition of this picture and add some meaty extras, but until then, get this DVD if you enjoy a good scare. One of John Carpenter's last truly scary films. An all-around gem.
Rating:
Summary: You want to know about them?
Review: Sam Neill plays John Trent,an insurance investigator looking for a real challenge,after being attacked by a madman with an axe John is assigned to find Sutter Cane,the world's most popular horror writer,whose fans are so faithful and obsessive they cause riots on the book stores that haven't received his new book,In the Mouth of Madness,neither have the publishers"What about Stephen King?""Forget about King,Cane outsells them all."Trent,with Cane's book covers,makes a map and pinpoints the location of Cane's fiction city,Hobb's End.Trent along with Cane's editor travel to Hobb's End,seeing some preety creepy stuff in the way.They finally arrive to the strange town,which becomes more bizarre as time passes.Most underrated film which thanks to those damn critics kept people away from the box office.Awesome movie,directing,performances,but a disappointing ending,what I mean,sit back and enjoy the ride.
Rating:
Summary: scariest movie i have ever seen.... period!
Review: Let me start off by saying that I have seen this movie 7 times and it scares the crap out of me every time I see it. The movie centers around an insurance (...)named John Trent. He is hired by the world's best selling author, Sutter Cane's publishing company to investigate Cane's sudden dissapearance. Trent, who is always looking for a rational explanation, thinks this is a publicity stunt. He picks up some of Cane's books and uses pieces of the covers as puzzle pieces which form New Hampshire. He then notices in all the books they talk about a town called Hobb's End. He and Canes editor go searching for this "fake" town but soon find it much more than fake. I won't give away anything else so go buy the movie, you won't be dissapointed! By the way, is it just me or are the scenes with the kid/old man on the bike quite possibly the scariest scenes ever in a horror movie?
Rating:
Summary: A minor masterpiece
Review: As stated, not based on an actual Lovecraft tale, but - nevetheless - "In the Mouth of Madness" must rank as one of the finest exercises in Lovecraftian terror ever committed to celluloid. It's mercifully free of the gibberish that accompanies many Lovecraftian imitations (the so-called 'Cthulhu Mythos')because John Carpenter is more interested in taking the central concepts from Lovecraft's best tales and putting his own unique spin on them. The result is a film that is genuinely scary, beautifully filmed and full of images that will remain with you long after you've switched the DVD player off. Everyone involved seems to be giving their best, and the results speak for themselves. A criminally underrated gem that by rights should be in everyone's list of favourite horror films!
| 
