Totally underrated gem of a movie. The "blue" bus scene is great, and when Trent sees the unspeakable horrors rising from the abyss and chase him, that is truly terrifying. I love the ending with Trent watching the movie and laughing!!
@@-Zakhiel- I felt like Kaufman assumed everyone would want to be a character in one of his films so he just talked to them about movies until he was sure everyone was equally uncomfortable. Carpenter was like, if you want to be in one of my films I'm gonna make it a psychological Lovecraftian cosmic nightmare and rub your nose in it the entire time.
Very few films that try successfully capture that "red, carnivorous and indifferent cosmos stepping on the uncomprehending ants we are, and there's nothing you can do about it but descend into madness and despair" feeling, but this one comes damnably close.
I think there's a few that do really well. I enjoy From Beyond and Re-Animator quite a bit. But, yeah, lots of movies fail miserably at translating Lovecraft to screen.
It’s the complete incomprehensible descent into madness told through the eyes of an unreliable narrator. That’s what this movie does and all other adaptations do not.
I think probably because it's not a straight adaptation of any of his works, so it works better as an adaptation of his work. If that makes any sense at all?
It's a sad truth, but John hasn't made a good movie since this one. That being said, his filmography from Assault on Precinct 13 to In the Mouth of Madness it's without a doubt one of my favorites of all time.
Event Horizon was actually Paul W.S. Anderson wanting to do a Warhammer 40k movie, and getting turned down by Games Workshop. Many people consider it to be a noncanonical story of the first time that humans in the Warhammer 40k universe encountered the Warp.
@@elijahbigsby4154 I think that's an urban-legend; I don't recall PWSA ever saying that GW turned him down. I *do* recall PWSA outright saying he was a WH40k fanboi and that the Warp "inspired" him - i.e., he set out to do a Warp movie to the furthest extent legally possible. And of course you are right that pretty much all WH40k readers and fans agree that Event Horizon is canon; although the GW writers cannot legally cite Event Horizon directly.
I read that as 'Robert Jordan' and it pretty much triggered Sam Neill scream from me (let's just say that i found the Wheel of Time be very close to: "The definition of 'insanity' is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.")
Ready for a story about this movie - As a Carpenter fan, and of Sam I desperately wanted to see this movie. Went to the cinema about 30km away to see it. Park my motor bike in an under ground car park and go in. Cinema is completely empty. Watch film alone, scared out of my wits. Film ends with the scene of Sam watching the movie in an empty cinema, going mad. I get up, totally shaken and disturbed and make my way to my bike. There it is, on its stand, in a completely barren concrete wasteland, directly underneath a solitary light source. That was probably the longest 30m I’ve ever walked. I relived that movie about three times over before I managed to get on it and ride out of there.
I saw the movie in a completely empty cinema too. Best way to see these things mate! I didn't find the movie as scary as Prince of Darkness, that one def would have freaked me out.
@@kowalski-turniton6704 A friend of mine rates that as well. I've never actually seen it myself. If you like that sort of movie 'The devil' is a modern film well done. Otherwise it's 'The Omen' for me.
“Every species can smell its own extinction. The last ones left won't have a pretty time with it. In ten years, maybe less, the human race will just be a bedtime story for their children. A myth, nothing more.” I love the ending, especially the popcorn.
Think about the last person who was the last living member of a dead religion, 3,000 years ago the holocaust put against the Canaanites for worshipping Ashura, there had to be one last Ashurian worshiper in denial that this was the end for their religion as they were executed by the Yahwists. I wonder what it will be like for the last religious believer in god when the world moves past believing in gods and dieties and embrace rationalism and athiesm, if you were the last muslim left int he world would you still beleive when no one else in the world did?
@@bryanneideffer6368 yep and that one got me the most. The guy had no control over what he was doing and on top of that he couldn’t stop-absolute torture
"Did I ever tell you my favourite colour is blue" - that line/scene always pops into my head when you have those early winter mornings and everything is bathed in a blue tone. Great film and a reminder of what Carpenter could deliver when he had the passion to do so.
"A reality is just what we tell each other it is. Sane and insane could easily switch places and if the insane were to become the majority....you would find yourself locked in a padded cell, wondering what happened to the world" Our society in 2021
There's an old story about a kingdom where everyone was happy and prosperous because of their wise king, when a witch decides to poison the only well in town with a potion. The potion drives everyone in town mad except for the king, who was fasting that day. All the madmen in town were furious with how terrible the king now seemed... and in the end, the king, being quite wise, drank the water himself, becoming as mad as they were and restoring the kingdom to happiness.
Something about that movie, it just sets the mood and it keeps building onto that foundation with unease and creepyness until the end. Leaving you shaken and disturbed.
As someone who has loved both this film, and Prince of Darkness since I was very young, thank you for giving this underappreciated gem some of the recognition it deserves.
@@AReallyLongAndUnremakableUser I couldn't agree more! That film is dripping with atmosphere, helped massively with one of my favourite Carpenter scores.
I literally watched this for the first time yesterday. Holy shit I thought the Thing was John's best work but man I have to say the mouth if madness is now my favorite of his works.
Just got it blu ray. Sam is incredible and it has tons of memorable scenes. Carpenter's last really good film. "I think, therefore you are," delivered by Prochnow was probably my favorite line. That was when you realize, there was never a chance the hero could have won.
John Carpenter is one of the greats. The sort we don't seem to see nowadays. He is a legend in his own right and bar the odd blip in his filmography he has created some of the best horror and sci-fi films going. I agree with some commentators that this film was his best before things weren't as great (Village of the Damned, Vampires, Ghosts of Mars, Escape from L.A......need to watch The Ward again to give it a fair shot). I never get tired of watching a JC film regardless of how often I have watched it. Even his TV movies were good films. Barring the classics I have a really fond spot for Prince of Darkness. Damn that film is creepy and atmospheric and bloody good horror. Let's not forget Starman and Christine which get overlooked (Starman is fantastic). We don't need another JC film. His legacy is in place and what a legacy. Thank you John Carpenter!
I loved this film. No dependence on cheap jump scares. The scene with the boy on the bike trying to escape the town and each time he’s seen he’s older. The detached feeling of the world coming apart that genuinely makes the viewer feel what Trent feels. The dream like state as things stop being logical and the severity of his “visions” getting progressively worse. It’s amazing to see it and the ending by far is the most horrifying thing to behold. The realization that he was doomed from the beginning. The realization that there is a god and his only reason for creating you was for his own sick games. The last of his sanity collapses and all he can do is laugh in an empty theater as he sees the events play out on screen. Be it real or just in his head, Trent is lost to the abyss.
The H.P. Lovecraft influence on John Carpenter for this movie is absolutely spot on! "The Thing" was based on John Campbell's, "Who Goes There?" which itself was based on, "At the Mountains of Madness" by Lovecraft. In this movie, the cursed New England town, reading a book that drives you insane, creatures from the other side summoned by a mad wizard to sow madness and death, and the unspeakable tentacled body horror are all elements from Lovecraft's amazing work. ;)
Drinker, you have finally become my fave. Cause I adore this film. This is for my money his best quality film. A slow build and carefully revealed nightmare that unfolds into itself. I'll never understand why it premiere so low at box office. It was a kick ass time
This is truly the best Lovecraftian movie that was never written or based on any of his work, and to this day, one of the best horror movies of all time.
Yes! This is my favorite Carpenter movie, edging out The Thing due to its prophetic and on point social analysis. As a rational person I really identify with Sam Neill's character as he confronts a world in which the world's turn to insanity makes him the abnormal, insane person. My response to a conversation with someone if it turns wing-nutty is, "Sorry, I don't read Sutter Cane."
One of the best HP Lovecraft movies even though it's not a Lovecraft story. Sam Neil plays his role perfectly and sells the absurd situations he is in with perfect sincerity.
I saw this, in the theaters….during my freshman year in college. Some parts were silly. But (like most of John Carpenter’s classics)….it still entertained & disturbed me. LONG LIVE GENERATION X!! [That goes for you, too….Mr. Critical Drinker ]
"The Town of Hob's End" Only just twigged that this was probably a reference to to Hob's Lane from "Quatermass and the Pit", a great quasi-Lovecraftian work in itself.
Not surprising, since JC is a huge fan of Nigel Kneale's Quatermass saga just like me! He even merged the themes of QUATERMASS AND THE PIT and THE STONE TAPE and used "Martin Quatermass" as his screenwriting credit for that film, and even had one of the main characters wear a sweater with KNEALE on it. THEY LIVE I think borrowed a lot from QUATERMASS II.
What's really interesting about this movie is that it tackles the concept of belief and its influence on society at a massive scale. One of the characters remarks that Kane's work has out-sold the Bible, and Kane himself reveals that this paradigm shift essentially allows him to transcend humanity and control reality. Kane then suggests that the Great Old Ones were telling him what to write all along. These themes are present in Lovecraft as well (among others). They parallel the influence of Christianity on the pagan world, something we take for granted.
Are you listening to Blank Check? They'll be covering this beauty in a few weeks, as they're covering Carpenter. I still remember going to the cinema to see it, drawn in by Sam Niell after his brilliant Event Horizon performance.
Man, now I want to watch this again. I'm sure I watched it in the theater and not since. Bottom's Up, Drinker. You've scored another hit with this one.
I remember seeing this movie in the theater when I was a kid. When those credits rolled at the end... Absolute stunned, terrified silence. One of my absolute favorites.
Carpenter's episode from Masters of Horror - Cigarette Burns, was by far the best in the series. It has some of the In The Mouth Of Madness or Polanski's The Ninth Gate vibe.
The Ninth Gate I thought was fantastic, even though the ending was a little lackluster. But I loved Langella’s quote, “There’s nothing i trust more than a man whose loyalty can be bought with cold hard cash.” 😁
@Anoneemus Noename It was indeed the most disturbing to watch, since it was torture porn. But I prefer by far Cigarette Burns, which has imo a better script.
This movie haunts me in a good way. Me and my mates were out of our heads on acid when we saw it. When we exited the theater there was an absolute torrent of rain coming down and the sky looked primed for a proper apocalypse.
I remember seeing this at the theater as a teenager and liking it a lot and being freaked out by it. I barely remember it though. I may have to go back and watch this again.
Definitely one of my favorite John Carpenter movies. Sam Neil is one of those actors who can really master the over the top acting required of a man who is going off the deep end with a rocket strapped to his back.
In The Mouth of Madness is one of those movies from Carpenter that I never saw until many years after it came out. I finally watched it when it got a special edition Blu-ray release from Scream Factory. That disc is worth it for a fan of the movie, it has some interesting special features including 2 commentaries from Carpenter where he gives plenty of insights into the making of the film as well as some other interviews with famed special effects man Greg Nicotero and others. There's a cool featurette (part of an ongoing series called Horror's Hallowed Grounds) where Sean Clarke goes to the original shooting locations for the movie. It's got the original trailer and TV commercials for the movie too. Plus the transfer is a brand new 4K scan that looks great.
I already thought Sam Neill was a boss actor based on his efforts in Hunt For Red October and Jurassic Park, but between this film and Event Horizon, he really set himself apart as a horror actor I haven't seen it since it was new, but from my hazy memory he practically carried the movie
Damn, I missed this review. One of my all time favorite films! Carpenter, Neil, and Lovecraft... can't go wrong! Oh, and a little Chuck Heston thrown in for fun!
Never even heard of this or knew of this “trilogy” but The Thing is one of my all time favorites. I’ve basically given up on the Horror genre so I’m so excited to have 2 movies that are new to me for this season!
One of my favourite horrors of all time! That scene with the cyclist in the dark.... BEYOND creepy!! With this and Event Horizon, Sam Neill quickly became my go to horror guy of the mid 90s!
I agree whole heartedly. I absolutely LOVE 'Cube'. I watched it again recently and it holds up well imho, and I think that the sequel Hyper-Cube is decent, and the prequel 'Cube Zero' is also worthwhile. But 'Cube' was something special, for sure. This movie (mouth of madness), Event Horizon, Cube, Scanners 2 and 'Pin' are all part of my 'most underrated great movies' list.
I try and get everyone I know to watch this movie once. It's always been a great film, but nowadays it feels like we live in a world where Sutter Cane had access to twitter so it is even more relevant.
Funny how one of my favorite Lovecraft movies isn't an adaptation of one of his stories. This is also possibly the last good John Carpenter movie ever made.
One of THE MOVIES defining my teenage perception of what was a good horror movie. While BBQing with friends in the countryside into late evenings, we would often joke about driving to nearest shop to get more booze and seeing a lone man on a bike in the dark, saying that "they won't let him out". Classic!
I really like the 2001 Dagon, as far as lovecraft adaptations go. A little heavy on the gore and a couple really cheesy effects, but besides that, one of those I enjoy the most.
I'm not sure how I missed this movie... I literally have never heard of this movie. I have to figure out why that is... In any event I'm renting it tonight! Thanks for the review!!
No lie, I treat the Harry Potter IP as if it was "In the Mouth of Madness" within this movie. I have never read a sentence of the books nor watched a line of dialogue of the movies. I joke that I am preventing unspeakable horrors from entering our dimension by doing so.
@@EndOfSmallSanctuary97 That it's the only reason I wouldn't forget it. The movie is really bad and extremely forgettable. Not even so bad it's good kind of stuff.
Classic, loved it back in 95 and again Sam Neil in Event Horizon. I was watching the film by myself on video at home at about 11pm. As soon as the old kid rode away on the bike I started looking over my shoulders and turning on lights
What is with the hate for Ghosts of Mars??? Not a great movie by any definition, just a fun action movie. And it has one of Carpenter's greatest characters, Jason Statham's Jericho Butler. That character is a legend! Surrounded by flesh-rending evil, he still has it on his to-do list to bang Natasha Henstridge's Lt. Ballard. That would have been a better night than even a private session with Tatiana!
Great idea mired by bad effects which throw most people out of the narrative. I would also have preferred Pam as the lead over Natasha. Carpenter has done a *lot* better before this, so that makes it even harder to watch.
I'm not really into cosmic horror for the most part. I like Larry Correia's action-oriented approach to it, but otherwise I'm sort of meh. However, I really enjoy In the Mouth of Madness almost entirely because of Sam Neil's putting-all-my-chips-in, absolute-devotion-to-the-material approach to it. Well, that and Julie Carmen's spider-walk. Cool stuff, that.
Totally underrated gem of a movie. The "blue" bus scene is great, and when Trent sees the unspeakable horrors rising from the abyss and chase him, that is truly terrifying. I love the ending with Trent watching the movie and laughing!!
The kids getting gradually more disgusting freaked me out, but the horror award goes to the disturbing stuff with Linda.
Blue bus is in two songs by The Doors. I swear Carpenter is a fan. MacReady even looked and acted like Morrison.
@@booshmcfadden7638 I agree. Very disturbing!
John Trent became self-aware.
When the lady reads that monologue from the book while he is staring into the abyss, give me chills Everytime.
“No don’t…”
“I have to. He wrote me this way!”
A truly chilling relationship between the writer and the characters.
I think I love this movie for the same reason I hate "I'm thinking of ending things."
@@rjohnson080 never heard if that movie
@@rjohnson080 I liked "I'm thinking of ending things" :3
@@-Zakhiel- I felt like Kaufman assumed everyone would want to be a character in one of his films so he just talked to them about movies until he was sure everyone was equally uncomfortable. Carpenter was like, if you want to be in one of my films I'm gonna make it a psychological Lovecraftian cosmic nightmare and rub your nose in it the entire time.
"Stranger Than Fiction" (2006) goes along those same lines, but it's a comedy rather than horror.
This is one of the best Lovecraftian films made. In my top 5 best Carpenter movies.
You, Sir, are absolutely correct.
Agreed.
Very few films that try successfully capture that "red, carnivorous and indifferent cosmos stepping on the uncomprehending ants we are, and there's nothing you can do about it but descend into madness and despair" feeling, but this one comes damnably close.
Lovecraft doesn’t translate well to the screen but this is one of the very few adaptations that does a pretty good job
The color from out of space with Nikolas cage is also a great movie in that direction.
I think there's a few that do really well. I enjoy From Beyond and Re-Animator quite a bit. But, yeah, lots of movies fail miserably at translating Lovecraft to screen.
@Albacksen
The CAR....
is not...
...happening... ;)
It’s the complete incomprehensible descent into madness told through the eyes of an unreliable narrator. That’s what this movie does and all other adaptations do not.
I think probably because it's not a straight adaptation of any of his works, so it works better as an adaptation of his work. If that makes any sense at all?
I always wondered where the Sam Neil bus scream came from, appreciate it Drinker 🍻
Me too.
I always thought it was from a comedy lol. Like Trains, planes et al
John Carpenter needs to direct one more film, he cannot go out on that list thing he did. He is one of the best. Mouth of Madness was fucking amazing.
Ghosts of Mars was mint wot u on about m8. 😂
@@fidelio9301 More like mint chocolate. Which is disgusting.
It's a sad truth, but John hasn't made a good movie since this one. That being said, his filmography from Assault on Precinct 13 to In the Mouth of Madness it's without a doubt one of my favorites of all time.
@@iona2225 I agree I was being facetious. It’s absolute garbage.
Vampires and Cigarette Burns are damn good films from Carpenter post In the Mouth of Madness
In The Mouth of Madness and Event Horizon are two of my favourite horror movies
And they are both nods to HP Lovercraft
Event Horizon was actually Paul W.S. Anderson wanting to do a Warhammer 40k movie, and getting turned down by Games Workshop. Many people consider it to be a noncanonical story of the first time that humans in the Warhammer 40k universe encountered the Warp.
@@elijahbigsby4154 damn, seriously? Im big Warhammer fan and it blowed my mind actually
Amen to that.
And both films have epic Sam Neill screams lmao
@@elijahbigsby4154 I think that's an urban-legend; I don't recall PWSA ever saying that GW turned him down.
I *do* recall PWSA outright saying he was a WH40k fanboi and that the Warp "inspired" him - i.e., he set out to do a Warp movie to the furthest extent legally possible.
And of course you are right that pretty much all WH40k readers and fans agree that Event Horizon is canon; although the GW writers cannot legally cite Event Horizon directly.
*Stumbles up to a stranger and drunkenly slurrs out the question: "Do you read Will Jordan?"
I read that as 'Robert Jordan' and it pretty much triggered Sam Neill scream from me (let's just say that i found the Wheel of Time be very close to: "The definition of 'insanity' is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.")
Do you watch The Critical Drinker?
Go away now!
@@syme9925 Do you watch the critical drinker….after hours?
Nah it'll be fine...
The GREATEST love letter to H.P. Lovecraft that surpasses even ReAnimator.
Nothing surpasses Re-Animator!
You forgot Color Out of Space.
From Beyond is pretty good as well.
@@happiness1772 agreed
“Ain’t he the guy who writes that horror crap?”
Ready for a story about this movie - As a Carpenter fan, and of Sam I desperately wanted to see this movie. Went to the cinema about 30km away to see it. Park my motor bike in an under ground car park and go in. Cinema is completely empty. Watch film alone, scared out of my wits. Film ends with the scene of Sam watching the movie in an empty cinema, going mad. I get up, totally shaken and disturbed and make my way to my bike. There it is, on its stand, in a completely barren concrete wasteland, directly underneath a solitary light source. That was probably the longest 30m I’ve ever walked. I relived that movie about three times over before I managed to get on it and ride out of there.
I saw the movie in a completely empty cinema too. Best way to see these things mate! I didn't find the movie as scary as Prince of Darkness, that one def would have freaked me out.
@@kowalski-turniton6704 A friend of mine rates that as well. I've never actually seen it myself. If you like that sort of movie 'The devil' is a modern film well done. Otherwise it's 'The Omen' for me.
And here I thought I was masochistic for watching Paranoia Agent at 3 AM.
Holy fuck hahahaha, that was a funny read about a horror experience.
@@Concreto1984 You should have seen my run up and mount then. Would have given you an aneurysm.
"Anyways, that's all I've got for today...go away now" is still the greatest closing line ever.
Thanks for existing Drinker, we love you.
I'll bet that line wouldn't work on a certain Los Angeles Police Department Lieutenant Detective!
Not that he would be suspicious or anything...
@@IMArtisanX I've got just ooone more thing for today sir
“Every species can smell its own extinction. The last ones left won't have a pretty time with it. In ten years, maybe less, the human race will just be a bedtime story for their children. A myth, nothing more.”
I love the ending, especially the popcorn.
Nice. It'll be a horrific watch.
This film is fascinating to watch. So many neat ideas. Definitely one of John Carpenters greats, maybe his last.
Think about the last person who was the last living member of a dead religion,
3,000 years ago the holocaust put against the Canaanites for worshipping Ashura, there had to be one last Ashurian worshiper in denial that this was the end for their religion as they were executed by the Yahwists.
I wonder what it will be like for the last religious believer in god when the world moves past believing in gods and dieties and embrace rationalism and athiesm, if you were the last muslim left int he world would you still beleive when no one else in the world did?
I'm always spooked by the small number of people off in the background as Trent enters the movie theater. Other survivors with diminishing sanity.
@@chinabluewho That's the power of faith to truly believe no matter the outcome.
"Do you read Sutter Kane?"
The guy saying that sounds like one of the old movie trailer narrators.
"In a world..."
"...where insanity is the new normal, staying sane is a revolutionary act!"
I'm so glad to see someone checking out this hugely underrated classic...
"I'm sorry about the balls! It was a lucky shot, that's all!!!"
Oh, no. Not the Carpenters.
The guy riding the bike is so incredibly unsettling and terrifying
Whole movie had unsettling parts throughout!
@@bryanneideffer6368 yep and that one got me the most. The guy had no control over what he was doing and on top of that he couldn’t stop-absolute torture
The kid on the bike was Hayden Christensen. One of his first roles, I believe.
"i cant get out... he wont let me out...."
"Did I ever tell you my favourite colour is blue" - that line/scene always pops into my head when you have those early winter mornings and everything is bathed in a blue tone. Great film and a reminder of what Carpenter could deliver when he had the passion to do so.
Probably the closest thing we're going to get to a authentic HP Lovecraft movie adaptation.
From beyond was pretty close too.
@@rossegan7244 Not really
The void was pretty good
@@rossegan7244 from beyond is only the same in basic premise. As a Lovecraft adaptation it’s not great.
Color out of space ?
I love how he gets popcorn before watching the movie at the end.
You gotta be comfy while watching the apocalypse!
@@jamesrogers1554 whilst _experiencing_ it
And that popcorn was probably served to him by some tentacled thing. No butter please!
"A reality is just what we tell each other it is. Sane and insane could easily switch places and if the insane were to become the majority....you would find yourself locked in a padded cell, wondering what happened to the world"
Our society in 2021
There's an old story about a kingdom where everyone was happy and prosperous because of their wise king, when a witch decides to poison the only well in town with a potion. The potion drives everyone in town mad except for the king, who was fasting that day. All the madmen in town were furious with how terrible the king now seemed... and in the end, the king, being quite wise, drank the water himself, becoming as mad as they were and restoring the kingdom to happiness.
true story.
i need to book in for a padded cell somewhere.
know any good ones?
@@EvilNecroid Make your own and rent it out! Make it a soundproof Faraday cage, call it the Happy Room, and rent it for $50/hour. Shark Tank it.
@@armchairgravy8224 lol it will probably get crowded
Good job, you completely missed the point of a quote you posted yourself.
Something about that movie, it just sets the mood and it keeps building onto that foundation with unease and creepyness until the end. Leaving you shaken and disturbed.
I KNEW you were gonna cover this one eventually, and favourably so! It's always been a favourite of mine. Such a great overlooked movie.
A most excellent film.
As someone who has loved both this film, and Prince of Darkness since I was very young, thank you for giving this underappreciated gem some of the recognition it deserves.
Prince of darkness shows you can make a scary film, without using violence, damn great ending!
@@AReallyLongAndUnremakableUser I couldn't agree more! That film is dripping with atmosphere, helped massively with one of my favourite Carpenter scores.
@@OctoberFifteen carpenter did score his own music to to his films to keep the budget down.
@October Fifteen I should of expected to find you in this comment section dude! 😂😂
@@brunodiaz9202 Hahaha yeah, I feel obligated, considering how much I "homage" Carpenter in my own films!
Finally! "Do you read Sutter Cane?"
I literally watched this for the first time yesterday. Holy shit I thought the Thing was John's best work but man I have to say the mouth if madness is now my favorite of his works.
Just got it blu ray. Sam is incredible and it has tons of memorable scenes. Carpenter's last really good film.
"I think, therefore you are," delivered by Prochnow was probably my favorite line. That was when you realize, there was never a chance the hero could have won.
"Carpenter's last really good film."
Agreed, but I do have a soft spot for Vampires (1998).
Did I ever mention my favourite colour is blue?
This movie and Lord of Illusions are two of the best 90's horror movies.
I loved lord illusions. One of my favourites as well as this. And you are one of the few people who seem to know about it.
@@shanesutton336 Clive Barker's best movie IMO
@@rogerfurlong1535 Midnight Meat Train
@@thelastmotel I don't think he directed that one. Fucked up movie though.
another criminally underrated horror flick
John Carpenter is my favorite director of all time. His peak were amazing with so many classics.
John Carpenter is one of the greats. The sort we don't seem to see nowadays. He is a legend in his own right and bar the odd blip in his filmography he has created some of the best horror and sci-fi films going. I agree with some commentators that this film was his best before things weren't as great (Village of the Damned, Vampires, Ghosts of Mars, Escape from L.A......need to watch The Ward again to give it a fair shot).
I never get tired of watching a JC film regardless of how often I have watched it. Even his TV movies were good films. Barring the classics I have a really fond spot for Prince of Darkness. Damn that film is creepy and atmospheric and bloody good horror. Let's not forget Starman and Christine which get overlooked (Starman is fantastic).
We don't need another JC film. His legacy is in place and what a legacy. Thank you John Carpenter!
I loved this film, properly freaked me out, incredibly well made
I loved this film. No dependence on cheap jump scares. The scene with the boy on the bike trying to escape the town and each time he’s seen he’s older. The detached feeling of the world coming apart that genuinely makes the viewer feel what Trent feels. The dream like state as things stop being logical and the severity of his “visions” getting progressively worse. It’s amazing to see it and the ending by far is the most horrifying thing to behold. The realization that he was doomed from the beginning. The realization that there is a god and his only reason for creating you was for his own sick games. The last of his sanity collapses and all he can do is laugh in an empty theater as he sees the events play out on screen. Be it real or just in his head, Trent is lost to the abyss.
The H.P. Lovecraft influence on John Carpenter for this movie is absolutely spot on! "The Thing" was based on John Campbell's, "Who Goes There?" which itself was based on, "At the Mountains of Madness" by Lovecraft. In this movie, the cursed New England town, reading a book that drives you insane, creatures from the other side summoned by a mad wizard to sow madness and death, and the unspeakable tentacled body horror are all elements from Lovecraft's amazing work. ;)
Drinker, you have finally become my fave. Cause I adore this film. This is for my money his best quality film. A slow build and carefully revealed nightmare that unfolds into itself.
I'll never understand why it premiere so low at box office. It was a kick ass time
Escape from New York was and Is a Classic. It still holds up in 2021.
Agreed, but the clip shown was escape from LA.
Now it's a documentary.
Holy sh*t, ever since I heard this iconic scream I have reached the Internet for its origin, but never found the source. The circle is now complete
Oh, love this one! Fantastic film, an absolute favourite of mine.
The greatest Halloween movie is “Arsenic and Old Lace” directed by Frank Capra, starring Cary Grant
Sure is .... if you're a dinosaur.
And “We’re no Angels” (1955) is a great Christmas movie
"The Lion in Winter" is my most cherished X-mas holiday fave. And "Somebody to Love" by Jefferson Airplane is my most fave X-mas carol.
Any Kolchak: The Night Stalker episode will do for tv. Or the Sledge Hammer episode The Last of the Red Hot Vampires.
@@robbieburns3564 ok boomer
This is truly the best Lovecraftian movie that was never written or based on any of his work, and to this day, one of the best horror movies of all time.
Yes! This is my favorite Carpenter movie, edging out The Thing due to its prophetic and on point social analysis. As a rational person I really identify with Sam Neill's character as he confronts a world in which the world's turn to insanity makes him the abnormal, insane person. My response to a conversation with someone if it turns wing-nutty is, "Sorry, I don't read Sutter Cane."
One of the best HP Lovecraft movies even though it's not a Lovecraft story. Sam Neil plays his role perfectly and sells the absurd situations he is in with perfect sincerity.
I saw this, in the theaters….during my freshman year in college. Some parts were silly. But (like most of John Carpenter’s classics)….it still entertained & disturbed me. LONG LIVE GENERATION X!! [That goes for you, too….Mr. Critical Drinker ]
“It’s even got Vigo The Carpathian hanging out at the local bar” 😂🤣
After he worked for Hans Gruber.
I like when Trent offers to buy him a beer, yet there's no one else in the bar.
I'll definitely have to watch this sometime.
If only for that awesome voice & delivery of "Do you read Sutter Cain?"! Sounded so good.
I'm so glad you reviewed this movie and Event Horizon, 2 amazing Sam Neil movies that not many people talk about.
Did I ever tell you that my favorite color is blue? I've always loved that line...
"The Town of Hob's End"
Only just twigged that this was probably a reference to to Hob's Lane from "Quatermass and the Pit", a great quasi-Lovecraftian work in itself.
Not surprising, since JC is a huge fan of Nigel Kneale's Quatermass saga just like me! He even merged the themes of QUATERMASS AND THE PIT and THE STONE TAPE and used "Martin Quatermass" as his screenwriting credit for that film, and even had one of the main characters wear a sweater with KNEALE on it. THEY LIVE I think borrowed a lot from QUATERMASS II.
@@JeffreyDeCristofaro Wow - never knew that! Thanks for the insight!
PS: I also adore the Stone Tape. Still creeps me out.
Also, Stephen King wrote a Lovecraftian short story titled "Hob's End".
@@KM-hw6tw I remember King writing "Crouch End", which is pretty Lovecraftian.
Always liked this one. Highly recommended.
What's really interesting about this movie is that it tackles the concept of belief and its influence on society at a massive scale. One of the characters remarks that Kane's work has out-sold the Bible, and Kane himself reveals that this paradigm shift essentially allows him to transcend humanity and control reality. Kane then suggests that the Great Old Ones were telling him what to write all along. These themes are present in Lovecraft as well (among others). They parallel the influence of Christianity on the pagan world, something we take for granted.
Drinker you legend for given this underappreciated carpenter classic!! Raising a glass of lidls finest whiskey abrachan to this!
Who also is exited to find out where Rich places "They Live" on his list.
Classic! Only a badass like the Drinker would make a great video reminding the world to check out this movie!
Are you listening to Blank Check? They'll be covering this beauty in a few weeks, as they're covering Carpenter. I still remember going to the cinema to see it, drawn in by Sam Niell after his brilliant Event Horizon performance.
Man, now I want to watch this again. I'm sure I watched it in the theater and not since. Bottom's Up, Drinker. You've scored another hit with this one.
LOVE THIS MOVIE
My wife watched it with me the other weekend...
She loved it, her first viewing
It's always good to invite the wife to a viewing.
I remember seeing this movie in the theater when I was a kid. When those credits rolled at the end...
Absolute stunned, terrified silence.
One of my absolute favorites.
Hob's End (london branch) was also the setting for Quatermass and the Pit
I thought that too. 👍
Another great horror director Polanski used Bells End for a backdrop in one of his masterpieces, the whirlpool scene.
Easily one of my favourite films, and one of the most underrated and unseen. It's brilliant, and a very nice tribute to Lovecraftian mythos.
Carpenter's episode from Masters of Horror - Cigarette Burns, was by far the best in the series. It has some of the In The Mouth Of Madness or Polanski's The Ninth Gate vibe.
This episode was absolute madness!!!!
The Ninth Gate I thought was fantastic, even though the ending was a little lackluster. But I loved Langella’s quote, “There’s nothing i trust more than a man whose loyalty can be bought with cold hard cash.” 😁
And Robert W. Chambers's "The King in Yellow," which also inspired the first season of "True Detective."
@Anoneemus Noename It was indeed the most disturbing to watch, since it was torture porn. But I prefer by far Cigarette Burns, which has imo a better script.
Cigarette Burns was the best episode.
One of my favorites. Great critique, and you didn't give the ending away. :)
This movie haunts me in a good way. Me and my mates were out of our heads on acid when we saw it. When we exited the theater there was an absolute torrent of rain coming down and the sky looked primed for a proper apocalypse.
The moment when you realize the guy with the axe was the most well ajusted character in the movie.
Me, & my “Lovecraft geek” friends, loved this movie,, but then again we were all unanimous Carpenter fans, as well…
I think there's more than just Lovecraftian overtones; there's something vaguely Stephen Kingish about it too, IMO.
I remember seeing this at the theater as a teenager and liking it a lot and being freaked out by it. I barely remember it though. I may have to go back and watch this again.
A little unknown gem......kinda like Spilt Second lol cheers......and Happy Halloween 🎃
Split Second is a classic! Just so dumb but even more fun.
@@philliplewis6964 we need bigger guns lol
@@heavymetal19610 that's a great line.
My favorite is "He's eating human hearts for Christ's sake."
"How do you know?"
"We had lunch with him"
Definitely one of my favorite John Carpenter movies. Sam Neil is one of those actors who can really master the over the top acting required of a man who is going off the deep end with a rocket strapped to his back.
It would be interesting to do an analysis of torrenting trends corrected against the dropping of Drinker's videos.
In The Mouth of Madness is one of those movies from Carpenter that I never saw until many years after it came out. I finally watched it when it got a special edition Blu-ray release from Scream Factory. That disc is worth it for a fan of the movie, it has some interesting special features including 2 commentaries from Carpenter where he gives plenty of insights into the making of the film as well as some other interviews with famed special effects man Greg Nicotero and others. There's a cool featurette (part of an ongoing series called Horror's Hallowed Grounds) where Sean Clarke goes to the original shooting locations for the movie. It's got the original trailer and TV commercials for the movie too. Plus the transfer is a brand new 4K scan that looks great.
I already thought Sam Neill was a boss actor based on his efforts in Hunt For Red October and Jurassic Park, but between this film and Event Horizon, he really set himself apart as a horror actor
I haven't seen it since it was new, but from my hazy memory he practically carried the movie
Damn, I missed this review. One of my all time favorite films! Carpenter, Neil, and Lovecraft... can't go wrong! Oh, and a little Chuck Heston thrown in for fun!
I believe Drinker could go to the strip club AND review some horror movies. Please join me in supporting this cause.
Sadly, I can't pay attention to both a stripper and a TH-cam video at the same time.
@@JohnSmith-mk1rj It is a learned skill set. You have to walk before you can run.
Never even heard of this or knew of this “trilogy” but The Thing is one of my all time favorites. I’ve basically given up on the Horror genre so I’m so excited to have 2 movies that are new to me for this season!
The town where the author set his stories in being a real thing sounds like the inspiration for the Hulu series Castle Rock.
"Hobbs End" is the name of the street where they locate the pit in "Quatermass and the Pit". Which JC may have seen as a kid.
I love this movie so much.
The guy on the bycycle always sends a shiver down my spine - that is some real pre-Black Mirror tingles right there.
I always tell people that this is the best H. P. Lovecraft movie ever made. It gets the essence of Lovecraft's writing without being written by him.
In the Mouth of Madness is my favorite Carpenter movie. Glad to see you talking about it.
"Want a paper," asked Darth Vader, bringing his bicycle to a stop. Trent shook his head. Vader looked confused. "Have you been in an accident?"
One of my favourite horrors of all time! That scene with the cyclist in the dark.... BEYOND creepy!! With this and Event Horizon, Sam Neill quickly became my go to horror guy of the mid 90s!
One of the few good Lovecraftian films.
Drinker, you are the man! I’ve loved this movie since I first saw it in ‘95 and have turned many family and friends onto it. Cheers!
His last truly great movie and the fact most people generally don't rate it has baffled me for years...
I agree. Way better than most modern horror films.
I love it. Got a very Lovecraftian feel to it.
Same💯💯
you should rewiew "cube". it's a masterpiece of phycological horror
I agree whole heartedly. I absolutely LOVE 'Cube'. I watched it again recently and it holds up well imho, and I think that the sequel Hyper-Cube is decent, and the prequel 'Cube Zero' is also worthwhile. But 'Cube' was something special, for sure. This movie (mouth of madness), Event Horizon, Cube, Scanners 2 and 'Pin' are all part of my 'most underrated great movies' list.
I just saw that there is a Japanese remake of Cube to be released late October 2021. Will have to keep an eye out for it...
The most ingenious setup for a low budget sci-fi production I've ever seen
@@briankrause2359 I thought “Hypercube” was dumb, but “Cube Zero” was very interesting.
HOLY SHIOT DAWG! This is one of my FAVORITE ALL-TIME no-holds-barred back-in-the-days films.
I try and get everyone I know to watch this movie once. It's always been a great film, but nowadays it feels like we live in a world where Sutter Cane had access to twitter so it is even more relevant.
Thanks for doing this! I love In the Mouth of Madness (and most of John Carpenter's work) and it deserves more recognition.
Funny how one of my favorite Lovecraft movies isn't an adaptation of one of his stories. This is also possibly the last good John Carpenter movie ever made.
One of THE MOVIES defining my teenage perception of what was a good horror movie. While BBQing with friends in the countryside into late evenings, we would often joke about driving to nearest shop to get more booze and seeing a lone man on a bike in the dark, saying that "they won't let him out". Classic!
I really like the 2001 Dagon, as far as lovecraft adaptations go. A little heavy on the gore and a couple really cheesy effects, but besides that, one of those I enjoy the most.
I'm not sure how I missed this movie... I literally have never heard of this movie. I have to figure out why that is...
In any event I'm renting it tonight! Thanks for the review!!
I speak for many that are sad that this is an extra shot and not a stream with someone..
It’s always great to turn to a friend after finishing something and ask menacingly, “You want some too, buddy?”
No lie, I treat the Harry Potter IP as if it was "In the Mouth of Madness" within this movie. I have never read a sentence of the books nor watched a line of dialogue of the movies. I joke that I am preventing unspeakable horrors from entering our dimension by doing so.
Drinker I imagine you have a collection of Sam Neill yells
I wouldn't forget Ghosts of Mars. I watched it with the hottest girl I've ever dated.
How is that relevant?
Well, at least that made it memorable.
@@EndOfSmallSanctuary97 It's a direct reference to Drinker at :30. 'Yeah, I think most people would rather forget Ghost of Mars.'.
@@EndOfSmallSanctuary97 That it's the only reason I wouldn't forget it. The movie is really bad and extremely forgettable. Not even so bad it's good kind of stuff.
Your mum taking you to see a film does not count as a date!
Classic, loved it back in 95 and again Sam Neil in Event Horizon.
I was watching the film by myself on video at home at about 11pm. As soon as the old kid rode away on the bike I started looking over my shoulders and turning on lights
What is with the hate for Ghosts of Mars??? Not a great movie by any definition, just a fun action movie. And it has one of Carpenter's greatest characters, Jason Statham's Jericho Butler. That character is a legend! Surrounded by flesh-rending evil, he still has it on his to-do list to bang Natasha Henstridge's Lt. Ballard. That would have been a better night than even a private session with Tatiana!
Kurt Russell should have been given the role of Desolation Williams. Ice Cube as a most badass criminal in Mars was ridiculous casting choice.
yes sir!!
Great idea mired by bad effects which throw most people out of the narrative. I would also have preferred Pam as the lead over Natasha. Carpenter has done a *lot* better before this, so that makes it even harder to watch.
Carpenter's my favourite director, and this might be my favorite movie by him. Great to see The Drinker do a video on this!
Speaking of Vigo, where is your Ghostbusters 2 review?
John Carpenters final masterpiece. Words can't describe how much I love this film. Still remember watching it with the Old man in the 90s.
I'm not really into cosmic horror for the most part. I like Larry Correia's action-oriented approach to it, but otherwise I'm sort of meh. However, I really enjoy In the Mouth of Madness almost entirely because of Sam Neil's putting-all-my-chips-in, absolute-devotion-to-the-material approach to it. Well, that and Julie Carmen's spider-walk. Cool stuff, that.
The action-oriented approach to Lovecraft was, I think, first done by Robert E Howard.
"Do you read Sutter Cane?", reminds a lot of that other infamous mythos question: "Have you seen the Sign?"