In the Mouth of Madness

Lived Any Good Books Lately?
In the Mouth of Madness (1995)
Timing: 1:35 (95 min)

no scores
7.2/10
1952
7.1/10
89000
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Release date
Country
Production
Budget
$8 000 000
Box office
$8 924 549
Director
Scenario
Producer
Sandy King, Michael De Luca
Camera operator
Gary B. Kibbe
Composer
Artist
Jeff Ginn, Rob Coleman
Audition
Editing
Edward A. Warschilka
Whole Team (32)

Short description

An insurance investigator begins discovering that the impact a horror writer's books have on his fans is more than inspirational.

What's left behind the scenes

  • Throughout the film, Sutter Cane utters the phrase, “I told you, my favorite color is blue?” All the characters in the film have blue eyes in close-ups.
  • The film concludes John Carpenter's 'Apocalypse Trilogy,' which began with the films 'The Thing' (1982) and 'Prince of Darkness' (1987).
  • The film is a tribute to Howard Phillips Lovecraft and contains numerous references to his works. The film's title is similar to 'At the Mountains of Madness,' a favorite story of Lovecraft's. The film begins with a scene where the protagonist is placed in an insane asylum, and the subsequent narrative unfolds through his memories—a favorite device of Lovecraft's. Additionally, the film contains a reference to the 'Elder Ones'—characters from the Cthulhu Mythos—and mentions locations and characters (such as Mrs. Pickman) from his texts. There is also direct quoting of Lovecraft in the film when John Trent reads excerpts from Sutter Cane's books.
  • The character of the writer Sutter Cane is a clear reference to John Carpenter's friend Stephen King, with whom both Carpenter ('Christine', 1983) and screenwriter/producer Michael De Luca ('The Lawnmower Man', 1992) had previously worked. 'Hobs End'—a fictional town in Maine—is a nod to 'Castle Rock,' the setting of many of King's novels, and the theme of the relationship between a writer and the crowd is extremely well-developed in King's work.
  • The original titles of the six books by Sutter Cane, whose covers Sam Neill's character used to create a map, are: "The Hobb's End Horror," "The Feeding," "The Whisperer in the Dark," "Something in the Cellar," "The Breathing Tunnel," and "In the Mouth of Madness."
  • The movie 'Robot Monster' (1953), which Sam Neill's character watches toward the end, was one of Carpenter's favorite monster movies from his childhood.
  • When John is placed in a padded room, even without a bed, to prevent him from harming himself, the attending physician leaves a chair in it after leaving, which contradicts the rules.
  • The film completes John Carpenter’s “Apocalypse Trilogy,” begun with “The Thing” (1982) and “Prince of Darkness” (1987).
  • The building where scenes from the insane asylum were filmed is a water treatment plant in Toronto. It was also frequently used for scenes in other films. After September 11, 2001, the plant became a closed facility, and nothing will be filmed there anymore.
  • Sam Neill, who started as a director, gave Carpenter useful advice during filming. Among other things, he advised shooting some shots in the hotel scene from above.
  • Sam Neill, who started out as a director, gave Carpenter useful advice during filming. Among other things, he suggested shooting some of the shots in the hotel scene from above.
  • The film is a tribute to H.P. Lovecraft and contains numerous references to his works. The film’s title is reminiscent of “At the Mountains of Madness,” Lovecraft’s favorite story. The film begins with a scene where the protagonist is placed in an asylum, and the subsequent narrative unfolds through his recollections – a favorite device of Lovecraft. The film also contains a reference to the “Elder Gods” – characters from the “Cthulhu Mythos” – and mentions locations and characters (such as Mrs. Pickman) from his texts. The film even features direct quotations from Lovecraft: when John Trent reads excerpts from the books of Sutter Cane.
  • "Hobb" is an archaic English word meaning "devil."
  • The Slovak Greek Catholic Church of the Transfiguration was used as the location for "Black Church" in Hobb's End.
  • The character of writer Sutter Cane is a clear reference to John Carpenter’s friend Stephen King, with whom Carpenter had previously worked (“Christine” (1983)) as had screenwriter and producer Michael De Luca (“The Lawnmower Man” (1992)). “Hobb’s End” – a fictional town in Maine – is a nod to “Castle Rock,” the setting of many of King’s novels, and the very theme of the relationship between a writer and the crowd is extremely well-developed in King’s work.
  • The 1953 film "Robot Monster," which Sam Neill's character watches near the end, is one of Carpenter's favorite monster movies from his childhood.

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