In The Mouth of Madness (US)

6 / 10
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Lived any good books lately?
Certificate: R
Running Time: 95 mins
Retail Price: $24.98
Release Date:

Synopsis:
Master of horror John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing) is back with his "scariest movie to date!"

Sutter Cane (Jurgen Prochnow, The Seventh Sign) is the best-selling author whose newest novel is literally driving readers insane. When he inexplicably vanishes, his publisher Academy Award - winner John Trent (Sam Neill, Jurassic Park, Dead Calm) tries to track him down. Drawn to a town that only exists in Cane`s books, Trent crosses the barrier between fact and fiction and enters a terrifying world from which there is no escape.

Inspired by the tales of H.P. Lovecraft, this shocking story is, in the worlds of its acclaimed director, "horror beyond description!"

Special Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
Commentary by Director John Carpenter and Cinematographer Gary B. Kibbe
Cast & Crew Bios
Theatrical Trailers

Video Tracks:
Widescreen Anamorphic 2.35:1
Pan & Scan 1.33:1

Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 English

Directed By:
John Carpenter

Written By:


Starring:
Frances Bay
Julie Carmen
Sam Neill
Charlton Heston
Jürgen Prochnow

Casting By:
Jeff Ginn

Soundtrack By:
Jim Lang
John Carpenter
Dave Davies

Director of Photography:
Gary B. Kibbe

Editor:
Edward A. Warschilka

Visual Effects:
Robin Michel Bush

Producer:
Sandy King
Artist W. Robinson

Executive Producer:
Michael De Luca

Distributor:
New Line Productions

Your Opinions and Comments

7 / 10
"In The Mouth Of Madness" is one of those films where it has the idea completely in place, has its share of good dialogue and decent performances, but for some reason, it never quite goes from the level of good to great. The movie revolves around a horror film writter named Sutter Cane, who has practically vanished right before his latest release, which has been greeted with mob scenes of people who are crazy to get a copy. Some believe that the book is driving people mad. An investigator named John Trent(Sam Neill) is brought in to find the writer, and his journey (accompanied by his editor) leads him to the town of Hobb`s End, where elements from the writer`s novel begin to become reality.

Another John Carpenter film comes to DVD in very good form thanks to New Line Cinema. I`m glad New Line gave us a great 16x9 transfer and shows you the kind of dedication they have to their releases. This release is a dual layered disc and I`m a little disappointed New Line didn`t use all that space for some more extras instead of including a crappy Pan & Scan version, but at least we get a great presentation.

"In The Mouth Of Madness" is a good alternate-reality movie with plenty of subtext to digest. The tightrope walk between dreams, reality, and fiction is well built up to the movie's finale. The beautiful presentation on this DVD combined with the great commentary track makes this DVD a great addition in any horror fan's collection, so make sure to get your copy before the world goes entirely mad.
posted by Aslan on 16/1/2003 23:08