John Trent may be an insurance investigator but he’s a kindred spirit to Philip Marlowe, a seen it all kind of guy who’s always ready with a snappy comeback. The thing is Marlowe never had to face the sort of reality warping high jinks that Trent does, although he might have if he’d been written by H.P. Lovecraft instead of Raymond Chandler.
In the Mouth of Madness is the film that gives me hope that Carpenter may still give us another classic, or a least a good film, before he calls it a day. I know it was made over ten years ago, but sandwiched as it is between two of his biggest disasters – Memoirs of an Invisible Man and Village of the Damned – it shows that even when you think all hope is lost he can still surprise you.
In the film Sutter Cane is an author of H.P. Lovecraft style horrors but with sales figures that Stephen King would sell his soul for. Cane’s books get inside the readers head, messing with reality or our perception of it and driving people nuts. Carpenter’s film does much the same thing, leaving the viewer unable to trust their eyes and putting them in the same boat as Trent. It’s the films sense of paranoia and madness that make it a horror gem, although Carpenter delivers plenty of jump out of your seat moments as well.
There’s some brilliant casting, even in relatively minor role. Well known faces like Charlton Heston and David Warner don’t have much screen time but they give the film a feeling of quality. A wild haired Jurgen Prochnow brings Sutter Cane to life, with Carpenter making good use of his physical presence as much as his acting ability.
But this is Sam Neill’s film and he gives the performance of his career. Neill’s decent into madness as he realises there is more to Cane than can be rationally explained is superb and ranks alongside the best sane man turned gibbering nutter characters ever seen on celluloid.
The best thing about In the Mouth of Madness though is that it gets better with repeated viewings, not something that happens often with horror flicks. That’s down to a reliance on story over cheap shocks and good performances over gory effects. This isn’t my favourite Carpenter film (that’s The Thing, in case you’re interested) but it ranks among his best and deserves wider acclaim.
And that paperboy looked a bit suspicious, I wouldn’t be surprised if he grew up to be Darth Vader!
