Battle #184: Prince Of Darkness (1987) VS In The Mouth Of Madness (1995)

VS

 

ITMOM. I love this film!

 

same here i love both

 

Love both of these, but Mouth gets more play here and wins.

 

They are both great, but the cast makes Prince of Darkness the best for me.

 

Loved the Lovecraftian vibe going on In The Mouth Of Madness..it gets my vote.Prince Of Darkness is not one of my fav's.

 

Ah, I love BOTH these films. They are in my top 5 favorite Carpenter films list.

I'll go with In The Mouth Of Madness. I like the whole idea of books coming to life.

 

Prince of Darkness. One of the last "great" Carpenter films. I like ItMoM, but the ending kinda killed it for me.

 

Prince of Darkness is Carpenter's best film, as well as one of the three best horror films ever made. It's a fascinating piece of work, and truly terrifying.

In the Mouth of Madness is fantastic as well.

 

I love both. I want to go with In The Mouth Of Madness, but I haven't seen it for so long and I remember not really liking it upon my first viewing and warming up to it later. It's quality still seemed to fluctuate for me upon further viewings though while Prince Of Darkness has never degraded for me although it's still not the best example of great horror. It is a good one though. I'll have to track down a copy of In The Mouth Of Madness and view it again before voting.

I know it'll probably make it an even more difficult decision, but what the hell.

 

Both are underrated Carpenter films, but I like In the Mouth of Madness just a bit more...in fact, I think it's one of Carpenter's best.

 

I still haven't warmed up to the supposed "greatness" of Prince of Darkness, but In The Mouth of Madness hooked me from the first viewing.

In The Mouth of Madness + DTS Laserdisc = pissed off neighbors

 

I'm convinced that Prince of Darkness is the cinematic equivalent of PTC paper. Either you "get it", or you don't. Little will be gained by repeated exposures or attempts at convincing explanations.

I personally think the movie is an incredibly creepy and original end of the world flick, on top tier of my Carpenter list with The Thing and Escape From New York (Big Trouble, Halloween, Fog, They Live, In the Mouth of Madness, and Assault on Precinct 13 solidify Carpenter on my "Directorial Deity" list despite his more recent dreck, but those first three are the top tier). But I've given up trying to make any supportive arguments for Prince of Darkness when someone I've lent the DVD to says "this stunk". Those that liked it needed no further discussion, those that didn't weren't going to be anything other than annoyed by further discussion (except, perhaps, patiently letting them vent on why they didn't like it if *they* felt the need).

 

In The Mouth of Madness. Last time I saw Prince of Darkness was many moons ago, don't recall thinking it was much good.

 

Yeah, but I hate that there is this movie that a lot of people claim is among Carpenter's best, and I don't seem to like it. I like his work, and I'd love to enjoy this movie just as much as I enjoy The Thing and Assault on Precinct 13. So I keep thinking there's something I'm "missing". Of course, the harder I look for it, the more I'll miss it.

This is one of those movies that I'm gonna catch out of the corner of my eye, like have it on in the background while I'm doing a crossword puzzle or something, and then suddenly I'll get it.

 

Dig 'em both, but Prince of Darkness is one of the all time great, underrated horror films. The horror elements in this film are quite awesome, balanced by deft and competent direction by Carpenter. My love for this film seems to increase everytime I see it. Although I liked it when it was originally released, I've definately learned to appreciate it much more over the years. Prince of Darkness comes only second to Carpenter's other great achievement: The Thing.

 

This will probably miss the mark more than hit it, maybe sending you further off the path you seek. My apologies if that happens.

Its imprecise to put words to what works for me with this film. But for me, this film is mainly about mood. The creepy, impending sense of "these people have a front row seat to 'about to be well and truly fucked, and if they fail the world with them'". If the film managed to invoke that mood for you, the ride will follow. If not, you'll probably waste another 2 hours you'll never get back.

Either the bits adding up hook you - the slow figuring out what the texts detail, the advancing spread of the being's influence, being trapped like rats in the building, the dwindling team basically being the vanguard against a global fate they don't understand - or they don't hook you. And this movie is especially vulnerable to "suspension of disbelief", if enough scenes somehow get caught in the BS filter (had some science types hit that snag with this film, and one linguist who got ticked over the translation bit), or you just don't find yourself caring about the characters (if there is a major flaw in this film, its a lower than needed level of chemistry between the characters), the rest folds like a house of cards.

I wouldn't try forcing this one, or even putting other good films you haven't seen on the back burner to make time for it. One should never try to force or rationalize their way to enjoyment. Move on, and just don't worry about it.

 

I have same opinion! Can we have date?

 

Prince of Darkness is an underrated masterpiece. The first time that I watched it many years ago, it didn't have a huge effect on me. After seeing it perhaps six or so times over the intervening years, it really grabbed me and truly forces you to notice all the subtle things peppered through the film.

If you've only seen it once, you may want to give it another try.

 

Wow. Tough choice here ... but for me PRINCE OF DARKNESS has a slight edge. Love the whole "future transmission" plot device which yielded some of my favorite horror movie imagery. The waking nightmare at the end is good stuff too.