View Full Version : In the Mouth of Madness revisited...
marcx
09-03-2003, 02:31 PM
Over the weekedn i got a godd deal on some used DVD's. For $20 I picked up the NOTLD Savini remake, I know what you did last summer, and In the Mouth of Madness.
Lsast night I watched Madness. i haven't seen it in along time and that was on a poor quality VHS dub. I never knew what I was missing! I loved this movie! Such great direction and cinematography, tons of creepy moments, some good jumps. sam neil is always great, a Charlton Heston cameo. Overall this was a great Carpenter film--one that I think has been underrated. What's the feeling out there on this one?
On a side note the transfer on the DVD is excellent and the 5.1 track is great with tons of creepy surround atmosphere...
Cydeous
09-03-2003, 04:43 PM
I thought that "In the Mouth of Madness" was great. I loved the way that Carpenter wove the stories of H. P. Lovecraft together. IMO, it's the best adaptation of Lovecraft on film ("Dagon" is pretty good too).
The Chaostar
09-03-2003, 05:04 PM
Chris I dont understand you!
In The Mouth... is one of Carpenterīs finest films, almost a masterpiece and his last film to be universally criticaly aclaimed. For me, his last fine film.
I loved the first 2/3 of In the Mouth ... but thought the last third was a bit unsatisfying. Loved the end though (even though I don't remember how it was :P)
marcx
09-03-2003, 05:45 PM
Okay-I'm glad to see others appreciated this as well. In some places the tone reminded me of Prince of Darkness-which Im also a fan of. And Cydeous while watching it ast night I was also thinking that it does a great job at capturing a Lovecraftian tone without actually adapting a specific Lovecraft story...
Has anyone listened to the commentary? Ive heard it is a little dry but Im curious,...
Shannafey
09-03-2003, 07:19 PM
Originally posted by The Chaostar
Chris I dont understand you!
In The Mouth... is one of Carpenterīs finest films, almost a masterpiece and his last film to be universally criticaly aclaimed. For me, his last fine film.
I'm with you all the way!!!
It's not perfect by any means, but still a very good horror film.
Also, those with laserdisc players may be interested in finding a DTS copy of the movie, which has some unbelievable sound (yes, even better than the 5.1 DVD).
studio1
09-03-2003, 08:50 PM
I hated this movie when I first watched it (may have been the shoddy transfer that played a part in that though:(
I watched it again recently over at a mates house and found it to be a really good horror, I will surely pick this up on dvd.
S1
mcchrist
09-03-2003, 09:07 PM
Has anyone listened to the commentary? Ive heard it is a little dry but Im curious,...
If you're interested in the technical side to things, like if you want to be a DP or something, the commentary is an excellent listen. But for a casual listen, it's really not worth it.
Anyway, this is one of the best Carpenter ever put out, I was so impressed with it when it first came out I saw it several times in the theatre. Carpenter hasn't even touched upon anything that great since, and probably never will again.
bigdaddyhorse
09-03-2003, 11:16 PM
Originally posted by mcchrist
If you're interested in the technical side to things, like if you want to be a DP or something, the commentary is an excellent listen. But for a casual listen, it's really not worth it.
Anyway, this is one of the best Carpenter ever put out, I was so impressed with it when it first came out I saw it several times in the theatre. Carpenter hasn't even touched upon anything that great since, and probably never will again.
Well put Mc. I missed it in the theater run, but have watched the dvd more than a few times. I've tryed to get that DTS laserdisc as well, but always get outbid or it sells for more than I want to pay. If you want to be a DP, the comm. track will give you a great headstart, it might even tell you almost everything you need to know. If you just want to hear a good commentary, avoid this like the plague and pop in The Thing!
Trout
09-04-2003, 12:53 AM
The film was pretty good, but I liked the soundtrack even more. I think John Carpenter's as good at composing as he is at directing, and that is no small feat.
puddytay
09-04-2003, 01:02 AM
I thought it was allright but at the same time really really weird.
Alan Smithee
09-04-2003, 04:48 AM
Yeah, this movie kicked all kinds of ass. I just saw it for the first time a couple of months ago (believe it or not) and was blown away. I'm a huge fan of Carpenter's to begin with so it was nice to see yet another great film from him, but I agree with a lot of people when I say that it was probably his last.
Originally posted by marcx
Such great direction and cinematography, tons of creepy moments, some good jumps.
That pretty much sums up Carpenter's resume. I celebrate the man's entire catalog. I am a John Carpenter fan.
Jason25
09-04-2003, 05:03 AM
Originally posted by Paff
It's not perfect by any means, but still a very good horror film.
Also, those with laserdisc players may be interested in finding a DTS copy of the movie, which has some unbelievable sound (yes, even better than the 5.1 DVD).
mmm STD err DTS
I really, really enjoy this film. Prochnow was terrific as Cane and Sam Neill was amazing. I love the film, great from start to finish.
dwatts
09-04-2003, 10:56 AM
I thought it was surprisingly good.
Ghosts of Mars was not :)
marcx
09-04-2003, 02:17 PM
I enjoyed ghosts of Mars were what it was--but it seemed like a hack job for Carpentar. Also I would have liked it even more if he had bothered ti acually have an ending...
rhett
09-04-2003, 08:30 PM
Originally posted by _pi_
I loved the first 2/3 of In the Mouth ... but thought the last third was a bit unsatisfying. Loved the end though (even though I don't remember how it was :P)
That is how I feel for the movie too. I've only seen it on P&S VHS though, so I am ready to give it another chance on DVD.
Zodiac-Mindwarp
09-04-2003, 08:43 PM
I totally agree with those who think that In The Mouth Of Madness was Carpenter's last truly great film.
I have not seen this one for several years. I first watched it on VHS and then I could not wait to pick up the Widescreen Laserdisc. Pity I did not have DTS back in those days.
Looking forward to pulling this one off of the shelf soon for a rewatch, or maybe just replacing it with the DVD.
Franco
05-06-2008, 06:14 AM
One question: that extremely old-looking guy in the bike that appears as Styles is driving the car near the beginning, and again near the end when John is trying to leave the town, is supposed to be someone that got that old trying to escape that hell and never could? Could be that kid John meets later when lying on the road?
One question: Could be that kid John meets later when lying on the road?
Naw, that's just Darth Vader
bigdaddyhorse
05-06-2008, 08:04 AM
One question: that extremely old-looking guy in the bike that appears as Styles is driving the car near the beginning, and again near the end when John is trying to leave the town, is supposed to be someone that got that old trying to escape that hell and never could? Could be that kid John meets later when lying on the road?
Yeah, it's the kid he saw when he first rolled into town, same bike, same cards in the spokes, same clothes (if I recall correctly, been a while since watching this).
Criswell
05-06-2008, 01:03 PM
It kinda stumbles a bit here and there but yeah, its very underrated for mine.
Certainly much better than the HORRId Prince of Darkness.
maybrick
05-06-2008, 01:42 PM
I love Prince of Darkness. Mountains of Madness doesn't really do anything for me. IMO, the image quality is a bit too clean and evenly lit for a horror movie. It's a general problem I have with most horror movies of the early 90s.
Kim Bruun
05-23-2010, 07:45 PM
I love In the Mouth of Madness. Carpenter employs the entire range of scare tactics here - suspense, sudden jolts, the uncanny, everything from the subtle to the grotesque... It has been said that reality is nothing but a collective hunch, and in this movie, the end of civilization through mass psychosis means that reality is not what it used to be.
It is scary because we are trapped with Sam Neil, who tries to rationalise the the irrational - there's a nightmarish quality to his repeated attempts to flee the city, ending time and time again where he started.
I've read that Carpenter himself groups In the Mouth of Madness thematically with Prince of Darkness and The Thing. All three are excellent, IMO. :)
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