John Carpenter's Films - Ranked From Worst To Best
12. In The Mouth Of Madness (1994)
Pros: A show-stealing Sam Neil. Lovecraftian themes. One super effective scare
Cons: Confusing plot. Disappointing Carpenter score. Too many flash forwards
Overall: Few of Carpenter's films are as divisive as In the Mouth of Madness, an H.P. Lovecraft-inspired tale that also makes references to horror novelist and Carpenter's friend Stephen King. The story is often muddled but altogether this is Carpenter's best film of the 90s and has some genuine scares to boot.
In the Mouth of Madness split critics at the time and didn't do great business at the box-office (just about covering its production costs) and it's somewhat been forgotten about. In fact, the film has never received a UK DVD release. Despite this, the film has some interesting ideas about the nature of writing along with a winning performance from Sam Neil and assured direction from Carpenter.