Films like In The Mouth Of Madness are admittedly not my cup of tea. Still when a writer of horror lives in a place like Hobb's Lane in New Hampshire, that's an open invitation to stay away.

Noted Stephen King like horror story writer Jurgen Prochnow has disappeared and he's a guy who's even more secretive than J.D. Salinger in his quest for privacy. But he's missed a deadline and he's got a load of fans out there who are actually rioting because they are salivating over a new novel.

Concerned about his contract, the advance they've given, the general investment they have in Prochnow, Charlton Heston, Prochnow's publisher has hired insurance investigator Sam Neill to locate this guy who they can't find. They used to communicate with him through his agent, but almost at the film's beginning the agent goes berserk and starts taking an ax to people and is shot down.

Protecting his investment further, Heston sends Julie Carmen his girl Friday along with Neill where they discover Hobb's Lane, New Hampshire. Remember this is New England, host of the Salem Witch Trials back in the day, and they know Satan and his works when they see it. These people keep clear of a place like Hobb's Lane, but Neill and Carmen go blundering in and meet up with Prochnow and it's an experience to put it mildly.

The ending is one pessimistic one for the human race, but I've got a theological question worth pondering. If reading works like this from the mind of Satan himself affect people so powerfully as described here, why doesn't reading the Bible, or C.S. Lewis, or Lloyd C. Douglas, or G.K. Chesterton have a similar affect?

I'm not a big fan of this genre in general, but those devoted to these films should have enough fright and violence to satisfy.

Dr. Wrenn comes to interview volatile psych patient John Trent (Sam Neill). Trent was an independent insurance investigator. The movie flashes back to an ax welding stranger who tells him about successful horror writer Sutter Cane (Jürgen Prochnow). Publisher Jackson Harglow (Charlton Heston) asks him to find the missing Cane. People seems to turn violent from Cane's books. The next book is suppose to be In the Mouth of Madness. Using the book covers, Trent discovers the location of Hobb's End, New Hampshire. Harglow sends editor Linda Styles (Julie Carmen) to join Trent on the search.

This is more ambitious than most slasher horrors. It tries to bring in the nature of reality. It's rather disjointed with random apparitions. Essentially, nothing is real and therefore there is nothing solid to hold on to. Sam Neill is great but Julie Carmen is not particularly good. The premise is interesting but it's not that thrilling.

The efficient and skeptical freelance insurance investigator John Trent (Sam Neill) is hired by the publisher Jackson Harglow (Charlton Heston) to find where the famous writer Sutter Cane (Jürgen Prochnow) might be. After writing a series of best-sellers in the horror genre, affecting the reason and causing disorientation, memory loss and paranoia in the readers, Sutter has simply vanished near the release of his new novel, "Horror in Hobb's End". There is a mass hysteria of his anxious fans waiting for the new release, and John believes that his disappearance is a strategy of marketing. John follows his instincts and travels with Cane's editor, Linda Styles (Julie Carmen),to New Hampshire seeking for the apparently fictional town of Hobb's End. While driving along the night, Linda reaches the Hobb's End, and John discloses that Sutter Cane has unleashed a powerful evil force in the black church of the mysterious town, and his twisted imagination is changing the reality and perception of those that read his novels.

"In the Mouth of Madness" is a journey to fear and madness through the darkness of a twisted mind of a writer. This story follows the style of "Twilight Zone" and actually shows how a writer with the support of the media is able to manipulate hearts and minds. Further, there is a certain criticism in the values and standards of the society where those who think differently or have a different behavior are outcast or even considered crazy. John Carpenter is one of my favorite directors and Sam Neil is perfect in the role of a skeptical man, used to find schemes and con everywhere, having difficulties to accept what is happening. The conclusion is very dark and without perspective to mankind. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "À Beira da Loucura" ("On the Edge of Madness")

Note: On 23 June 2015 I saw this movie again. Note: On 20 September 2020 I saw this movie again.