‘It’s Just a Matter of Time’

This chapter discusses the cinematic horror landscape at the time John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness was first released, explaining why the film was so unfairly neglected in 1995. It is often acknowledged among horror fans that the early 1990s was not the strongest period in the genre's history. In fact, it has been argued that the first half of the decade represented one of the most significant lulls that US horror cinema has been witness to, with the volume of film production, box office takings, and overall audience interest hitting an all-time low. Of course, such lulls can only ever really come after a boom, and the previous decade had been a highly prolific and profitable time for the genre. But while the 1980s were littered with innovative horror classics, it is also recognised as the era of the sequel, a time when the franchise reigned supreme and horror cinema became less about striving for new ideas than the increasingly cynical (but lucrative) expansion of those which had come before. Ultimately, not only did In the Mouth of Madness debut during the closing moments of this significant horror depression, it came at a time when no one was expecting great things from its director.

Conclusion: ‘This is a Rotten Way to End It’

This concluding chapter argues that the narrative of John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness (1995) positions artistic creativity as deadly. However, the film as a whole can be read as a celebration of art and, more specifically, of horror as a legitimate mode of intellectual expression. Philosophically speaking, the film is a frisky hybrid of nihilistic Lovecraftian cosmicism and thoroughly playful 1990s postmodernism — complete with joking genre references and deft sociological satire. The film may be dealing with some heavy philosophical themes, but it is important not to forget that part of the pleasure of Carpenter's horrific brand of postmodernism lies in its sense of independent, anarchic creativity. This may well be one of Carpenter's most fatalistic works, but at the same time it is one of his most perversely playful, and most joyous.

‘The New Bible’

This chapter focuses on religion as a common motif employed throughout John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness (1995). As with many Western horror films, Christianity serves as a theological foundation, but Carpenter's film also draws interesting parallels with the Church of Scientology. In its depiction of the all-knowing, omnipotent author, able to alter reality with the mere power of their words, In the Mouth of Madness elevates the figure of the writer to near-religious status. As Sutter Cane types away on his very own ‘word processor of the Gods’, he too becomes one of those Gods, with divine control over those in his literary kingdom. With this notion in mind, the chapter explores the ways in which Carpenter's film repositions the writer from mere cultural commentator to modern-day prophet, or untouchable celestial being. It also considers how the film utilises theological concepts to form the basis of its philosophical framework, ultimately presenting religious cultdom as an extension of Carpenter's critiques on mindless consumerism and his apocalyptic obsessions with the loss of individuality and free will.

‘You Can Forget About Stephen King’

This chapter evaluates how the figure of Sutter Cane, the protagonist in John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness (1995), and his elevated celebrity persona, are very much a knowing homage to that other giant of horror fiction, Stephen King. To best understand how Sutter Cane is as much a product of King as he is of H.P. Lovecraft, it is worth noting that King himself is a graduate from the school of Lovecraft. Similar to the ways in which it makes reference to Lovecraft both on a surface and on a deeper textual level, In the Mouth of Madness also positions King as far more than a nominal surrogate for Cane. In addition to allusions to King's celebrity and popularity, perhaps more significantly it incorporates many themes central to King's fiction into its own narrative. Placing an author as a central character is one of King's signature tropes, and like many of King's writer-protagonists, Cane acts as a conduit for the ensuing horror.

‘This One Will Drive You Absolutely Mad’

This chapter addresses the ontological concerns in John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness (1995) by focusing on its radical aesthetic and philosophical disorientations: the non-linear presentation of time, cyclical narratives and visual repetition, and the fundamental distrust of perception. Parallels between the existential preoccupations of In the Mouth of Madness and The Matrix (1999) have already been drawn. Both The Matrix and In the Mouth of Madness work with the exciting dramatic potential of the idea that reality is not an absolute that can be reliably perceived, it is something we agree upon collectively, adding in a dash of malevolence to Cartesian scepticism — what if some external, evil force were constructing the veil of reality upon which duped masses then agreed upon? Crucially, though, Carpenter does not create a crusading action film that re-installs a sense of stable, authentic reality once this veil has been lifted, as the Wachowskis did. Instead, he crafts a more obtuse, surreal cinematic vision of what might be called Cartesian paranoia — crucially, a horror film.