In the Mouth of Madness (1994) 4K UHD Review

4 star 4K restoration of a terrifying classic horror.

In the Mouth of Madness is a 1994 American Supernatural horror/thriller, written by Michael De Luca (Judge Dredd, Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare) and directed by the brilliant John Carpenter (Assault on Precinct 13, Big trouble in Little China) and is the final entry in his “Apocalypse Trilogy”.

It is available to own in the UK on Limited Edition 4K UHD from 27th October 2025, courtesy of Arrow Video.

“A word of advice. If you wanna pull a scam, don’t make your wife a partner. And if you do, don’t f*** around behind her back.”

As the film opens, we see John Trent (Sam Neill – Sleeping Dogs, Backtrack) being admitted into a mental institution, run by Dr Saperstein (John Glover – Payback, The Home). He is visited and questioned by Dr Wrenn (David Warner – Time Bandits, Titanic), who doesn’t seem at all satisfied with his answers.

Jump back in time and we see that John is a talented freelance insurance investigator. While in New York on a job, he suffers a seemingly unprovoked attack by an axe wielding maniac with deformed pupils. Shortly afterwards, he is hired by book publishers Arcane, to investigate the disappearance of their prized horror author Sutter Cane (Jurgen Prochnow -Dune, The English Patient). He has a new book due out and they are keen to track him down.

Arcane’s director Jackson Harglow (Charlton Heston – The War Lord, Ben-Hur) sets him up to work with his assistant Linda Styles (Julie Carmen – Gloria, Night of the Juggler) who tells him that Sutter Cane’s books can have a strange effect on some people, violence and paranoid delusions. He decides to read them and realises that the covers make up a map, leading to the location of the fictional town of Hobb’s End. They head off to investigate, but is there something some sinister at play here?

“This is not a publicity stunt, you were there. Cane’s writing has been known to have an effect on his less stable readers.”

In the Mouth of Madness is  a thoroughly enjoyable watch, with excellent acting performances all round and the well thought out and executed production which we have come to expect from John Carpenter.

Very of its era, the special effects still look great now, especially in 4K, which makes an already scary film even more so. It’s extremely creepy and filled with nods to Lovecraftian cosmic horror, with strange creatures, old gods and tentacles aplenty. The idea of a horror author writing books with the power to become truth should frighten any horror fan, and this film plays straight into that. The ambiguity surrounding the reality of our hero is also very well written.

Very good package, with lots and lots of special features, making this one well worth adding to your collection.

 “We have nothing to hide Mr Trent. I desire only our fair share if Cane is dead, or our property if he’s alive.”

In the Mouth of Madness is available to own on Limited Edition 4K UHD from 27th October 2025.

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• Brand new 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative by Arrow Films
• 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Original lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 and stereo 2.0 audio options
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Archive audio commentary with director John Carpenter and producer Sandy King Carpenter
• Archive audio commentary with director John Carpenter and director of photography Gary B. Kibbe
• Brand new audio commentary by filmmakers Rebekah McKendry & Elric Kane, co-hosts of Colors of the Dark podcast
• Making Madness, a newly filmed interview with producer Sandy King Carpenter
• Do You Read Sutter Cane?, a newly filmed interview with actor Jürgen Prochnow
• The Whisperer of the Dark, an archive interview with actress Julie Carmen
• Greg Nicotero’s Things in the Basement, an archive interview with special effects artist Greg Nicotero
• We Are What He Writes, a new featurette in praise of John Carpenter and In the Mouth of Madness
• Reality Is Not What It Used To Be, a new appreciation by film scholar Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
• Horror’s Hallowed Grounds, an archive featurette looking at the locations used in the film
• Home Movies From Hobb’s End, behind-the-scenes footage
• The Making of In the Mouth of Madness, a vintage featurette
• Theatrical trailer and TV spots
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Francesco Francavilla
• Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Francesco Francavilla
• Perfect bound collector’s book featuring new writing on the film by Guy Adams, Josh Hurtado, Richard Kadrey, George Daniel Lea, Willow Catelyn Maclay, and Alexandra West