Who writes reality? Who shapes our perception? Using genre theory, the works of Lovecraft and Carl Jung all while exploring the layers of the brilliant film, In the Mouth of Madness, we'll try to find out.
Man.... I am speechless. This is, by far, the most insightful, thought-provoking and mentally stimulating video I've encountered on youtube up to till now. Guys, please donate to these guys, if you can, if not support them in any way possible. We need more content like this, there's too much stupidity and baseness spread all over the internet, meanwhile, videos like this? far too less of them. Absolutely great job guys!
High praise but I too am impressed by the writing and the video editing here. This is certainly a cut above the majority. One must be well versed in film, philosophy, politics, social science and psychology to create material like this. Well done.
40 minutes of dialogue on one of the most underappreciated movies I've ever seen with a 46 minute video on Hereditary in the sidebar? I've never subbed so fast
@Thorne I had never heard of the movie until this essay, and watched the film almost immediately. Unfortunately, the acting was so weak that I could not handle watching the whole thing. I got to the point where they got to the Cathedral at Hobb's End.
@@threethrushes the characters are, in the end, supposed to be fictional. (or book fictions within movie fictions) It's kind of missing the whole point because it's entirely appropriate that they are shallow, wooden characters, because they are depicting book characters, not actual people.
@Uden One-Eye I assumed appreciate love Sam Neill, even before your "profession of love," because he's just about the only thing connecting "Event Horizon" and "Mouth of Madness" at all. Frankly, what makes Mouth of Madness good is exploration of the nature of reality, and this requires A. an interest in Philosophy and B. Intelligence, plain and simple. If a person isn't interested in the issues described in this video, there's little else to recommend it. It did badly at the box office when it came out (and VHS video was only just becoming popular and profitable, and not a serious consideration in movie making). I think Carpenter is underappreciated for all the movies he's done. "They Live!" is my favorite and political in a good way. You can mostly ignore the warnings about mass media and it's effect on society in "The Mouth of Madness", it's more in your face in "They Live!".
I'm pretty sure if a Lovecraft story were to be adapted as a movie it would be calles dissapointing because of the nature of Lovecraft's books themselves...
@@jimmybuba2683 The only good film adaptation of a Lovecraft story was the silent black and white "The Call of Cthulhu" movie some fans made a while back.
@@redneckhapa Of course it's an homage. It's heavily based on Lovecraft, but doesn't have anything directly created by Lovecraft himself in it. No Cthulhu or Azathoth, no Innsmouth or Arkham, but lots of insanity and horrors from beyond.
Have you actually read lovecraft... “oh it’s indescribable” it’s lazy writing, the only reason we remember him was because he was first to do it. If you want a modern version try reading A. Lee Martinez or D. M. Cornish but don’t give undue praise to a lazy writer just because he was first
In the mouth of madness was the first horror I saw as a child that really affected me, I had no knowledge of Lovecraft but everything seemed vaguely familiar. Amazing work here too, I'm subbing on the strength of this.
This is the work filmmakers are supposed to put into making a film, instead we get panderers and forced politics in our movies. Excellent content, subscribed!
I don't know what movies you're watching, but I think Hollywood writers and directors are genuinely liberal. Maybe in TV it's forced. Or maybe I've got it wrong and you're talking about pro Mid-East war politics? Again, this is evident in TV, although that's why I avoid watching commercial TV.
@@squirlmy You're confirming what he's saying. Hollywood, for reasons still unbeknownst to me (although I have many working theories), is extremely liberal, and they promulgate their views blatantly, often inappropriately in their works. If you are anywhere right of stalin in the 'wood your career is over. I'm quite moderate myself but Hollywood is pathologically leftist/indentitarian and the dark things that go along with those axiomatic presuppositions are slowly coming to light eg. pedophilia
@@d4mdcykey Hi I'm from the future Lex-Appeal is more accurate than you think. It's gotten worse. Buuuuut. People don't like it. The shows and movies being produced with ideology baked into them, suck. And they're failing at the box office. Some of them. It's actually "influencers" "content creators" that are pushing cultural norms. Aaaaand it might be more effective than pushing it through art. Still bad though.
As a software developer, I read extensively when I was young reading Jung and the greate Victorian writers as well as the classics - The Odyssey, The Aeneid, Shakespeare, Blake. My impression with 'advances' in technology is that they are not really advances but more just a form of sophistry and at heart we are still beasts, many of us unaware of our shadow.
Yes! Finally, someone who says it like it really is and brings it to the light. We have to admit, what ever truth someone finds and people don't like it, the masses who are scared will so anything to stomp it out. Love this so much! Beautifully done! Bravo!
I mean it's a really good review I would say but philosophy wise is interesting but not completely factual. Basically when you look at history societies that do not go against reality itself too much tents to flourish and last longer. Societies that go against what's natural tends to crumble apart or get conquered. For example look it at the strongest empires in history at their peak they were very patriarchal, at their weakest they became more feminist. I also think he left out the idea of Expimplicit & Implicit thoughts.
Btw, keep in mind I almost died & my brain is slowly healing with others. But even listening to you before to now I absolutely love your work. God bless you man, & if you want to keep it going. I very do love your work. God bless you indeed. 🤟🏻
jaysenjayr thats the question I always ask myself. Everyone os afraid of being judged in the afterlife, but even serial killers are just doing what comes NATURAL to them. Just as some animals kill just for the sake of killing when theyre not even hungry, some humans are acting out what is naturally IN THEM. They were made that way. So therefore there is no "bad" people just violent or selfish people BY NATURE.
This video was exquisite. Since first I learned of propaganda I have been haunted by the concept. Propaganda, much the same as Horror films, both fascinates & terrifies me.
It's stupid to afraid of propaganda. It only works when people listen to it. Y'know what? The thing you have to afraid is THE PEOPLE!!! (Does it sound more scary, ha?)
@@allantidgwell5624 I wanted to say, some people blame "propaganda" as the roots of the evil...or some figurehead of particular group of the people but the real horror is the people themselves. not propagandas. Any kind of the group of the people or the crowd, lose their control by a little disturbance and panics. It's not always historical event. It may happen in your city, school, company...at large or small...we're living in a gun powder ready to be fired. And each one of us is its consistution. Metaphorically we're living in the world of "The thing", the other movie from the Carpenter, I guess. Like "the thing" in that movie, people doesn't need an actual reason to lost control I believe. Most of reasoning of such acts are just an excuse.
I just realized that The Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun" is featured in "In the Mouth of Madness" as creepy waiting room music, just like it was in "1408", which you also did a video essay on...
I'll be honest, as a writer myself, who's seen the effect my writing can have, this video made me extremely anxious. Not just because of the implications of how other authors have effected me, but because of the power it means I have over others
When talking of horror movies, I always mention this one. Sadly, most people I talk to haven't heard of it. One of the best psychological type horror movies ever made. It gets in your head, and stays there. Those are the best kind.
Great job man, thank you. We live in an ancient world, and our "leaders" practice ancient beliefs...we are just not taught the knowledge, and most cannot see this to be true. Ask anybody about ritual sacrafice, and they will say "oh yeah, that used to happen, but not anymore." People have no idea of the world in which they live...by desIgn. Myself included. Be safe.
About 15 years ago I uncovered the true reality of our dimension and it's a hard pill to swallow, no pun intended. I've actually tried to tell those that are around me about this reality and they labeled me a nut job in a conspiracy theorist because to accept this reality means that your whole life up until this point was an illusion. Our leaders practice ancient dark occult practices and ritual sacrifice is the ultimate sacrament to them.
I wouldn't put stock in the idea that the Bohemian Grove is host to *Satanic* sacrifices, (or the idea that particularly many Satanists actually kill anything,) or anything so.... colorful but also cliche. Its an old trope, but not because its ever been particularly true: the Carthaginians, for example, did not, despite the Roman claim to the contrary, commit child sacrifice, any more than the Zoroastrians worshiped fire, despite the Islamic claim to the contrary. Just as Rome's claim was a pretense to attack Carthage, and the claim of the Muslims' was a pretense to outlaw Zoroastrianism, (not that fire worship deserved that, but the Muslims thought so,) the claim that our government is run by Satanists is a means of scapegoating the real evil, the Soulless Ego of Capitalism, by naming one or another disenfranchised minority. The truth is somewhat more banal but more grand in scale: that the elites of our society do, in fact, practice a ritual of human sacrifice, that of the sacrifice of the worker and the consumer by the world of the corporate and the state. The disenfranchised minority, which Satanists most assuredly are, is merely another sacrifice: a scapegoat to bring out when the workers agitate, to turn them against each other and thus mitigate the challenge to the status quo and perpetuate existing power structures. For, after all, most Satanists, most Jews, most People of Color, most women, most homosexuals, and most transpeople *are your fellow workers,* just as is the case of most Christians, most Gentiles, most white people, most men, most straight people, and most cispeople, regardless of whether or not most elites are this faith or that faith or this gender or that gender or whatever have you. If you ally with the latter, ally with the former, and find strength in greater numbers! These divisions are merely tools the elites use to distract us from the class war they wage. Abolish borders, abolish prejudice, abolish tyranny, abolish privilege, abolish class; when you finish, you will find you abolished the illusion and made reality our own.
@@peppermintgal4302You're wrong - not entirely, as you assume just because the neoliberal capitalist system is the main issue, that it is not connected to occult, evil beliefs of the oligarchs. Read David McGowan and you'll understand. You're commiting the same mistake as the right wingers who only see the evil beliefs as the issue.
People seem to forget too easily that truth, when told with just a bit of spin, can be just as much a prison as lies, and that people who agree with us can still be angling to manipulate us.
@@henrywho9433 both, this is a parasytic-symbiotic relationship which you can participate in either actively or passively. Do you merely let your puppeteer(s) pull your strings, or do you tug them back as well?
Showed up to watch a review on a great Carpenter film. Walked away with a new perspective on life itself. I hope Carpenter sees this, and joins the conversation.
It's nice to be able to put a finger on what makes In the Mouth of Madness a film that resonates with us on so many levels. It's such a marvelous film that is much deeper than it seems. An allegory to what can happen to humanity when it loses its way.
Int he Mouth of Madness reasonates with our modern generation because it has escaped the mythos of Cold War II stories, and is beginning to embrace that of earlier ones - particularly from Lovecraft´s time.
I've quickly fallen in love with your content . It's a very much appreciated delving into psychology , culture and worldbuilding that brings certain themes and motifs to light . I love the amount of time and research you've put into these , they're very helpful for reference and extremely entertaining . You've also introduced me to a lot of very interesting reads , lucky I work at a bookstore .
*_I clicked expecting a critique of a film, instead I walked into a seminar._* Yours is an interesting take on the psychological aspects of this film, and fairly thought-provoking. In all honesty, I think _In The Mouth of Madness_ was strictly a Cosmic Horror story, a threat of unknowable and alien nature, completely beyond human agency or comprehension. What the story can drive the audience to think about can be dreadful, that's the inherent appeal of the Lovecraftian genre. Good on you for tapping into it.
Cigarette Burns reminded me a bit of the Bennewitz papers and the antivaccer and flat Earth stories about angels whose wings had been cut off so they could not fly to heaven.Vaccine manufacturers think they are angels, celestial beings that can manufacture a bonkish produce which has been debunked discredited.
I love your work. I've never even seen this movie and yet I feel so enthralled in your disconcerting yet insightful view of man in this film. This is the third video I've watched, and somehow you intuitively touch on humanity as a whole in the microcosms of each film you dissect, which is incredible. It's not even the dissection of the horror films you produce that are the most grisly, but the hauntingly poignant flaws that we as a species are decidedly unaware of that guide us.
No idea how I ended up here, but I have no words... the internet has brought many useless things as of late. This.... this is a beautiful exception. Exemplary sound thought made apparent through precise narration and masterful demand over the craft of videography to top it all off. Your work speaks to the betterment and complexity of human thought. Creativity and wonderment. What is quite unsettling however is the timing. Elon Musk recently expressed a wish to bind human consciousness with artificial intelligence. Just a few years ago scientists discovered reality is merely code, assorted similarly to computer code. Existence will only get exponentially insane.
Denzel Lewis:"I have no words." Also Denzel Lewis:"2 long eloquently worded paragraphs explaining what the video made me feel with words." Lol Not an attack, I liked it.
Good comment Thanos, sorry i missed the big fight btw, but thats why its most important to know: who we really are and what true reality is. If we get these wrong, the consequences are dire as im sure you know
@@URAWESOME94 well as long as you acknowledge God and Jesus as above you then you can freely roam the internet :) Just be careful! Because idolators dont usually end up safe and sound
@@jakeschwartz2514 I don’t care about and don’t believe in either of those. They’re also not a prerequisite for roaming the internet. I have no idea where that painfully idiotic sentiment came from.
You might be interested in the Minds of Men documentary here. It has a small side piece about Jacob's Ladder near the beginning, it's about 4 hours long.
Shut up witch, your time is neigh.. you rebel wannabes who have been fooled worse than the average square, we will end you, we are many, we are waiting.
Quick story on In The Mouth of Madness. I saw this in 1998 while smoking weed with my sister-in-law. Now.. We all know marijuana to be something that prevents nausea and vomiting. I was so disturbed by this movie, I literally threw up. It scared the hell out of me. In that altered state, my whole body went into reject mode. Thank you for summarizing everything I felt but could not put into words.
I’m from Mexico and the country’s culture of worship that’s been built around brutal, psychopathic criminals who fight each other and terrorize the general population over control of drug trade routes makes me feel like I truly am in the mouth of madness. There’s hardly any other words that work better to describe it. I read and watch of so called “intellectual revolutions” that have come and past us, of long diatribes about the rights of the individual, or of the sanctity of life, or of the nature of good and evil, and to me it seems it’s all for naught. We’re no more considerate, loving, self sacrificial, compassionate, or understanding than the people one or two thousand years ago. We’re probably worse, even, because we don’t even witness or comprehend the carnage we’re complicitly profiting from.
This was amazing! Its eerily meta how much of ours and my own personal collective story, beliefs, and reality are on display in this densely packed mindbender. Thank you for filling in so many gaps in understanding of my own internal and external realities and for making this masterpiece. That mystic point where a skilled writer creates belief and changes the reality of the reader, you found it.
This is one of the best videos I've seen in a long while. I love the concept of dealing with the "shadow self" (though I'm ashamed to admit, I've never read any Jung. I bought Meeting the Shadow after watching this, so will rectify that) and loved the Twin Peaks references. Especially as I thought the (much maligned) end of season 3 (or at least, how I perceived it) was a perfect allegory about how you must embrace and control your dark-half, instead of fruitlessly trying to suppress or destroy it.
Wow. This is an amazing video essay. The amount of work that went into is obviously quite substantial. I saw this film when it first came out and did not care for it. Now I can't wait to see it again, with new eyes. My younger self was not impressed with what I thought of as cheesy supernatural gobbledygook. But since then I have come to see stories - all stories - as something much more than they pretend. I also discovered Lovecraft in the intervening years. Despite his sometimes embarrassingly purple prose, melodrama, and run-on sentences (not to mention elements of racism), there is something powerful and unnerving in his work. His similarly titled story "At the Mountains of Madness" still sends a chill up my spine when I think about it. It transported me, stimulating my imagination as few other books have. So I'm definitely going to give this film another shot. Thanks!
I consider this to be one of John Carpenter's best three films, along with Halloween and The Thing. So much horror intends simply to shock or make people jump at the sound of a loud noise; this one's a cut above.
Honestly I enjoyed the film and thought the concept was great but the film itself could have been made better. The woman’s acting sucked and maybe that was on purpose but it didn’t feel like it and was super distracting. Also the way the movie ends with the rock music was dumb and cheesy. It would have been much truer to the film to go into the credits with silence and nothing but the sound of Sam Neill laughing crying and screaming in horror. This would have made audiences in the movie theater more uncomfortable and would have just been better. I feel like Carpenter did good then got lazy.
"The genre of his ad, piggy-backing on people's desire to be healthier, made bacon for breakfast a popular mainstay in culture". I see you. And I applaud you.
The crazy thing is when you study interviews many celebrities (musicians, film stars, writers) they all say they channel spirits to produce content. And of course popculture shapes the world. Whats also strange is that the plot of that movie is a distorted telling of eschatology. Awesome video
Late 80s to around 05-06, has had some of the best movies ever. Aside from Seven Psychopaths and The Grand Budapest Hotel, which are my two top favorite movies in the last decade.
This is thought provoking 🧐 Awesome! But thinking about this makes everything scary and terrifying. What If we are actually in a genre? Can we ever be able to tell the difference?
You took one aspect from a movie and just ran with it. Pretty sure In the Mouth of Madness is really just a tribute to Lovecraft's cosmic horror but you added elements that John Carpenter kind of plays with in his films and formed them into this video. And God damn it do I like it!
Such a deep look into a movie that I’m even sure survived the test of time 🤔 great video ! I’ll probably have to watch in the mouth of madness again...
Amazing video. I always loved this movie, it's so difficult to stumble across good lovecraftian horror. Thank you for promoting it, I love your choice of themes. Subbed!
Addendum: consider this quote by G.K. Chesterton and its correlation to your video: “A madman is not someone who has lost his reason, but someone who has lost everything but his reason”
12:01 belief system 14:09 the father of public relations 19:18 In Psychology there are three main influences on personality. 21:35 manufacturing consent 25:40 psychiatrist Carl Young
I just watched your newest video on Jacobs Ladder that got taken down. But let me say- that was a fantastic study and you did a wonderful job. I have been thinking about the themes in that movie for the last few years and you really covered a lot of ground. I’m so glad I got to see it!
Even though I dont agree with everything you say. I love your style man. You have a special talent for making the message youre trying to convey very entertaining and engaging. Your interpretations are very interesting, keep doing what youre doing. 👍
This movie, They Live and the Thing plus of course, Big Trouble in Little China, are amongst my absolute faves of John Carpenter's works! Great analysis although I knew much of it already from constant study. One thing I found interesting was learning last year that In the Mouth of Madness was meant to be the end of a trilogy involving something like the Thing, Prince of Darkness, and then In the Mouth of Madness. I miss his works since horror directors are so derivative nowadays. Hopefully he comes back more fully, now that he's once again taken the helm on the Halloween series, reportedly.
Videos I never knew I needed. This is by far my favorite psychological horror film and I'm glad someone expressing the way I've been feeling for years. Thank you.
It is a symbiotic relationship as it seams to be. One has to coexist with the other. Life imitates art,and art imitates life . The answer to this question is yes
Jay Bee I was listening till heard black pill, blue pill, red pill. I understand the analogy but can we not use the Matrix trilogy as a complete handbook to the simulation of the universe. By giving into sources of media as supposed truth, you sound just as naive as the rest of the sheep who are brainwashed slaves to capitalist consumerism
Awesome video. I think about this movie all the time and how true it is. How the written word can influence people and change reality. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." I literally just recorded a rant all about this stuff to post on my channel and then this video came up at the top of my recommendations. Stupid spooky smart phones always listening.
Yup, The hedonic principle completely dictates my thoughts and actions: if a decision will not eventually lead to pleasure, then I will not make that decision.
Consider yourself subbed. I stumbled across your videos today and loved the Hereditary piece. I've always enjoyed this movie and felt it isn't talked about enough. Lovecraftian films aren't easy to pull off. I'll be binging your stuff tonight but you're making very well thought-out content. Glad to have found your channel :)
I think there's a bit of a presumption regarding people doing things for a "reward" when people driven to do something moral may do so knowing that they will not receive any reward for their actions.
Satisfaction in doing what is "right" can be the most powerful motivation in the world. Material rewards are shallow, love and respect are fleeting, but moral certitude will justify any undertaking.
ok, this vid has made it 110% apparent to me that movies actually used to be better in the 80's and 90's despite production value.... what do you think and can you pontificate on the number of reboots we are seeing as a whole? (btw this is the first youtube suggestion that I'm actually grateful for, keep it up man, you rock!)
Jesus, I'm just discovering you and going through your back catalogue. Each video is fantastic, only to be surpassed by the next! Amazing work, thank you so much :)
