We lost a real one today and so I gotta recommend In The Mouth Of Madness(1994), directed by John Carpenter and starring Sam Neill. The film is a cosmic horror film that tells the story of an insurance investigator who is hired by a publisher to track down a horror author. I’m not going to go further than that, but feel free to read the synopsis on Wikipedia and tell me you don’t want to watch that story. Shit is wild.
I would not say this is a movie for the casual horror viewer, but it’s not too extreme either. It is very surreal and disorienting, with all the charm of a quality Carpenter film and a truly incredible performance by Neill. It’s a frame story, so you know exactly where the character is going to end up, but the journey there and beyond is continually surprising and fun. I personally think this is one of John Carpenter’s very best films and the story does the “author’s fiction blending with reality” trope better than any I have ever seen. Eat shit, Cellar Dweller! Stephen King wishes he wrote this shit, but instead he made The Dark Half, which is just okay.
I’m not one to mourn people I don’t actually know, but Sam Neill really was a special actor. I know I am going to explore more of his filmography and I hope you check this one out.