5 Movies to Watch After John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness (1994)

Image by Victoria Borodinova from Pixabay

Sarah asked for movie matches to John Carpenter's fun meta genre-blending film, In the Mouth of Madness (1994). That's quite a challenge, Sarah. Genre blends are always tough to match, and this flick mixes a lot into the bag. Fans comment on its similarity to weird Lovecraft fiction and the way it seems to pay homage to the short stories of Stephen King. The story blurs the lines between reality and make-believe, and it centers on a missing novelist, whose books cause insanity. There's multiple mysteries to solve: Where's the writer and why are readers acting this way? With so many directions to go, I had fun assembling this list.

So here you go, Sarah, with the best match first. 

David Koepp's Secret Window (2004)
Novelist Mort Rainey has retreated to his cabin to get away from his ugly personal life and also to finish his latest novel, which he claims is perfect. A mysterious man shows up, claiming that Mort plagiarized his work. Mort starts a search to prove the man's claims are false, only the trail seems to get more confusing at each step. The lines between fiction and reality become blurred similar to In the Mouth.

Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)
Like In the Mouth, New Nightmare takes the viewer on a meta journey through the horror genre, poking fun at tropes and bringing surprising intelligence to the undertaking. Many consider this a prelude to the Scream movies. It also deal with obsessive fans. Similarities have often been described between these two movies, with New Nightmare possibly having better special effects.

Rob Reiner's Misery (1990)
Author Paul Sheldon has survived a car crash. He is rescued by nurse Annie Wilkes, who claims to be his #1 fan. But when Annie discovers Paul plans to kill off her favorite character, she decides to take control of the story and force Paul to write the ending of her dreams. Vulnerable because of his injuries, Paul has to come up with a plan of how to escape his #1 fan's house of horrors.

Jim Jarmusch's The Dead Don't Die (2019)
This one seems such an obvious match I'm not sure an explanation is warranted. With zombie hordes, small towns, meta story elements, weird fiction tropes, and darkly humorous moments, The Dead Don't Die leaves viewers wondering who has control of this story.

Robert Wiene's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligheri (1921)
This German Expressionist horror/mystery/psychological thriller should be a must-watch for any film lover. Considered the first horror movie and still chilling today, it's also a great match for In the Mouth because of the strange look and the way it leaves viewers wondering what they have just watched and questioning reality. It involves a creepy carnival, a somnambulist (sleepwalker) and murder. No humor in this film, but the arresting visuals make it worth the watch.