John Carpenter fans have received quite a few gifts in recent years, from the Anthology Themes and Lost Themes album releases to the recent news that he will potentially soon be scoring Bong Joon-Ho’s next horror flick. Toss an official version of Sutter Cane’s novel, In the Mouth of Madness, into the mix, because it’s on its way for Halloween 2025. Sutter Cane is, as fans of Carpenter’s 1994 love letter to H. P. Lovecraft know, that film’s villain. He’s a Stephen King-like author whose books blend reality and fiction so well that, for insurance investigator John Trent (Sam Neill) at least, it becomes life-altering.
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This release is a brilliant case of art finding its way into life, seeking to blend fiction and reality for us all. The novel was announced by Echo On Publications itself in a press release that touts the author’s previous work such as The Hobbs End Horror, The Thing in the Basement, The Breathing Tunnel, and The Whisperer of the Dark.
What Is John Carpenter’s In the Mouth of Madness About?
In the Mouth of Madness follows Neill’s Trent as he’s sent by book publisher Arcane to find their most lucrative novelist: Sutter Cane. His newest book is due for release very soon, and all of a sudden, he can’t be found or contacted. By looking at Cane’s book covers, Trent comes to the conclusion that they serve as a road map to the fictional town of Hobb’s End, New Hampshire (which is essentially the Castle Rock, Maine of the fictional author’s work).
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Along with Cane’s editor, Linda Styles, Trent sets off for Hobb’s End and, as they apparently near it, they find that hallucinations and significantly altered reality is the new norm. But the closer they feel they’re getting to Cane, the more removed from reality they are until the bomb drops: Trent isn’t really a flesh-and-blood human being walking among us, he himself is the protagonist of Cane’s In the Mouth of Madness. He’s been living (and we’ve been watching) the events of the novel play out.
So, What Is This Book?
Echo On is the horror-focused imprint of Arcane Publishing. Its goal is to reimagine cult-classic horror films in literary form, which is what they did with their novelization of the underrated Session 9. That novelization was written by Echo On Editor-in-Chief Christian Francis and, considering he’s the one who announced In the Mouth of Madness, it’s likely he’s the one writing under the Sutter Cane nom de plume.
As Francis wrote, “In the Mouth of Madness is not just a book, it’s an experience…a mix of sanity and delusion. It’s Cane at his most unhinged: darker, hungrier, and far more dangerous than anything he’s written before. And while we’re proud to publish it, we must warn people to read with caution and report any altered perception to a medical professional.”
An exact release date has not yet been announced, but the announcement states it will be available to read by Halloween. Without a doubt, this will be a lovingly crafted (no quasi-pun intended) must-own for the Carpenter aficionados of the world.
