Nightbreed (1990)

A troubled young man is drawn to a mythical place called Midian where a variety of monsters are hiding from humanity.

Director:

Clive Barker

Writers:

Clive Barker (novel), Clive Barker (screenplay)

Stars:

Craig Sheffer, David Cronenberg, Anne Bobby

4 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Craig Sheffer	...	Aaron Boone / Cabal
Anne Bobby	...	Lori Winston
David Cronenberg	...	Dr. Philip K. Decker
Charles Haid	...	Captain Eigerman
Hugh Quarshie	...	Detective Joyce
Hugh Ross	...	Narcisse
Doug Bradley	...	Dirk Lylesberg
Catherine Chevalier	...	Rachel
Malcolm Smith	...	Ashberry
Bob Sessions	...	Pettine
Oliver Parker	...	Peloquin
Debora Weston	...	Sheryl Ann
Nicholas Vince	...	Kinski
Simon Bamford	...	Ohnaka
Kim Robertson	...	Babette

Storyline

A community of mutant outcasts of varying types and abilities attempts to escape the attention of a psychotic serial killer and redneck vigilantes with the help of a brooding young man who discovers them. Based on the novel "Cabal" by Clive Barker.

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Plot Keywords:

motel | surprise ending | escape | outcast | midian | 

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Taglines:

Come meet the dead of night.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 February 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Clive Barker's Nightbreed

Filming Locations:

Wexham Park Hospital, Slough, Berkshire, UK

Box Office

Gross:

$8,862,354 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Morgan Creek Productions, Seraphim Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min 145 min (The Cabal Cut) 120 min (The Director's Cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Some of the Nightbreed-inspired merchandise included a 25-issue Nightbreed comic book series, a Nightbreed game for the home computer, and books such as "The Nightbreed Chronicles".

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Goofs

When the camera slowly pulls away, over Boone's dead body in the field in front of Midian, you can see him blink after several seconds.

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Quotes

Narcisse: It's Shangra-La on Dope. We love it!

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Connections

Referenced in David Bowie: Lazarus (2016)

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Soundtracks

Home on the Range
(uncredited)
Lyrics by Brewster M. Higley
Music by Daniel E. Kelley

User Reviews

Intrigue, mystery and monstrosity.

It is interesting to see what people think of this movie, since it is, in fact, quite unique (though it bears some of the trademarks of Clive Barker's writing). Even though it might seem a bit cynical to say so, the movie is just intricate enough to deflect those that need standard Hollywood plot hooks, and layered, so that if you expect to be fed, you will see a normal monster flick with lots of monsters and a disjointed plot.

Those who need a linear, specific and untangled plot line will hate this movie, because the story lies, like in the novella, partially between the lines, or in this case, partially off screen, in comments and the imagination.

Another possible hang-up is the ending, of which I can say, without spoiling it, that it is not entirely good and not entirely bad. It is, in fact, not very defined at all, which I know sends some people into raging tantrums about that they didn't get to know what happened, but to me, and to many others, I'm sure, just adds another dimension to the story - the dimension of speculation, and, in addition, the point that great disruption has a tendency to cause ripples that extend quite far.

There is definitely moral here, but of a rather different kind than the standard Hollywood in-your-face-at-the-end-of-the-movie sort of display. Summing that moral up is simple, even though it is not quite that simply displayed; prejudice and the human tendency to hate the different.

I love this movie, even though, as many of the reviewers have noted, the expressions of the actors (with the exception of David Cronenberg, who does a wonderful appearance) are rather tacky. I'm not sure they are entirely to blame for their rickety appearance and lack of depth, though, seeing that these are common problems in converting literature to screenplay.

All in all, this is a great movie, provided that you do not expect it to be a standard horror movie.