User reviews

This feels like a movie I should be very much into. I love sympathetic monsters and creatures, and strange unique fantasy lore, but this movie just falls flat for me. I've seen it twice now. I gave It a second chance with the Director's Cut, but I came away feeling the same.

I did really enjoy seeing David Cronenberg acting, and I imagine everyone on set had fun, but there's really nothing to come back to in this movie. It feels like they had written a premise, and a first act, and then just winged it for the rest of the film.

There's a decent mystery being built up in that first act, and I'm intrigued, hoping to venture further into this strange culture of Midian, but it seems that there is no actual depth to it. They're just monsters.They sit around in dusty underground lairs waiting for 'normals' to come around and shake things up, and when they do they go "boogie boogie boo" and dance in their faces.

Boone is a man plagued by secrets and nightmares. His situation is greatly worsened when his therapist reveals his darkest deeds. With his girlfriend in tow and the therapist hot on his heels will Boone be able to find this town of monsters in his dreams and what will happen when he finds it and they find him. I've always enjoyed this film since its' release. It is a good solid monster flick with some gore and a little mythology to boot. The creature effects are even to this day some of the darkest and twisted ever seen. The directing and look of the film are solid. Translating Clive Barker's imagination is probably very hard…even by Barker himself. The acting of the leads is very good and Cronenberg (a director in his own right) is sedate and creepy. If Hopkins wasn't available to play Hannibal the cannibal I would have chose him. The main detractor is the way the studio hacked up the original cut. And poor marketing didn't help either. Please release a director's cut someone. 7/10

Various cuts of Nightbreed have surfaced since its original theatrical release, one as many as 155 minutes long. I watched the 120 minute directors cut released by Shout! Factory in 2014. Based on Clive Barker's 1988 novella, Cabal, Nightbreed is an elaborate and indulgent fantasy-horror with heavy handed themes of love, intolerance, incitement, abuse of power, manipulation, and monstrosity. Although the film's richly colorful cinematography, elaborate makeup, and conceptual elements are strong, its convoluted storyline, mediocre acting, and over the top writing and aesthetic transform what could have been a compelling fairy-tale-esque parable into an exercise in gory, campy excess.

If you're looking for an original horror flick, this might be the one for you. It's strange and at times lingers on stupidity, but it's just such a good looking, nice sounding and original movie, it never fails, except maybe during the over long climax. "Nightbreed" is a must see for horror fans, or for fans of monster movie make-up.

Boone (Craig Sheffer) has been having dreams of a town called Midian full of mutant creatures. In therapy, his psychiatrist Dr. Decker (horror director David Cronenberg) has come to the conclusion that Boone is a murderer, and gives him hallucinogenic pills, and tells him to turn himself in. After almost getting killed, Boone ends up at the hospital, where he runs into a mental patient who also knows about Midian, and tells Boone where to go. Midian, located in a graveyard, is inhabited by vile mutant creatures that don't let Boone in. After escaping with only a nasty bite, Boone is shot dead by the police, who were lead to his location by Dr. Decker. But Boone isn't dead. The bite causes him to live, and he goes off to Midian. Meanwhile, Boone's girlfriend Lori (Anne Bobby) tries to find Boone and get to the bottom of this. When Dr. Decker also finds out about this place, chaos ensues.

The plot seems long and complicated, but it really isn't hard to understand. The plot, among other things, makes this movie really interesting. The make-up effects are astounding. The creatures look unique and amazing, and make this a very appealing film. To add to more senses appeal, we have a musical score by Danny Elfman, that is both lush and bouncy, and fits the film like a glove. The shots in the movie are also set up beautifully. The cinematography is lovely, and the movie sets up an atmosphere that is never broken. Even the acting is good, with the biggest surprise being director David Cronenberg giving a great, menacing performance as the man, who for one reason or another, wants to see Boone dead. It's odd for a horror film to be this well done.

The problems with the movie...well there are a few, but the positives outweigh the negatives. The script features the occasional lame jokes to try and add some humor, but almost every one falls flat. The mutant creatures look great and for the most part are well acted, but sometimes it feels like they are just posing their awesome makeup for the camera. The worst part of the film would have to be the climax. It takes so long, and is just constant chaos. It's the portion of the film that moves from individual characters and nice tight knit shots, to fiery explosions from each direction and violence happening to characters we don't know or care about.

Overall, this movie is amazing to look at. It's a well done horror film, but even with that said, it has the occasional failure in character's lines, and a messy climax. Nonetheless, this is one to check out.

My rating: *** out of ****. 101 mins. R for strong violence and language.

Its been along time since I seen the original, but the directors cut seemed a vastly superior movie. The version I recently saw, as there are several out there, had a 2 hrs long running time.

Undeniably, Hellraiser was Clive Barkers best movie by far. Nightbreed has far larger sets and much more ambitious effects, as the cast is much larger. For the best part it succeeds, and is an impressive creature feature/ fantasy horror. Hellraiser just had a better, more personal, darker story to tell in my opinion. It was a hallmark in the evolution of horror in the 1980s. It was one of those movies which really touched a nerve.

Comparisons a side, this is very decent genre entry.

Aaron Boone is a troubled young man who is plagued by horrifying nightmares about a city inhabited by monsters called Midian. He regularly attends sessions with his psychiatrist, Dr. Phillip Decker for help. However, unknown to Boone, Decker is a brutal serial killer who eventually frames his patient for his spate of murders. Resulting in Boone being shot dead by the police. Boone though is resurrected by the monsters he has been dreaming about. Together with the Nightbreed, Boone sets out to prevent Decker from killing again, while the existence of his supernatural allies unfortunately comes to the attention of the local police and neighboring townsfolk.

The brainchild of Clive Barker, the cult dark fantasy author who had also brought his novel The Hellbound Heart to the big screen as Hellraiser in 1987. Nightbreed which was based on his novella Cabal, and with his own script that he adapted for the big screen. He also as with his first movie called the shots behind the camera as director. An imaginative allegorical tale with themes regarding homosexuality and colonialism. The former came as probably little if any surprise due to Barker being a gay man himself. At the time of its theatrical release though, it was both a critical and commercial flop and no doubt to the writer/director's bitter dismay. This was due to it being a victim of interference from the studio Morgan Creek that had financed it. They had tried to market it as a standard slasher movie, displaying that they had no understanding of its story whatsoever. It didn't help either that Studio executives were present on set throughout its filming which came to the annoyance of the crew.

It's little wonder then that the theatrical cut would come to be one of four versions to come to fruition. The others would be The Director's Cut, the extended VHS Cut, and the Cabal Cut. The version that we got proved of course to be an unmitigated mess. The initial problem with the Theatrical version is that it takes more of a black-and-white take on the storytelling. This was down to the powers that be being unable to fathom how the Monsters could be the bad guys rather than the humans. It therefore stands to reason that much of its allegorical context in reference to colonialism dwindled into the background. It didn't help either that the murderous, psychotic character of Decker's (brought to life by cult Independent filmmaker David Cronenberg) screentime was increased so that he could slay several more people. Again, an attempt to pass it off as more of a slasher movie. And at 102 minutes in length, due to 40 minutes having been removed from the Director's cut, and 20 added by the studio. It feels that what we are watching has been bastardized. This also meant that many of the monsters that had existed in previous edits had been excised as well as any sense of nuance. Many of the more novel aspects of the story have been lost almost completely. There was no longer any camaraderie that existed between Boone (Craig Sheffer), his lover Lori, (Anne Bobby), and the Nightbreed. Who as a race of supernatural outcasts have invited comparisons with Marvel Comics X-Men. There were after all in the Director's Cut allusions to people fearing those who are different from them, and how said fear brings them to attempt to subjugate or even commit genocide. However, in the theatrical cut, there was no exploration of their shared relationships across the board, with the bond between Boone and Lori which is more strongly cemented in the Director's Cut becoming practically non-existent. And what is more unfathomable is that Doug Bradley (who has become best known for his role as Pinhead in Barker's Hellraiser and its subsequent sequels) who played the role of the Acolyte and lawgiver of Midian Dirk Lylesberg had all his dialogue dubbed over by a German actor. Not to mention that Lylesberg has been rendered as more ineffectual and ambivalent about what will become of his own people.

If there's anything to be said for the theatrical version in its favour is that the special makeup effects by Mark Courier by early 90s standards are outstanding, as are some of the puppetry effects. The movie at the time held the record for most monsters on screen, with each of the actor's make-up having to be applied individually by an artist. Meanwhile, the sets that depict the Necropolis and the subterranean city of Midian are awe-inspiring, lending them an archaic, other-worldly aesthetic. The overall performances are pretty solid, with Sheffer making a charismatic presence as Boone, and giving him an unassuming everyman quality that grounds him as a character. Anne Bobby does what she can with Lori, who struggles to ignite any semblance of chemistry between herself and Sheffer. The scenes of which she had with him being left on the cutting room floor. Special mention should however go to Charles Haid as the ruthless and brutal Captain Eigerman, who personifies the ugly face face of figurative colonialism brilliantly. However, Cronenberg, although we see too much of Decker stands out amongst the crowd as the savage and scheming psychiatrist. The soft-spoken lilt of his voice brings a chilling, menacing resonance to him.

In the grand scheme of things, what good there can said for the theatrical cut of Boone can't save it from being a a turgid disappointment. Thanks to Barker's creative ambition being undermined by the obtuse, directorial executives of Morgan Creek. Thankfully, although not perfect by any means the Director's Cut which does a bit more justice to the man's vision does exist and can be purchased on both DVD and Blu-Ray, and goes some way to prove that studio executives don't really have a clue and shouldn't be allowed anywhere within 50 yards of a film set. They're better sticking to being what they're best at. Being bean counters, and leaving the creative decisions to their directors and screenwriters.

Let me say from the outset I'm not a particular fan of this kind of film, but Nightbreed holds a certain fascination for me with a message about perspective.

Back in the old days, the folks who inhabit Midian would have been called Zombies, the undead. And according to what Clive Barker has given us certain members of human kind, in this Craig Sheffer are born with the potential to become part of that world.

Psychiatrist David Cronenberg at first looking like the mild mannered professional has taken unto himself a fanatical mission to rid the world of the Nightbreed. He tricks the police into killing Sheffer, but Sheffer goes to a graveyard named Midian cemetery where the Nightbreed congregate and live underground.

Sheffer has also left a girl friend, Anne Bobby, who still has feelings for him even after he's been killed and is now one of the undead. She tries in her own small way to be a bridge to humankind.

Clive Barker's creatures are a pretty gruesome looking lot and are not particularly fond of humans. But it's plain to see that if humans left them alone, the Nightbreed in turn not bother with them.

Your sympathies are definitely with the Nightbreed especially after seeing a fanatic like Cronenberg and redneck police chief Charles Haid in action.

Clive Barker's been an out gay man for some time now and some have suggested to me that the Nightbreed is a metaphor for gay people. I can see where that would come in, especially since there are a whole lot of people who don't even think of gays as anything human because they're taught that way.

Granted Nightbreed is pretty bloody with a lot of gratuitous violence, but it also does make you think and I do like the way Clive Barker does turn traditional theology on its head and makes Craig Sheffer a kind of messiah for the Nightbreed creatures.

Fascinating is an excellent word to describe NIGHTBREED: it doesn't necessarily mean it is good or bad, just interesting. Indeed, Im still not sure whether or not this film is good or bad.

On the credits side, the sets, costumes, make-up, special effects, even the matte paintings are gorgeous, grotesque, perfect for what is required. I was amazed that such fantastic production values could be found in a movie that on the surface seems so schlocky. There is such a wealth of imagination here that one can hardly take time out to think about the flaws. I was so amazed by the knock-out apocalyptic finale that I could barely think about how silly the context is (a bunch of redneck Canadians blow-torching a cemetary.)

he film's biggest flaw is it's sheer magnitude- there are SO many characters, plots, subtexts, overlays, and so on, that no really coherent or involving center emerges. It can be interpreted as: a story about how love conquers the supernatural (a la Dead Again), a Silence-of-the-lambs-like psychodrama about a serial killer; a dreamy horror flick reminiscent of Nightmare on Elm Street and especially Little Monsters; a Gilliam-inspired fantasy (the teeming underworld city is strongly reminiscent of Brazil and the Fortress of Ultimate Darkness in Time Bandits, while other parts are reminiscent of The Adventures of Baron Munchausen); a symbolic tale of racial tolerance; and on and on. So much happens, so many characters are involved, so many subtexts present themselves, its hard to know what is going on at all.

Still, one really does have to see the film to believe it. The underworld city is stunning, its atmosphere created perfectly by both the production design and a series of bizarre tableaux of its residents. It is a mark of Barker's screenwriting talent (so often evident in his other films if you can look beneath the shlock) that all the characters, even monsters seen only briefly, ring true in some strange way. The many stories are actually touching. Also, the ending is cleverly conceived; it doesnt go out of its way to leave the door open for a sequel, rather the open door is integral to the plot. I would love to see a follow-up just to know how Barker carries through the mythical aspects he introduces in this film's last part.

Perhaps the film could have been more focused, with fewer subsidiary characters; perhaps the completely inappropriate (but obviously intentional) humor could have been dropped; perhaps the entire serial-killer sub-plot could have been excised completely. In any case, this film is a knock-out.

I always think of Clive Barker as the 20th century version of H.P. Lovecraft with added humour. This is a good monster flick, that at times is absurd, but fun. Craig Sheffer is okay in the lead, but I particularly enjoyed David Cronenberg's understated portrayal of the doctor. There's a bit of gore, but nothing remotely scary. Good movie to pass the time.

I've always considered Barker to be a bit overrated, certainly his later work was, and I haven so far found a lot of decent Barker work outside Hellraiser.

But this film.....is great, with good acting by Craig Sheffer (who I thought was a good redeeming feature of Hellraiser Inferno) and a good script.

Look out for the Directors Cut, otherwise dont bother. Epic creature effects and Doug Bradley is also in it! Its a nice old-style film that has a few matt painting effects too. Its also pretty good how the creatures are portrayed as the protagonists, while cops are portrayed as thuggish and corrupt (so in a sense, portraying the mess that the US is currently in with its law enforcement problems.

Watch it!

Clive Barker of Hellraiser fame has written and produced a fantasy horror film that is funny and exciting.

The make-up done by Bob Keen and Geoffrey Portass was fantastic. It took quite an imagination to come up with these mutants that lived underground. It was really a treat to see the quality of work.

It wasn't particularly horrible, as the worst creature was actually a human serial killer.

I just saw Craig Sheffer in Shadow of Doubt the other day and he did a good job in this film also. Nothing spectacular, but fair. This was only Anne Bobby's third film, and she was good also.

The ending was spectacular and the rednecks got their just desserts, as did David Cronenberg. Ha!

Clive Barker's 'Nightbreed' is a lavish, senseless horror film underpinned by a half-baked metaphysics. It's "more is less" plot features a psychopathic psychiatrist (unusually played by David Cronenberg, who has never directed a film as bad this one he appears in), a quasi-fascist police force and a bizarre "community" of undead monsters, all apparently living in the Cascade mountains. I say "community" in quotes as the supposed social dynamics of this group are never remotely plausible; instead, the film simply throws something new at us (a new monster, a new idea, a new enemy, a new place) at every turn of the plot, when just a fraction of the ingredients would have sufficed. It's not scary or funny, and having the monsters swear a lot renders them not frightening but banal. The film also has the most intrusive music of any movie I can remember. The result is a film with all the depth of a pop video; though sadly not the brevity.

I was peeved that the best make-up academy award went to Dick Tracy, a horrible film with horrible make-up. The Nightbreed (based on the better titled "Cabal" novella) look terrific, the acting is excellent and David Chroneburg makes for a truly creepy and terrific antagonist.

The plot focus's on Aaron Boone, who has recurring nightmares about a society of monsters living under a cemetery. Is he making it up or are they real and calling to him? His Pyschologist (Chroneburg) convinces him he's a murderer, a slayer of families.

Troubled and suicidal, Boone seeks refuge in Midian but the monsters don't want him at first. He is also tracked by his girlfriend, Lori who refuses to give up on him even after he dies and comes back cold and monstrous.

But Decker isn't about to let Boone continue on. He raises the locals on an all out assault on Midian, like a holy war in gods name led by the devil.

Barkers themes of misunderstood monsters may come from his experiences as a homosexual male, but they are always strong and honest. Nightbreed turns the genre on it's head. The monsters are just trying to survive and want to be left alone, but man is hunting them.

A 20+ minute longer cut was originally submitted by Barker, but the studio chopped it into this fractured masterpiece. Barker is hard at work trying to locate the missing footage for a directors cut release. Until then, this version will have to do.

The editor of the new cut (also called Cabal Cut at the moment) is touring with this "new" version around the world. I did watch it at Frightfest, but the people responsible for that are touring the world with it. Next stop will be Bottrop in Germany, at a convention in November 2012. Of course you should be aware that the newly inserted footage is taken from a VHS. For those too young to remember: It equals bad quality! Project that on one of the biggest screens (as it happened at Frightfest) and you might get nausea.

But this was my first encounter with Nightbreed, because I hadn't seen the movie before that. I have to admit, the not yet restored scenes did require some time getting used to. The movie as whole feels a bit too long (maybe the producers were onto something for once?). But I'm glad I had the opportunity to watch it in its entirety. There will further cuts until they're satisfied (and the audience watching) with the result.

The story is actually pretty good (I haven't read the novel, but I guess this is as close as it gets), but some of the acting didn't really convince me. David Cronenberg was good, but also very weird. Than again, the whole movie has this strange vibe to it. Not sure what to make of it and will definitely not appeal to the masses. Try it if you get the chance

Boone has dreams of a city called Midian where the monsters live. He is not alone -- others have dreamt of it, too, and the reason is because it may just be real. That is interesting enough, but then we have the other plot: Boone is also suspected of being a masked serial killer who has amassed more than fifteen victims.

Clive Barker wrote this story (as "Cabal") and directed the film. It is probably his weakest film, despite an underground fan following. It clearly does not rank on the level of "Hellraiser". Yes, it has a decent cast such as Doug Bradley and Simon Bamford (though Doug was almost completely unrecognizable). And there is David Cronenberg, probably one of the greatest directors who ever lived, playing a really creepy psychiatrist. I think it is fair to say he is the highlight of the film. In fact, without Cronenberg, the film would have been a complete waste of time.

The film has some major plot issues Where did the priest come from? He shows up and acts as though he was in the film the entire time, though we know this to be false. In fact, he then becomes a main character somehow. Is there an earlier scene with him that got edited out? Why is the psychiatrist so intent on wiping out Midian? Why does he care? And why should we care about the "nightbreed"? None of their characters is ever developed. And why are they called a different race when it is clear that people can cross over? It is just so strange that the more questions you ask, the fewer answers you will get.

The film as a whole has too much going on. Focusing on the serial killer part would have been enough, but they introduce thirty characters and develop none of them. Recently, an additional 44 minutes of footage was found from the film. Would it probably explain the plot better? Yes. But is it worth sitting through a three-hour version of this film? I suspect not. If two hours was just average (at best), the longer version could not improve on this.

Now, I still support its release. Clive Barker is fighting Morgan Creek, who refuse to release or sell the footage, so for those who want to see it, they cannot. And, to be fair, some is just a second here or there cut by the MPAA (the hospital scene where the man removes his face was trimmed down, for example).

Should you see this? Well, if you like Clive Barker, yes. Or Doug Bradley (though you cannot even recognize him due to the German voice dub). But it is not one of the better films I have seen... none of my reference books even mention it! That is a sad state of affairs!

Don't ask me why I love this movie so much...Maybe it came at a time in my life I desperately wanted to fit in, maybe it is the amazing monster effects, maybe because I enjoyed the novel "Cabal", but It's probably because I LOVE Clive Barker. I think it's fair to warn you the movie and the novel have no true resolve and like me you'll probably have a WTF moment at the end. At least two sequels were planned but never came about due to the fact the movie flopped for a few reasons. The studio made drastic cuts to the film cutting a good 30 or so minutes out of it and they did a HORRIBLE job promoting it. The adverts made it look like just another cheap slasher showing mainly the "Button face/Mask" Decker character. This is a movie about the monsters! About fantasy! About a place called Midian! It's a story where the monsters are the good guys. There is truly nothing else out there like it! It's not a movie for everybody I suppose but it stands as one of Clive's many great works. Sit back and be prepared to be taken to Midian - where the monsters are.