The fabled director’s cut of Clive Barker’s 1990 film finally gets a restoration, but is it the lost classic many were hoping for?
I first became aware of Nightbreed via a strange route. As a pre-teen, I was the proud owner of a Comodore Amiga 500 and one of the most visually impressive games available at the time was Nightbreed: The Interactive Movie which re-told the story of the film with minimal interactive elements. Naturally, I wanted to see the film that had inspired it and eventually caught it on satellite TV. At the time I remember being impressed by the makeup and finding the story, which positions the ‘monsters’ as the good guys, to be pretty cool in an anti-establishment kind of way. Revisiting the film over the years though led to disappointment. There was something that didn’t quite gel and it did not stand up to Barker’s much superior Hellraiser and Candyman. Like many, I came to believe the reason for this was that the film was re-cut by the studio and much of Barker’s original intent was lost. Reading the novel upon which the film is based Cabal seemed to confirm this, telling a much richer story with a coherence that the film lacked. Whether a truer version of the film existed became the stuff of urban legend among Barker fans culminating in this latest Blu Ray release from Arrow video.
Not unlike the fabled ‘Snyder Cut’ of the recent Justice League film, rumours swirled for years of what would come to be known the ‘Cabal Cut’ of Nightbreed. A VHS of the workprint did the horror festival rounds and a fervent fanbase sprang up to demand it’s release. Luckily the calls were answered, and the film has been lovingly restored, the question is – was it worth the wait?
Nightbreed tells the story of Boone a man who comes to believe that he belongs with the creatures of the night and seeks refuge in Midian, a sanctuary for the titular ‘breed who only wish to be left alone, apart from human society. What follows is a story about intolerance and acceptance told through Barker’s macabre lens. Boone (Craig Sheffer) begins the story confused about his place in the world, his only grounding coming from his girlfriend Lori (Anne Bobby) while his doctor Decker (David Cronenberg, showing a talent for acting to match his directing) goads him Iago-like toward committing hideous crimes. The early scenes set up the characters nicely and are given far more room to breathe in the new cut of the film. When the characters descend on Midian is when the film really comes to life. The creature designs range from prosthetics to animatronics and are truly memorable with Doug Bradley (better known as Hellraiser’s Pinhead) giving a commanding performance in something of an elder statesman role. Thankfully the new cut restores his vocal performance which had previously been re-dubbed with a German accent for no discernible reason. The climactic scenes play out like a fantasy/horror take on Star Wars and are thrilling to watch not least due to the immense amount of practical sets and effects.
Originally marketed as a slasher movie, the film is anything but. It is an epic story of a hero rising to defend the oppressed with the humans as the true villains. It is also hugely ambitious from the stunning makeup to the gigantic Midian set, this is an epic fantasy that feels like it had a lot more story to tell. To that end, there are sequel hooks aplenty and one wonders what may have been, had Barker been able to deliver this version in 1990.
Included on the Blu Ray is the original theatrical cut as well as the restored director’s cut. watching both is a fascinating insight into how a film can change through editing. The latter is undoubtedly superior but there was enough in the former to keep me fascinated by this film over the years. Also included are numerous featurettes and a full length ‘making of’ that are well worth your time.
If you are new to Nightbreed this is a treat not to be missed, and if you are a long time fan then you finally have the version of the film you always knew it could be.
Nightbreed is out now on Blu-ray.
Nightbreed a Barker Classic
Movie title: Nightbreed
Movie description: A troubled young man is drawn to a mythical place called Midian where a variety of friendly monsters are hiding from humanity. Meanwhile, a sadistic serial killer is looking for a patsy.
Date published: November 8, 2019
Duration: 1h 42m
Director(s): Clive Barker
Actor(s): Craig Sheffer, David Cronenberg, Anne Bobby
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Horror
Jim King is a lifelong geek who enjoys talking about anything and everything out of the ordinary. He co-hosts a Star Trek podcast and is pretty good at Street Fighter 2.
