Nightbreed Reviews

Nightbreed was released in 1990 and is the second film directed by British horror author Clive Barker, following his 1987 film Hellraiser. The movie was adapted from Barker's own novel, Cabal, and is about a group of mutants and other non-human creatures who are trying to exist away from mankind, below a cemetery, in a vast underground city known as Midian. The story follows Boone, who begins having nightmares about the "monsters" living beneath the cemetery, and begins to question whether they are dreams or reality. He begins to feel that the creatures are calling him to them. His psychologist, Dr. Decker, has his own ulterior motives. The unhinged performance by David Cronenberg as Dr. Decker, is one of my favorite aspects of the film. Cronenberg, for those who don't know, is the director of such films as Scanners, Videodrome, The Brood, and Dead Ringers, to name just a few. Unfortunately, when Nightbreed was released in theaters in 1990, 20th Century Fox decided to cut a great deal of footage from the film to make it fit into a more standard horror format of the time. Barker's original print was more epic in nature (and gorier). So far, the theatrical cut version is the only one that's ever been officially released on home video. There was a really rough looking work-print that was circulating on bootleg VHS at one point. A more thorough work-print version, called Nightbreed: The Cabal Cut, has been screened at some festivals over the last few years. As of July 2013, it was announced that the owner of the distribution rights for the film, Morgan Creek, struck a deal with Scream Factory to fully remaster and restore the most complete version they can (depending on how much of the original film elements they can locate) for a blu-ray release, possibly in 2014. I'll be looking forward to that.

nice ideas and clever character formation. Cant help but feel that the book would be better though. 8/10 as something is missing.

After seeing dozens of misprinted shirts of Dr. Decker on sale for 5 bucks at Monster Mania, I realized I hadn't seen this movie and should do something about it. I rather enjoyed it, thought the tale it self was something special. Not only was there some sort on monster story being layed below the cemetery Boone discovers, but there is such awesome planned out foul play by the one person he felt like he could tell anything; his own therapist. Showing Boone that his dreams have in fact come true, Aaron flees feeling that he must stop the monster responsible for these horrific crimes; when in reality it's his own doctor who is putting his wicked dreams into violent play. Wearing a mask just before his blades slash through skin, Decker brings forth a scary character worth a t-shirt design, and looking to destroy anything he sees fit. After being killed in a miscommunication (yet another set up from the good old Doc) Boone himself becomes a member of the Nightbreed, the cast out ones who only make an apperance when the sun goes down. Each one their own individual; with talnets, shapeshifting abilities, and weaknesses all their own. See that lady's child turn back from a cat like creature into a person really was a treat to the eyes, and a "what the *@$!" as well. Overall, not Clive Barker's best peice to have his name printed on, it is still worth watching and with the price of it on Ebay, worth picking up.

Dr. Philip K. Decker: Miss Winston, EVERYBODY has a secret face!

This movie, based on the Clive Barker story "Cabal", while not particularly well done, is still watchable and has some gory scenes (for the time it was made). It is a good story, which is definitely better to read, but as far as a movie adaptation goes, it is pretty good. Craig Sheffer as Boone does a fairly good job, but watching this movie about 15 years after I last saw it, I don't find much that "scares" me anymore.