Nightbreed
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Movie Reviews of Nightbreed
Movie Review: Incredible Movie, But It Felt Too Short And Quick
Summary: 4 Stars
After being framed by his own psychiatrist into believing he's responsible for a string of murders, a man named Aaron Boone leaves his human life behind and sets off in search of the legendary underground city Midian, reputed home of monsters called the Nightbreed. The exact line of reasoning behind this course of action, as many interesting paths as it could have taken, isn't fully explored, and that leads into the only but not-insignificant flaw of"Nightbreed": it's a fantastic movie, in many ways the "Lord Of The Rings" or "Star Wars" of horror movies, but it's Way too short. Clocking in at a little over a hundred minutes, it should have gone at least 40-45 minutes longer in my mind, and could easily have gone over that; there are so many angles and characters, and too much of the movie feels somewhat scrunched together. Now, I have no idea if it was actually meant to be longer or if this is what Clive Barker originally envisioned, but personally I think it needed more screen time. My dream scenario would be to find out that more material was actually filmed and to see a version extended by 60-70 minutes come out, but the fact remains that what is here, on the DVD is still a great movie, despite the awkward feeling of certain parts of the movie that seem to flow far too quickly.
Upon arrival at Midian, Boone (being pursued by both his girlfriend Lori, who wants to save him, and by his psychiatrist Dekker, who seeks the Nightbreed for his own purposes) is received by the Breed as their prophecied messiah Cabal, who will finally free them from the human persecution they've encountered over the ages due to their monstrous appearances and frightful powers. The Nightbreed are presented more as creatures than demons, and as such the film falls under a banner I have a great affection for, where the 'monsters' are the good guys and humanity is the aggressor. Although in "Nightbreed" there is a lot of grey with the black and white; some of the human characters are very sympathetic and some of the Nightbreed are apparantly considerably more ill-natured than others, perhaps even responsible for the hatred their entire race has been prone to through history.
The creature concepts and effects and the grand production design are truly magnificent - the fact that "Nightbreed" received no consideration from the movie establishment's big award bodies demonstrates just how reticent the Academy and other bodies are to give nominations to any horror movie, no matter how brilliantly done. There seems to have been a slight thaw on the big players's dislike for horror in the last few years, so who knows, maybe in the future movies of this nature will be eligible.
An explosive finale seemed to leave the door wide open for sequels, but nothing's ever come of them in either movies or books beyond the Nightbreed comic series that ran for a couple of years (and at one point brought Rawhead Rex into the mix), which seemed to present the Breed as much nastier and less sympathetic than the movie did. A film sequel may never come, but remains on the list of movies I'd just love to see suddenly rear up out of the blue someday. Some cool trivia for Barker fans: not only does Craig Sheffer (the lead actor in "Hellraiser: Inferno") play Boone, three of the performers who portrayed Cennobites in the first two "Hellraiser" movies are present here as well: Simon Bamford (the 'Butterball' Cennobite), Nicholas Vince (the Chatterer) and Doug Bradley (Pinhead himself).
In spite of having too little time to reach its maximum potential, still an essential horror movie, very original and truly epic in scope.
Movie Review: "...and Midian is where the monsters live."
Summary: 4 Stars
Clive Barker's Nightbreed may seem like a story about evil monsters vs. humanity, it is not. This is really a simple story about a man who realizes that he is a little different from most people, so he tries to find a place where he can be accepted. The people he joins are so different from the rest of society that they must remain hidden or face persecution at the hands of the church, the police and the rest of humanity in general.Usually, the monsters and freaks embody the evil in a film, but Barker likes to make his hideous creatures into sympathetic characters the reader or viewer can identify with. He accomplishes this in Nightbreed by making the humans into the most irrationally frightened, self-righteous, gun-toting rednecks the world has to offer. Despite the amazing physical differences and strange tastes of some of the monsters we are totally on their side.
Craig Sheffer plays Boone, a young man who dreams of a place called Midian along with it's strange inhabitants. He feels drawn to that place by the promise of forgiveness and complete acceptance, but he makes the mistake of telling his shrink, Decker (David Cronenburg). Decker convinces Boone that he is not well. You see, Decker knows about Midian too. His goal is the complete distruction of Midian and all it's inhabitants. His hatred is intense and apparently irrational because no reason is ever stated in this film, other than that they are different than he.
Decker sets Boone up as a patsy for several grisly murders he himself has committed, and Boone is shot down by police just outside the gates of Midian, but not before Boone had a fateful encounter with one of its denizens.
Boones girlfriend Lori learns of his death and travels to Midian, looking for answers. She is shocked by what she finds down in the labrynthine tunnels and cavernous chambers. She sees monsters; they are hideous, unnatural creatures with unnatural abilities. A woman, Rachel, tries to make her understand that they are the last of their kind to escape persecution through the centuries.
Unfortunately Decker has followed her there to kill her and lure Boone, who is dead but also lives. Lori takes him with her, but he is no longer the man he was.
Decker whips the local constabulary and townspeople into a frenzy over the goings on at Midian, and there is a great battle. When it is over, Boone is commanded to find a new home for his people.
The creatures of Midian are fascinating! The various shapes and faces are endlessly interesting. Peloquin has red skin and seems to have hair also made of flesh. Shuna Sassi has a back and head covered with quills. There is much to see in Midian!
This film is a wonderful way to look at hate, be it based on race, religion, sexual orientation or whatever. The hate for Midian's people is based on an irrational fear, for Midian laws do not allow them come in contact with humanity. It is also borne of envy-these strange looking people can change their shapes, or fly. They can also live forever. Who wouldn't want that?
All the actors are enjoyable to watch, but David Cronenberg stands out. He is very chilling as the psychopath Decker, especially in his Button-Head mask. He sure scared me!
Danny Elfman wrote some music for this film. Elfman evokes a mysterious and tribal atmosphere for Midian like no one else could. If you listen close, you can even hear Oingo Boingo's song 'Skin' done up in country style.
I love this movie. Clive Barker adapted his own novel, and the result is a beautiful and creepy film about being different and surviving hatred. Humans can be so stupid sometimes.
Movie Review: Fun Horror film
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm rating this film a 4 out of 5 within its genre.Nightbreed answers the question: Where do monsters come from?
Directed by Clive Barker, celebrated author, who also happened to pen the source material in the form of a short story titled, "Cabal," "Nightbreed" is a luxuriously imagined film. Unfortunately, Barker's premise that men are monsters and monsters aren't what men make them out to be, becomes laughable because the human "villain" characters are far more two dimensional than the "monstrous" ones.
I've heard it said that this story (and the film) are an allegory for heterosexual treatment of homosexuals ( this idea is given more credence when you realize that Barker came out of the closet several years back). Whether or not that is the case, the film is really quite enjoyable and fun.
Aaron Boone is having nightmares where he is a serial killer. His shrink doesn't seem to be helping any. He dreams of a city of the dead called Midian and when he awakens he goes there only to end up getting killed. But that's not the end for our intrepid hero. He is reborn as one of the creatures of Midian - a place where the "monsters live."
Because he is seen there after his death, the humans wage a war against Boone and the typically reclusive monstrous residents of Midian.
With some extrapolation, Barker reveals to us the source of the imagery of Satan that we have, as well as vampires, witches, and all other sorts of monsters. To his credit, Barker's Nightbreed is not simplistic in its approach or its story. There are many layers and the film, though done on a small budget, appears to be much more expensive than it is.
Though the ending is clearly designed for a sequel - alas none has ever been forthcoming. It's really a shame, because this film really does warrant a good sequel.
All in all, actors, director, writer, etc. are really top notch in this film. Craig Sheffer does a fine job in this film as he has in many others (and it makes me wonder who he ticked off, because I think he should have gone much farther than he has). Even reknowned horror director/writer David Cronenberg takes a large role in this film.
Check this film out for some real "scary" fun!
Movie Review: Nightbreed
Summary: 4 Stars
Clive Barker, the Master of the Macabre, brings the magical world of Midian to life in NIGHTBREED, adapted from his own fantasy novella Cabal. The conflicted Boone must escape to the mythical city of monsters after being framed for murder, but he is followed by the insidious Doctor Decker, who plans to destroy Midian and its inhabitants: the NIGHTBREED! Barker creates an enormous scale that is too far-reaching to be contained within the short runtime of the film. The director has made no secret of the fact that his work was butchered on the cutting room floor by shortsighted studio execs, with many of its missing pieces lost forever. This might explain why NIGHTBREED's narrative feels somewhat incomplete and disjointed at times, but even in its broken form, it is clear that Barker has unleashed his own unique world of gods and monsters that exists before and long after the events captured in the film.
The Tribes of the Moon come to life in all shapes and sizes; some fierce, some disgusting, and some that are beautiful but terrifying. Like the twisted creations in HELLRAISER, the monsters of Midian spring directly from the mind of Barker, himself, showing off more of his horrifying designs as brought to life by a gifted team of creature effects artists. NIGHTBREED also features a monumental score to match its grand scale. The art direction in both the Gothic graveyard above and the labyrinthine crypts below expand the sets into the incredible subterranean city that houses the action.
The tragic mismarketing of the film should be considered a sin, considering the tremendous success NIGHTBREED has found from supportive fans in the decades since its initial release. Clive Barker's underrated fantasy horror picture might even have surpassed HELLRAISER in becoming the director's most accomplished work if he had only been given the right to complete his epic vision.
-Carl Manes
I Like Horror Movies
Movie Review: Making do with what you get....
Summary: 4 Stars
This film is probably the only version of Clive Barker's seminal work "Cabal" that we'll see in our lifetimes, so for fans of the book, it's definitely worth a view. Aaron Boone is a guy with a history of mental problems and a most unusual psychiatrist - and things take a sharply downward turn from there.
The film is very well-cast, with just about everyone looking the way they should. (Just think of Cruise in "Interview with the Vampire" and you'll know what I mean - this is not always the case in Hollywood.) The main difference between the film & novella versions is that the 'Breed are much more friendly and accesible in the film, and so some of their mystery is lost. The film definitely has a sort of "comic-book" feel to it - but, you make do with what you get when it comes to Barker movies :-)
The film adds several characters and increases the importance of others - a minor quibble. I was disappointed with the way Baphomet was portrayed - his original appearance would certainly have raised a few eyebrows! Here we see a dark statue with a few glow-in-the-dark limbs; not very impressive.
The ending is drastically changed - leaving the possibility of sequel films, which is understandable but totally dilutes the power of the novella's ending. The point of the work was not Decker (interestingly twisted though he might be), but the relationship between Boone and Lori and her willingness to pass beyond the boundaries of the Human to be with the man she loves.
If you have not read the novella, you're missing a treat. If you're a textual Barker addict, "Nightbreed" will entertain you, even if only on a superficial level.