Nightbreed (1990) User Reviews (166)

Not a horror movie: A monster movie, with affection.

[erichvm · 7/10 · 15 July 2000]

What's fun about Barker's Nightbreed is that it's the story of a human on a rampage, a deadly threat to monsters everywhere. In this one, the monsters (the night breed of the title) are the "good" guys. It shares its sense of celebrating the different, the twisted, and the dark with the first Addams Family movie, and much of Tim Burton's work. It also has the goriness that one expects from a piece by Barker.

Especially fun is the performance by Cronenberg as the truly evil human doctor who is bent on destroying the Nightbreed. As happens in most classic monster movies, the villagers surround the monsters' castle with torches and pitchforks. Only this time, the modern setting replaces the castle with an old mausoleum and the rustic "weapons" with guns and bombs. And this time the sympathy you felt when you saw Frankenstein's monster burned in the windmill is the very center of the movie.

This isn't a masterpiece, and even Barker has done more interesting, and certainly more chilling, work. But it's pure fun, it looks great, and remains light without mocking itself. Worth a look!

I wish I liked it.

[toxicpilgrim · 5/10 · 24 October 2018]

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.

Highly original and appealing to the senses, this horror fantasy still has it's problems.

[TOMNEL · 7/10 · 10 July 2009]

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.

Classic Monster Movie with Modern Moves

[suspiria10 · 8 February 2003]

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

Adult version of Little Monsters

[stevovt · 6/10 · 15 April 2019]

I watched this for the first time yesterday, and after it was finished all I could think of is little monsters wyrg Fred Savage only with some morbidity and horror. The movie was both boring and enjoyable. The character development was weak aside from the make up of the creatures and the particular midian "Peliquan" whom was my favorite character of the movie. The scene of the guy cutting his own face off is pretty gruesome and classic. Midian itself is the place you remember from your nightnares, a place you wouldn't be able to comprehend if you actually were there. The climax of the movie could have been better. Great concept, put together at a mediocre level.

If you are a Hellraiser fan.....

[slimecity-38663 · 7/10 · 31 January 2021]

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!

Who Are the Monsters?

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 6 June 2016]

A masked serial-killer is slaughtering families. Meanwhile, the youngster Aaron Boone (Craig Sheffer) has nightmares with monsters in a place called Midian. He has therapy with the psychiatric Dr. Philip K. Decker (David Cronenberg) and his girlfriend Lori Winston (Anne Bobby) wants to travel on vacation with him. When Aaron visits Dr. Decker for a session, the doctor convinces him that he is a serial-killer and asks Aaron to turn himself in to the police. He also gives a medication to calm him down. However it is indeed a hallucinogen and Aaron is hit by a truck. He awakes in a hospital where he shares a room with the insane Narcisse (Hugh Ross). When he overhears the man talking about Midian, Aaron learns the direction to reach the place. He heads to the place and finds that Midian is a cemetery. Further, there are monsters hidden from the humans in the underground and is bitten by Peloquin (Oliver Parker). Aaron flees from the monsters and finds Dr. Decker, Detective Joyce (Hugh Quarshie) and a team of police officers waiting for him outside the cemetery. Decker lies and yells that Aaron has a gun and he is murdered by the police. However the bite revives him and he goes to Midian, where he joins a society of monsters hidden in the underground. Meanwhile Lori is seeking him out while Decker wants to destroy the ancient breed of monsters.

"Nightbreed" is a cult-horror-fantasy film by Clive Barker. The film is highly entertaining but screenplay has an abrupt beginning and a deceptive conclusion. The DVD I saw does not have an alternate ending in accordance with the director's cut, but the description gives a perfect conclusion to this film. Aaron says goodbye to Lori, but she suicides and resurrects as a Nightbreed. There is no resurrection of Decker and Ashberry kills Eigerman that is seeking revenge. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Raça das Trevas" ("Darkness Breed")

Note: On 19 July 2020, I saw this film again.

A Psycho, a Monster, and a Girl in Love

[view_and_review · 2/10 · 20 March 2020]

This Clive Barker catastrophe was based upon his book "Cabal." A cabal is a small group of secret plotters, as against a government or person in authority. Don't expect the movie to be about that.

It's a Calgary, Canada crapfest that's somehow a freakish love story where a priest abandons his faith and a girl stabs herself in the stomach to join the ranks of the undead. Because, you know... love and crap. Dumbass YA's and the irrevocable decisions they make because they're too damn dumb to think long term.

This pile of Canadian goose poo would have us believe that a doctor accompanies police to apprehend serial killers. And that the doctor, not the police would be the first to engage said killer. And that when the doctor shouts, "He's got a gun!" the police just unload everything they've got into said suspect.

"Nightbreed" was bad enough to make me catatonic with bewilderment at how dumb it all was. The Nightbreeds were monsters, or mutants, or some species of creatures that ranged from very human to very alien. They lived in a cemetery called Midian. What once was a closely guarded secret with no admittance allowed became a well-known nightclub with no security at the door.

Because of a series of absurd events resulting in the main character, Aaron Boone (not the ex-NY Yankee) (Craig Sheffer), being dead and in jail, Midian became Hamburger Hill. It was the "naturals" versus the... unnaturals I guess... with the naturals having the edge with firepower and the Monstars (yes I'm making them a Space Jam basketball team) having the edge with mutant abilities.

Boone leads the underground shapeshifters to victory, immortalizes his irritating shadow of a girlfriend, and fulfills his destiny. He was the Luke Skywalker of horrible horrors. Now, excuse me while I try to go purge my memory before I lose my mind.

Intrigue, mystery and monstrosity.

[Ahnion · 10/10 · 13 July 2002]

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.

Excessive and bizarre

[mrosesteed · 6/10 · 18 May 2019]

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.

Alright, joke's over, where's the REAL movie?

[nutsy · 1/10 · 27 October 2003]

It's a bit difficult to believe that this came from the same director that gave us HELLRAISER. Where's the style, the foreboding, and the charm? I mean, HELLRAISER is not a great horror film, but at least it had something. NIGHTBREED is like a large ball of bad ideas poorly executed. From the opening there is a problem with subtlety: the monsters are shown in the first shot! The opening dream sequence shows too much for too long. Our hero doesn't display professional acting skills (but no one expected that from this bastard genre). There are killings that one wishes were more interesting. Then we have David Cronenberg. The man was never really meant to be an actor. He fills the role of the creepy psychiatrist adequately, but what he should have done was step behind the camera and save this disaster. Then we come to Midian, a creepy fake graveyard with an over-creepy fake gate. This thing is not a huge improvement over the cemetery in PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE. It gets worse when we meet the creatures in it. There is nothing really wrong with the character design and make-up effects here (well... except for the guy with no scalp, the guy with a pointy chin and forehead, and the fat guy with dark circles around his eyes), the problem is the way they act and the terrible dialogue that is given them. Barker's photography of the subterranean city is tired and this part of the story could have been made much better. Some might call what follows SPOILERS. After our hero dies and becomes "nightbreed" we wait around to see what he'll turn into (there's talk of things that fly and werewolves), but when the time comes for him to change they appearantly thought their hero too pretty to give a decent creature design. With the turn in Cronenberg's "character" the story just gets less interesting until the battle of freaks vs. norms (which is just bad). Barker's mythology failed him here. There is no genius and little originality behind any of NIGHTBREED. The picture could have used a larger budget, a serious script, and character design that doesn't leave you saying "oh...oh, how lame." What a waste. Not scary, not cool, not even very dark, just weak.

Directors cut was far better movie

[chrislawuk · 8/10 · 31 May 2022]

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.

Yes, it's a mess but has enough good material to see what could have been

[preppy-3 · 7/10 · 22 May 2010]

Aaron Boone (Craig Sheffer) keeps having dreams about strange creatures and a cemetery. His loving girlfriend Lori (Anne Bobby) stays with him because she loves him. Psychiatrist Philip Deeker (David Cronenberg) is trying to help Aaron...or is he? Aaron is killed and then the nightbreed (a breed of undead creatures) make him one of their own. It all ends up with an all out war.

As everyone knows this film is a disaster. Before it was released the studio (20th Century Fox) cut out almost 30 MINUTES out of the film much to the fury of writer/producer/director Clive Barker. What's left is a very interesting movie which (sadly) has huge gaps in the plot and very choppy editing. I blame the studio for this--not Barker. Also it was horribly advertised and died quickly. It DOES have some glaring faults--there was also a hilarious continuity error in which Lori is being chased in a graveyard and it goes from day to night and back to day again! Also Sheffer is lousy in his role and the ending was just horrible. I caught it in a theatre back in 1990. It WAS confusing and a mess but there was (and is) a lot of good material there to see what MIGHT have been.

The story lacked a real strong back story about the Nightbreed (I attribute this to the editing) but you understand enough to get the plot. The makeup and sound effects are excellent and Danny Elfman provides a GREAT score to the movie. Also there's impressive set designs--especially with Deeker's lair and the Nightbreed's home. Also the movie makes you feel for the Nightbreed at the end and puts the audience firmly on their side--NOT an easy thing to do. Sheffer aside the acting is great by everybody. The actors playing the Nightbreed seem to be having a whale of a time even though they have tons of makeup on. Also Bobby has nothing to do but whine and search for Aaron--but she pulls it off. Also look for Doug Bradley (Pinhead from the "Hellraiser" films), horror authors John Skipp and Craig Spector and genre great John Agar in small roles.

Hopefully we'll see a directors cut one day--but it's been 20 years so I don't think so. What's left is a flawed but very good horror movie. Worth seeking out if you're a horror fan.

Nightmare!

[paul2001sw-1 · 2/10 · 19 February 2005]

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.

Absolutely Fascinating

[PatrickH-2 · 26 August 1999]

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.

A Paradise Called Midian

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 7 February 2007]

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.

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

[lastliberal · 7/10 · 13 July 2007]

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!

An Ambitious Horror Fantasy

[bkrauser-81-311064 · 7/10 · 26 June 2016]

Nightbreed, boiled down to its essence is a horror-fantasy about a group of monsters and mutants who take refuge under an isolated cemetery. There they are threatened by a mass murderer (David Cronenberg) who wants to see them all destroyed. There's a love story of course but its promptly overshadowed by the garish monster effects.

Now by no means is Nightbreed a conventionally good film. While the makeup, set-designs and effects are very good, the mood and the overall story pushes a lot of boundaries and makes for some intriguing social commentary. We are meant to feel sympathy for the nightbreed despite their outward appearance and seemingly satanic customs. Indeed the quasi-religious imagery and constant gross-out horror makes the finished product indigestible to mainstream audiences.

The subtext itself is even more subversive when you consider the homosexual undercurrents. Homosexuality as a theme is cloaked under the auspice of uncontrollable bloodlust. Therefore the monsters themselves are metaphors seen as perverse and evil when in reality they are only trying to chisel out a living on the out-skits of society.

Now its not quite clear but it seems the nightbreed have a psychic link to those with violent fantasies like the lead Boone (Craig Sheffer) and later Ashberry (Malcolm Smith). Those who cannot be nightbreed such as Boone's lover (Ann Bobby) and the old man at the service station have no violent tendencies whatsoever, despite their desire to join the nightbreed i.e. to not be sexually repressed.

The relationship shared by Cronenberg's character Decker and Boone is the most intriguing contextually speaking. They are meant to show unrealized sexual tension and self-loathing on the part of Decker who is also Boone's psychiatrist. While Boone becomes aware of his bloodlust by fighting on behalf of the nightbreed i.e. constructive political violence, Decker cloaks his under a mask lying to himself and the world. Only when his mask is on can he indulge in his most unsavory fantasies.

I could be grasping at straws here. After all such themes could be a guise for xenophobia, racism or any social fear of the "other". And while those are arguments to be made its worthwhile to note that Clive Barker came out during the early nineties and his novels and short stories almost always have strong sexual themes. Nightbreed could then be considered almost as a coming out party.

Ultimately I'd recommend this film, not only for its challenging social commentary and audacious set and makeup design but also because so many horror films nowadays lack such ambitions. And even if those ambitions aren't cranked up to eleven as they should be you have to admit Nightbreed is a gay ol' time.

A wild concept ruined by characters with no depth

[WisdomsHammer · 5/10 · 5 June 2021]

This is kind of a "monsters among us" movie where the humans are the despicable ones. Everything about that was what I liked about this movie. But I can't stand cardboard characters who do things that make no sense. It happens over and over in the movie, especially with the girlfriend. She constantly and confidently runs headlong into trouble without consequences while a massive body count builds around her full of people who deserved it less.

This was supposed to be a love story, in large part, but there was no chemistry between the leads and I had no sympathy for either one of them.

I loved the monster designs, the music, the utter and ridiculous carnage (it's a horror movie, after all), and the overall premise. But too many of the main characters act like idiots and it was painful watching them do stupid things over and over again. It was like Clive Barker wanted characters to do things but couldn't be bothered to come up with a reasonable motivation or reason for having them do it and didn't think anyone would notice or care. It felt really sloppy to me.

The serial killer was the exception and the only "smart" one in the movie - probably because he's insane, but at least his actions made sense because he's a psycho.

This movie has many treats in it for horror fans - but the lack of depth in the story and even more so in the characters hurts it badly, in my opinion.

Sliced and diced by the studio, directors cut to come?

[chrysalis_writter · 9/10 · 5 August 2005]

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 weird mind of Clive Barker

[Sergiodave · 6/10 · 24 October 2020]

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.

Boring!!!!

[patches-4 · 1/10 · 5 February 2005]

Reading other peoples comments I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels this film is as bad as it was. I saw this recently on British television. I'm really glad I didn't waste my money by paying to see the film at the cinema. I now feel that I wasted my time watching it at home. I was hoping for great things considering Clive Barker's reputation and previous work but this was awful. Muddled plot. Really bad acting. Non believable characters. Rubbish end. The only good points. Great make up and special effects. But that's it. My advice. Hire/rent a different film if you're hiring/renting a film to watch. Don't buy it. Watch something else on TV.

It's Shangra-La on Dope. I love it!

[Human_Remains · 10/10 · 14 August 2007]

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.

Interesting

[Gafke · 7/10 · 27 August 2004]

Boone, a troubled young man, is having some very realistic nightmares about a place called Midian, where the monsters live. The dreams used to frighten him, but now they're almost welcoming. His doctor, Philip Decker, wants to keep him doped up and under surveillance. Decker wants Boone to believe that he is dangerous, uncontrollable and homicidal, when in fact it is Decker himself who commits gruesome murders and wants Boone to take the fall. When Boone is brought to a hospital, overdosing on the powerful hallucinogenics that Decker supplied him with, he meets another man who speaks of Midian. Midian is real, and Boone knows he must find his way there. But Boone is not welcomed by the monsters who live beneath an ancient cemetery...not immediately anyway. When one of them attempts to take a bite out of him, Boone runs for his life and directly into Decker and a wall of armed policeman. Boone is shot down, but is he really dead? Both Decker and Boone's girlfriend Lori are determined to find out, and there's only one place to look....Midian.

This isn't such a bad little film. Some of the dialogue is corny and some special effects haven't aged very well, but it's at least original. David Cronenberg as the evil Dr. Decker is smooth and hypnotic (was anyone else lulled to near-sleep by his calm voice?) and downright creepy in his S&M killers mask. The monsters are the good guys for a change, and they're really cool looking! My absolute favorites are the sexy but bad tempered Peloquin, the lovely quilled Shunma Sassi and the awesome god Baphomet, all created by Clive Barker's amazing imagination. Look also for Doug Bradley as Lylesburg. The underground city of Midian is an impressive set, as well as the gothically beautiful cemetery above (which, in several shots, is easily identifiable as a painting, but that's okay.)

All in all, I found the book "Cabal" to be much better, but this is a pretty-okay effort. 7 out of 10 stars.

Horror nope, lots of lazy monsters yep. Very lousy editing.

[Fella_shibby · 5/10 · 14 July 2019]

First saw this in the early 90s on a vhs. Revisited it recently. A young man (Craig Sheffer) dreams of a city where monsters inhabitate underneath a cemetery fearing humans. He is being treated by a psychiatrist (David Cronenberg) who is actually a serial killer n who has convinced the young man that he has been committing the murders. This movie has some cool effects, the monsters r of different varieties, some like the ones from Hellraiser, some like the ones from Total Recall but most of em r good for nothing. The editing is totally lousy. The action takes place only in the last 30 mins n the kills r mostly offscreen. There is a bit nudity but the movie is not at all scary or tension filled.