Review of Nightbreed (1990) by Danielle S — 29 Nov 2007

"Nightbreed" works fine because the film understands that good monster films need to scare and amuse the audience. Director-writer Barker nails down the rules of monsterology, even though he does commit the grievous sin of enjoying himself too much. It is quite interesting to see how the film gets out of control in terms of make up effects. At some point during the movie things stop making sense, maybe because Barker is too busy trying to surprise the viewer with all kinds of tricky effects and men in grotesque prosthesis. 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.

Summing that moral up is simple, even though it is not quite that simply displayed; prejudice and the human tendency to hate the different.