Review of Nightbreed (1990) by David L — 30 Aug 2012

This is one of those films that I hope the director's cut gets released. The film as it stands now is a great horror/fantasy film but you can see that the film was re-edited and just almost destroyed in post production. Hopefully Barker will get his promised directors cut out one day, Anyway Nightbreed is about 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.

As for the cast and characters, David Cronenberg as the evil Dr. Decker is smooth and hypnotic 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 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 ground. This is a film worth checking out if you can find it. A nice blend of horror and fantasy.