Review of Nightbreed (1990) by Drew S — 06 Jul 2009

Disappointing. Cabal is one of my favorite Barker books, and there are promising aspects of this adaptation (the serial killer's buttoneyed mask, for instance), but overall it fails. Danny Elfman's soundtrack (which sounds exactly like every other soundtrack he's done) is almost bad enough to ruin the movie by itself, but Barker's script, packed with stupid one-liners he must have thought cute and quotable at the time, and his clumsy direction leave no hope. The performances are just okay, apart from the terrific "holy warrior" sheriff. It's hilarious to have Cronenberg in the movie, but his performance is robotic and unconvincing.

What's good about it? Well, the makeup, of course, apart from that of a few characters who seem to have wandered in from the set of Beetlejuice. But if I'm being honest with myself, there's not much else to love here aside from the premise, and even that's drowned in the stupid prophecy bullshit and the downright embarrassing counting-on-a-sequel ending. Even the slim hope that this movie might attract Barker virgins to the novel is dashed by the change of title (not that "Cabal" makes a lot of sense anyway as a name for one person).