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Nightbreed
Aaron Boone dreams of a city called Midian, a place where monsters are accepted. At the request of his girlfriend Lori, Boone is seeing psychotherapist Dr. Phillip K. Decker, who convinces Boone that he committed a series of murders. Tracked down by the police as well as by his doctor (the actual murderer) and his girlfriend, Boone eventually finds Midian and takes refuge there. He soon encounters the "Nightbreed", a community of monsters that hides from humanity.
Clive Barker’s Nightbreed, released in 1990, is a fairly interesting little film. It’s totally different than pretty much every other horror film of the time and is also pretty intelligent. Of course that means that it was panned critically and made next to no money at the box office, which resulted in Barker becoming somewhat disillusioned with Hollywood. Perhaps Barker was feeling a little overly ambitious after the success of his previous film, Hellraiser, or maybe his vision was just way too ahead of its time. Regardless, the critics were definitely unkind, though I fail to understand why given the fact that the movie is a solid piece of entertainment. Barker has gone on record as blaming the studio for marketing the film improperly, but a trailer can only do so much to sway opinions. If I were to hazard a guess as to why it flopped as hard as it did, I’d say the simple problem was in the alignment of the characters within. Barker created monsters the like of which the film world had never seen before (or since) but then he turned things on their ear by making them the good guys. Personally, I LOVE that aspect of the film as it’s just so radically different from anything else at the time and as long as you can buy into it, Nightbreed may just be the perfect film when you’re looking for something a little bit different.
"Bow-chick-a-wow."
As with his other films, Barker wrote and directed, using his original novella “Cabal†as inspiration for the story. I’ve always approached Barker’s works, be they film or print, with more than a little trepidation. To be perfectly blunt about it, the dude is fucked up, and more often than not this mental instability finds its way into his creations. One need only look at the grotesque imagery on display in Hellraiser to see this, and while Nightbreed is often times more tame than that film it still has its “Barker†moments. With that being said, Barker also puts more thought into his scripts and films than pretty much any of his contemporaries and while a lot of it is repulsive I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t drawn to it. Barker’s direction is standard, though he does manage to lose the pace of the film several times throughout, probably due to all the crazy ideas floating around in his head. It’s the story of Nightbreed that takes center stage, and as I mentioned above, it is one of role-reversal; the monsters here are good. Actually, scratch that, they aren’t good or evil, they simply exist in the world created through the film. This non-judgmental attitude displayed by Barker allows us to more closely examine and understand these monsters and Midian itself. Barker may be crazy, but at least he’s giving us the chance to explore something different and asking all the right questions at the same time.
"Dr. Demento."
From an acting standpoint, Nightbreed is really a tale of two performers, Craig Sheffer as Boone and David Cronenberg as his doctor, Decker. Sheffer certainly has the looks of a leading man and shows some decent acting chops as well, though at times he also comes off a little bit basic. I think the main problem with the character is that we’re never really sure what exactly he’s supposed to be. Is he a James Dean, Rebel without a Cause type or is he more the Marlon Brando bad-ass biker boy from The Wild One? Maybe he’s neither and just a misunderstood maverick who’s a little edgy but also willing to do whatever it takes for the cause of good. Unfortunately we never find out, though I think I’ll blame Barker’s script rather than take pot-shot’s at Sheffer’s acting abilities. Meanwhile, David Cronenberg, a well-known Canadian horror director, is simply off the charts as Doctor Decker. He is calculating, icy and, above all else, totally evil in every facet. Croneberg really gets a lot of meat out of the role and I’d go as far as saying that the film would have failed on every level if he hadn’t been cast. The rest of the film is populated with various monsters that are more characters than actual performers. The make-up on them is amazing, but there’s not a lot of acting going on underneath the layers.
"The (odd) gang's all here."
Nightbreed achieves what success it has by enveloping the viewer in a dark, ominous mood. Though the film doesn't succeed on all levels, it does transcend its genre to become something more than "just" a horror movie. The characters are not one-dimensional teenagers or idiotic adults. They understand the world they're in, and are very aware of the dangers Midian possesses. Outside of this substance, there’s also a lot of style as well. The effects team on Nightbreed, as well as production designer Steve Harbdie, does a fantastic job of realizing the world and inhabitants of Midian. From dark devils to slobbering "Berserkers," everything in Midian is like something out of your darkest nightmare. The underground lair is a twist and turn of bridges and caves that make Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom's winding caverns look like a relaxing vacation. Unlike typical "stalk 'n' slash" horror flicks, Nightbreed is a complex vision that makes the viewer think while he's throwing up. If you can handle that sort of vomit comet, Nightbreed is probably right up your alley. 7/10.
"Tomorrow...we dare you to enter...the Funhouse."
