Year of Release: 1990
Director: Clive Barker
Starring: Craig Sheffer, David Cronenberg, Anne Bobby, Charles Haid, Hugh Quarshie, Hugh Ross, Doug Bradley, Catherine Chevalier, Malcolm Smith, Oliver Parker, Bob Sessions
Genre: Thriller, Horror, Action
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4
Watch it on Amazon
Synopsis and Review:
Writer/Director Clive Barker, who is obviously a very well known author, started his directorial career with "Hellraiser", which went on to start a lengthy franchise, and in the process became a cult film in itself. "Nightbreed", based on one of his novels, specifically "Cabal", was riddled with all sorts of problems and studio interference, with the version that finally saw the light of day in 1990, being a deeply truncated one. The film follows the story of Aaron Boone, a young man who consistently dreams of place named Midian, which is inhabited by a series of fantastical characters. Due to these dreams, Boone's girlfriend Lori, insists he starts seeing a therapist. Doctor Decker, in reality a serial killer, is convincing Boone he's actually responsible for the crimes he's been committing. Through an accident, Boone actually gets the directions to Midian, where he's greeted with suspicion which turns into animosity rather quickly. As he escapes the Midian's inhabitants, he's confronted with the police, who have followed him on the heels of what Decker has said. Boone is gunned down, but comes back to life, due to have being bitten by one of Midian's tribe members. He goes back where he gets inducted into the tribe, but Decker isn't done with his plans yet.
"Nightbreed" is a film that as a result from interference and multiple hands at play, feels convoluted, and insufficiently developed. It has a richness of characters and universe, that never really gets fully developed, since the story gets somewhat muddled and the characters motivations are never really clarified. David Cronenberg's Decker, who is the main antagonist of the film, isn't given much of a background or dimension, even if the fantastic director tries to create him as menacing as possible. The same issue is encountered with Anne Bobby and Craig Sheffer's characters: they're light on development and motivation, with the focus eventually turning to the fantastical creatures of Midian, who as interesting as they may be, also bolster little to no depth (aside from the interesting makeup work created). The film is filled with potential to be something more grandiose, about a group of outcasts living in the fringes of society, with powers that make them quite unique, but sadly that potential is never really solidified (and the film was suppose to be the first in a trilogy that never materialized). The film has a director's cut that is closer to what Clive Barker has intended (which was released in 2014), but nonetheless this is a property that needs further focus, and lead characters that are more than slight archetypes. An interesting film from an interesting author who also ventures into directing.
"Nightbreed" is a film that as a result from interference and multiple hands at play, feels convoluted, and insufficiently developed. It has a richness of characters and universe, that never really gets fully developed, since the story gets somewhat muddled and the characters motivations are never really clarified. David Cronenberg's Decker, who is the main antagonist of the film, isn't given much of a background or dimension, even if the fantastic director tries to create him as menacing as possible. The same issue is encountered with Anne Bobby and Craig Sheffer's characters: they're light on development and motivation, with the focus eventually turning to the fantastical creatures of Midian, who as interesting as they may be, also bolster little to no depth (aside from the interesting makeup work created). The film is filled with potential to be something more grandiose, about a group of outcasts living in the fringes of society, with powers that make them quite unique, but sadly that potential is never really solidified (and the film was suppose to be the first in a trilogy that never materialized). The film has a director's cut that is closer to what Clive Barker has intended (which was released in 2014), but nonetheless this is a property that needs further focus, and lead characters that are more than slight archetypes. An interesting film from an interesting author who also ventures into directing.
0 comments:
Post a Comment