Aaron Boone (Craig Sheffer) has been having nightmares lately about monsters. His girlfriend, Lori Winston (Anne Bobby) suggests that he see his psychiatrist, Dr. Phillip Decker (David Cronenberg), about them. Boone’s nightmares are about a place called Midian and it is where the monsters live.
The news has been filled with the exploits of a serial killer. No one is aware that the killer is actually Dr. Decker. Decker frames Boone for the murders. He gives Boone LSD but tells him that it is lithium. Boone has a bad trip and ends up in the mental hospital. While there he learns from another patient Narcisse (Hugh Ross) that Midian is a dark realm hidden underneath a cemetery. The residents of Midian are called the Nightbreed. Narcisse believes that Boone will take him to Midian. To prove he is worthy to become one of the Nightbreed he begins to peel his own face off. In the chaos of doctors and nurses, Boone escapes.
Boone goes to Midian. He wanders around the cemetery until nightfall when he comes in contact with the Nightbreed. Boone is bitten by Peloquin (Oliver Parker), one of the Nightbreed. Boone manages to escape being eaten only to be shot dead by the police who, with the help of Decker, have tracked him to the cemetery. Boone is taken to the morgue. Having now been bitten by one of the Nightbreed, Boone becomes one of them. He returns to Midian to take his place among them.
Lori follows Boone to Midian. To save her, Boone leaves Midian with Lori. Decker, who had been trailing Lori, kills more people and manages to frame Boone for more of the murders. Boone is arrested but the Nightbreed, needing his help, break him out of jail.
Now that Decker knows where Midian is he notifies the police. Captain Eigerman (Charles Haid) and his patrolmen head up to Midian to destroy the Nightbreed.
“Nightbreed” was released in 1990 and was written and directed by Clive Barker. It is an American British and Canadian dark fantasy horror film with slasher highlights. The film was based on Barker’s 1988 novel “Cabal”. Although the film didn’t do well at the box office, it has since become a cult favorite.
Barker wasn’t totally happy with the final cut of the film. The studio forced him to cut about an hour out of the original film. Apparently, several different versions of the film ended up floating around. The “theatrical cut”, released in 1990, the “Horrorhound workprint screening” in 2009, the “cabal cut” in 2013, of which there are seven versions, and then the “director’s cut” 2014. There was also a limited release of the “cabal cut” done in 2017 and finally a “Nightbreed” release that contained both the director’s cut and the theatrical cut. Running times vary from one hour and forty-two minutes to over three hours long. I’m not really sure which version I have.
It’s typical Clive Barker stuff, creepy, full of body horror, and slightly confusing. Barker likes to create these hideous underworld realms. Injected into the horror is some camp. Also mixed in are some really nice matte paintings, music by Danny Elfman, and a lot of cool looking misunderstood monsters. How good the film is depends on which version you have and how much of a fan you are of Barkers work.