80'S HORROR: NIGHTBREED BLU RAY REVIEW

This last October horror film distributor SHOUT! FACTORY released on blu ray for the first time ever the director's cut of Clive Barker's misunderstood monster film NIGHTBREED. In fact this is the first time this cut has ever seen release on any video format ever. Based off Barker's novel CABAL the movie that was filmed and the movie that was released to theaters and to the public were two very different films. Finally we get to see the former remastered in high definition!

A little history before we begin. Clive Barker became an overnight sensation with his directorial debut film HELLRAISER (a classic horror film in every respect). HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II also debuted to high praise and solidified the Barker brand amongst genre fans and cinemas. His next project boasted the biggest sensation yet, a monster movie to end all monster movies with the largest cast of creatures ever on one set. Barker was going to adapt his novel Cabal into a film called Nightbreed and it was going to be his magnum opus.

The story is about monsters trying to live life in peace, indeed the monsters are supposed to be the good guys. A homicidal psychiatrist named Decker and a bloodthirsty cop named Eigerman prove to be far more monstrous than the monsters. In fact the human characters are the badguys. In the middle of it all is a love story between the main character Boone and his girlfriend Lori, one a monster and one a human. The film script followed the novel very closely... originally.

Warner Brothers and Morgan Creek studio executives did not understand the film they were producing. In 1989 the big horror films at the box office were Halloween 5, A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 5, Friday the 13th Part VIII, and Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part III. The studio wanted a slasher flick. They didn't like the idea of the audience sympathizing with the monsters. They made Barker cut scenes, film new scenes, and rewrite the script. Gone were the love story and sympathetic monster plotlines.

The movie released in theaters worked but it didn't work well. It was still a spectacle to behold but it had no heart. This new director's cut release from SHOUT! FACTORY has 45 minutes of previously unreleased footage. It reworks the plot showing Clive's true vision. Boone's character feels far more developed and likeable. The plight of the monsters feels dire and your sympathies really do lie with them. A totally new ending is attached as well solidifying Lori and Boone's relationship and shows more clearly Boone's new role as Cabal.

Two editions were released: The two disc blu ray/dvd combo containing the new director's cut, and introduction to the film by Clive Barker himself, making of featurette, audio commentary, actor interviews, and special effects/make-up effects featurettes. And the limited edition 3 disc set. The limited edition set comes with the exact same blu ray disc as the other edition along with another disc loaded with special features, and a third disc containing the original theatrical cut on blu ray for the first time. I was one of the lucky ones who got the Limited Edition individually numbered (#7,043 of 10,000). A sturdy slipcase collects the discs featuring new exclusive artwork. The exclusive special features include deleted scenes and extended scenes, trailers, test footage, extended interviews with the special effects teams, extensive still galleries and poster gallery, and a look at the monsters in the film.

I'm a sucker for special limited editions and this one sucked me right in. I have watched all the special features except for the audio commentary. I'm saving that for a special occasion. All in all the movie feels and flows smoother and finds the heart that the theatrical cut never had. The blu ray transfer looks and sounds great. I'm not saying you have to get the limited edition but to preserve the history and context surrounding this it kind feels necessary. Whenever there's an alternate version released I feel it is important to have the original theatrical cut with it so to see the importance of the new cut. This is one of those cases.

The only major drawback to this set is the price. The list price for the limited edition is around $80. It's a very steep price for any single movie. I can understand some monstrosity boxset for a series of films but one film... c'mon. Who am I kidding? I love this stuff. And I love Clive Barker's monsters. Bottom line this is a great set either the two disc or three disc. It's a long lost gem, a victim of the studio and the MPAA... just like so many horror films during the waning days of the 1980's. It is incredible to see one of these victims finally vindicated.

Overall Ranking (for the blu ray release): 7 out of 10