Now vs Then: NightBreed

[BloodyMonkeyZ]

I love the opening scene of this movie. The monsters of Midian running wild and free through the graveyard that marks the entry of their world. We get to see so many of the wonderful creature designs before the movie even starts. An unusual tactic as most movies try and hold onto such revelations for later.

I shall do my best to weave my way between the two versions of this film as I write this review. As this is the first time I am doing a Now vs Then review, it shall be a learning experience for me.

The theme running throughout this movie has always been that those who look like monsters aren’t always the bad guys, and those who look “good” or are in positions of authority are sometimes the true monsters. While there are major differences between the two versions, both maintained this theme.

Enter Doctor Decker. Suave. Charming. Respected. But hidden within his shiny steel briefcase are the tools of a monster. Ones he wields with ferocity and abandon. Make no mistake, Decker is the villain of this piece. I recall seeing the horrid trailers for this back when it was originally released and they made the movie look like it was a slasher flick with Button Eyes (Decker’s killer persona) as the Freddy Krueger of the film.

Much of the opening act remains the same as the original release. The key scene that has been restored here is one where Boone has taken the medicine Decker gave him. While under its influence, he burns all the personal documents he had. Passport and things of that nature. This is a very symbolic moment where Boone is essentially preparing himself for the journey he is about to undertake. Leaving the world of humanity and embracing the world he is destined to be part of. . . It is also a key moment because it shows the drug effects taking hold. A much more powerful scene than the Theatrical version where Boone is just suddenly wandering the street in a daze. There are a couple other important scenes added early on. They show more of the relationship between Boone and Lori. They were deemed irrelevant by the studio for the Theatrical version, but these scenes set the stage for why Lori is willing to chase him into the belly of the beast. And why Boone is willing to risk his newfound family for her. The restored scene of Lori singing in a bar is quite a fun scene and one I am very glad to have finally been able to see.

There are a lot of changes from the Theatrical to the Director’s Cut versions of Nightbreed. I won’t detail all of them because it is quite extensive and hard to specify at times. The running time is 25 minutes longer, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Mark Millar was in charge of the restoration process. He added 45 minutes of unseen footage into the movie, but just as importantly he removed 20 minutes of theatrical footage. Quite a bit of footage was restored in the attack on Midian and it is here that three massive changes occur. There are SPOILERS here, so if you don’t want to know, skip the rest of this paragraph. The newly restored version has Decker approaching Boone for the final battle between them carrying the head of Narcisse. This is significant because in the Theatrical version Narcisse is not shown to have been killed. While many of the inhabitants were seen to die, there are many whose fates were unknown. The second of the changes also involves Decker. During the battle between Boone and Decker, Boone ultimately kills him. There was a scene filmed and not intended to be used where the Reverend Ashberry uses his own newfound power to revive Decker. In the Director’s Cut though, they leave Decker (and Button Eyes) dead in the depths of the collapsing city of Midian. This is an interesting alteration because a monstrously reborn Decker seems like a wonderful foil for the now nomadic Tribes of the Moon. It seems very Clive Barker to me. And as there had originally been reported an intention of more stories of the NightBreed, it seemed reasonable to have Decker chasing them. The third change is a new scene with Lori and Boone where she talks of their love and future and he talks of his inability to walk away from the fallout of the destruction of Midian which he brought about. This scene plays out with Lori stabbing herself and forcing Boone to bite her in order to save her by transforming her into a member of the Tribes of the Moon.

Spoiler free again. I am sure there are some out there who have not seen NightBreed. If you are in this camp, I would suggest seeing the Director’s Cut version rather than the Theatrical Version. It is a far superior film, and it is the film Clive always intended. If you have seen the Theatrical and are on the fence about the new version, get off the fence and see it. Buy it. Borrow it. Steal it (not from me though!) Find a way to see this version. (Hmmm, perhaps that is irresponsible of me, don’t steal it and ABSOLUTELY DO NOT DOWNLOAD IT ILLEGALLY. Piracy is not a victimless crime. The only reason this version saw the light of day is because they felt the fans would support it. Do your part and support it. Even watching on Netflix is actual support. Borrowing it is support because it is someone that purchased it. Buying it outright is the ultimate support.)

The idea of giving actual stars to these movies is somewhat awkward. Prior to the Director’s Cut, I would say I always rated the Theatrical Version as a 5 star movie. With the Director’s Cut released though, I would say the Theatrical has dropped to a 4 star movie. The Director’s Cut itself is a GOLD STAR rating. I haven’t even touched on the special features (There is a wonderful commentary track and also an entire extra blu ray disc of special features!)

I would be remiss not to add one final note. The Director’s Cut came about after a version called the Cabal Cut. The Cabal Cut was pieced together using rough footage that was unfinished. I had heard about the Cabal Cut and it was announced there would be a screening of it in 2010 at the HorrorHound convention in Indianapolis. I made it a point to be at that screening. I am one of the lucky few to have seen the Cabal Cut (I believe it was shown at about 4 or 5 festivals, but HorrorHound was the first of them.) I was also able to connect with Clive at that convention, which was a phenomenal moment, and one that I still cherish. Ultimately, the Cabal Cut was not a good version. Parts of it had almost no sound at all, there were parts that were so rough it was hard to see what was happening. Movie magic is what transformed it into the wonderful Director’s Cut (well, movie magic and Mark Millar.)