Chad

Undeadcow

I saw Nightbreed for the first time last year, the director's cut, and was really blown away. The mix of horror with fantasy works very well and I love the action scenes with the gun toting police (the comedy is full force enough that it works).

It's probably for the best but confusing that Hellraiser has taken off with too many sequels, merchandising, etc when Nightbreed seems like the better movie (kudos to Hellraiser for being nicely dark but Nightbreed is a masterpiece).

The idea of Midian could have been set up more gradually (seemingly Boone just heard about it from 'word of the street' and that doesn't make sense). Then his girlfriend can just walk down into Midian, it's surprisingly how transparent the monsters are.

I can't decide if I like how obvious it is that the psychiatrist is the killer from the get go (wearing the same suit/jacket so other than to look 'cool' the mask is pointless) or if that's just necessary (no need for frivolous subplots).

The creatures' focus on "the law" reminds me too much of Island of Lost Souls, I wonder if that was intentional.

Scream Factory did an excellent job remastering the picture and sound, the blu-ray is one of my favorite packages.

arw6040

I watched this yesterday night on a whim and was glad it fit the theme day. At first I wasn't sure if I would like this as it starts off throwing you right into the confusing storyline without much explanation but then all starts to come together (at least in the director's cut version I watched). I enjoyed the good vs. evil war it presents by turning the tables on who is good and who is bad. I also liked the combination of horror, comedy, action, and romance. So much fun to watch and the final showdown is awesome too.

Spiderbite

I actually saw this movie in the theater when it was first released. It died quickly and I probably didn't see it for another 10+ years. I remember being disappointed walking out of the theater but I always remembered it. Certain scenes stayed with me and I could remember it far better than some movies that I had seen more than once, which I always thought was strange.

Cut to last night and seeing the Cabal Cut for the first time (or director's cut or whatever they decided to call it). This movie is still a mess. The acting is sub par. The score is too dramatic for several scenes. Some monsters are super cheesy and the minor bits of humor fall flat as a pancake.

But at the same time, there is still something about this movie I do like. I can't put my finger on it. It could be the multitude of monsters or the uber-creepy mask the doctor wears. I'm not sure. But a masterpiece this movie is not. It too silly in places and the story is in too much disarray to be considered a masterpiece in my opinion. But it is still worth seeing.

orlmac

I watched the Directors Cut this time because it was on Netflix Streaming. I don't really remember the original movie except that I wasn't impressed. This cut was a lot better even though there are glaring weaknesses in the plot and the fight scenes were uneven. I'd like to see the Cabal version to see what they added back in but I can't really imagine that it would improve things. It was a good choice though, just uneven at many points.

3onameathook

I wasn't sure which copy I was watching till I realized that I was seeing more monsters than I remember seeing from the original, yes........ more monsters which told me it was the directors cut.
Some say that the director's cut is much better, but to me both cuts are equally good. I was told that the story changes, but I really can't say that the storyline has changed all that much one way or the other.

exharrison

Yeah, I watched the original cut some years ago(I think for this challenge) and I just watched the director's cut today. I liked it back then and I liked it today. Not really sure which I prefer because it has been so long and it seems like the bd only has the director's cut. At least I know I will like the cut on the bd.

rbrown498

Not being a fan of fantasy films (true confession time: I've never seen any of the Lord of the Rings films, nor any of the Hobbits, nor any of the Harry Potter films, and I don't like superhero movies at ALL), I really didn't cotton to Nightbreed. Like, at ALL. I made it all the way through it, but I was actually yelling at the TV near the end, pleading with it to be over already. The whole film was just silly to me. It didn't help that one of the monsters looked sort of like Mac Tonight, that creepy character that was McDonald's mascot for about two seconds in the late '80s.

Yeah, this was a one-and-done for me. I do think, however, that Cirque du Soleil could mount a totally kick-ass show based on it. I'd pay to see that.

clckworang

Spiderbite and orlmac pretty much said what I was going to say. I posted in the other thread that I didn't really care for the original cut when I saw it but really liked David Cronenberg. His character and the mask were great, very creepy. Largely because of the positive things I read about the director's cut, I gave it a purchase and thought it was a much better movie. I would be very interested to see the full cut. That would have been a great extra feature, even if some of the footage was in VHS quality.

Mondo Kane

Yeah, I didn't notice much drastic changing from the theatrical cut, but I thought the TC actually had better pacing than the DC.

Trevor

This pretty much echoes my thoughts. The acting is pretty bad and the humor is unfunny, but the concepts and potential for better make it bearable. I would welcome a remake with better talent on both sides of the camera.

exharrison

I've never thought about the idea of a remake. I think I'd side with you on this. The reason why I've liked both cuts is probably because I like the concept of this underground society and story alongside it, but I think I'd enjoy seeing a newer one. Just hopefully without truly terrible cgi everywhere.

ntnon

For a feared and hunted underground society - that is bizaarely widely known about - they'd done well not having to fight before....

Not sure which version I watched, but 2 hours was at least 20 minutes too long. And I wasn't entirely sure of the purpose of the serial killer... to frame the hero and make people notice his body had gone? To lead the monster hunt? To liven things up?

Not terrible, not great. But that almost-Ronalf McDonald picture is one of the most terrifying things I've seen...!

Undeadcow

I interpreted the serial killer as a mechanism for Barker to say "...look who the REAL monsters are, it's not the monsters/Nightbreed - it's the human(s)! [*gasp*]" but the psychiatrist was played as so without remorse/emotion it's over the top (which might have been to contrast better, but it's doesn't feel natural).

ntnon

Yes, if that was the (only) idea, it was far too heavyhanded for me. That's the sort of message that is obvious by the nature of the film (mobs are bad), and should therefore not be over-sold.

PhantomStranger

I loved this movie when I first saw it years ago but it didn't age that well for me when I got the Blu-ray edition last year. Even the director's cut has its issues. I got the feeling they had grander ambitions for the plot but budgetary limitations must have played a huge factor. There are still a lot of cool elements to enjoy in Nightbreed but the concept is better than its execution.

jacob_b

So did everyone see the director's cut of the film for this day? I loved the monsters and it started off so damn good, but then took a nose dive and hard to follow at the end. Such a shame too because it was a really good idea and Barker has a great mind for f'd up creatures, but he just can't stay on track for an entire movie.