Nightbreed (1990)This oldie but goodie is toward the top of my faves. It contains one of my favorite lines in a movie: 'It's all true. God is an astronaut. Oz is over the rainbow. And Midian is where the monsters live.'
Based on Clive Barker's novella Cabal this is truly an inventive and - it sounds weird - a beautiful film in its portrayal of all the different 'monsters' that live (or not live) in Midian (a huge cemetery in the middle of nowhere).
The plot: Aaron Boone (Craig Scheffer) has had a hard life. Night terrors, psychological problems and behavioral problems have followed him since he was a kid. His psychiatrist (uh oh, another mental professional, this won't be good) Dr. Philip Decker (David Cronenberg, who also has directed other movies) tries his best to help Aaron get over his obsession with monsters. Meanwhile, whole families in his area are being slaughtered by a man we see in a canvas mask with button eyes and a zipper mouth (how did he see out of that thing?). The good doctor convinces Aaron that he is the murderer and should give himself up. After giving Aaron a powerful psychedelic drug (told you) he sends him off, giving him 24 hours. Aaron, high as a kite and suicidal, steps in front of a large truck. He's put in the hospital, where he hears the patient next to him pleading to be taken to Midian. This is the place Aaron keeps dreaming about so he quizzes the man on how to get there. He takes off.
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| Peloquin, my fave! |
He finds the place and also finds a couple of it's inhabitants: Peloquin (Oliver Parker) who was my fave monster and also the source of the quote above, and Kinski (Nicholas Vince). Aaron wants to join him but Peloquin wants him for dinner. After Peloquin bites Aaron, he escapes out of Midian only to met by a bunch of police officers who gun him down.
Aaron's girlfriend Lori (Anne Bobby) identifies the body and asks where they found him. Soon after his body disappears from the morgue. Peloquin's bite has made him 'nightbreed' and he is now accepted at Midian. Lori can't just let him go so she runs off to find him.
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| Aaron is inducted into the Nightbreed 'family' |
Again, this is a very detailed, almost beautiful movie as far as special effects and makeup go. Each 'monster' is different and they have different abilities and different ways of being killed (again I guess).
Meanwhile Dr. Decker (who you probably guessed is the real murderer in the bizarre mask) goes after Aaron, knowing he's still alive (not, but oh well). He tortures an old man into telling him about Midian (thus bringing another one of my favorite lines - Decker: Who's buried out at Midian? Old Man: Dead folk!) and gets a bunch of law officers together (they're not portrayed positively either) to go destroy Midian.
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| I dreamt him.... |
A battle ensues and Aaron is blamed for Midian's impending destruction although supposedly it was prophesied that he would. The 'God' of the Nightbreed, Baphomet, tells Aaron that his name is now Cabal (which means group of people united in a common way which is ????) and that he's the new leader of the Nightbreed and has to find them a new place to live. Thus the setup for a sequel which sadly never came about.
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| Filth breeding filth breeding filth... |
This is definitely worth a look - it's another one of those kinds of movies where the "normal" humans are shown to be more monstrous than the "monsters" they set out to kill. It's a good adaptation of Clive Barker's story and keeps pretty true to the main premise. I've read Cabal a dozen times or more, watch Nightbreed at least that much. It's just a great visual film that unfortunately is all too rare.
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