Before we get stuck into more seasonal topics, I just want to tick off a few leftovers from my list of horror titles to cover this year--starting with the more obscure cult side of things. Obscure, weird, and one with a slightly tumultuous history to it, no less.
You may have heard of Clive Barker--or if you haven't, you might've at least heard of one or two of his works. Once setting himself up as the British answer to Stephen King, Barker isn't quite as prolific, but he's made his mark, with a particularly dark flavor of writing that enjoyed its cynicism and body horror. Sometimes it was socially satirical, sometimes it was more humorous, but either way, it wasn't long before the movie business took notice of his novella Hellbound Heart.
That adaptation you'll know better as Hellraiser--starring the BSDM Cenobite pain demon Pinhead, a name about on the level of calling Jason Voorhees 'Hockey Guy'. The budget wasn't super high and some of the effects show their age, but there's some moments that still induce painful winces to this day, with practical gore work only the eighties could provide. It hit on with audiences better than expected, and opened up the door for more Barker adaptations! Erm, such as they were.
Following a so-so Hellraiser Part 2, we got to Nightbreed, adapted from the novel Cabal. Barker was hoping for a verifiable mythology, a sort of modern Frankenstein tale of persecuted monsters and their dark reflections in humanity's soul. And...the end result sort of gave us that, albeit in a rather disjointed way not helped by marketing that didn't know what it was doing. The studio meddled in the editing, the trailers weren't sure how to present this surreal costume-fest that, on the outside, appeared to resemble a drug-fuelled Halloween party. The end result was a flop that eked out just enough of a cult following that we saw a director's cut over 20 years later, which you can now get alongside the original on the current blu-ray release.
Either way, what's it about? Well, Craig Sheffer plays our hero Aaron Boone, troubled by bizarre dreams of the titular creatures. The script and Sheffer do their best to inject Aaron with some sort of characterization, but honestly, the main thing you'll remember about him is his mullet. The lead that does steal the show, however, is Aaron's doctor who also moonlights as a manipulative serial killer--played by, hey, cult horror icon David Cronenberg! And between his creepy mask and sadistic demeanour, Mr. 'Look at how much icky crap I can cake Jeff Goldblum in' becomes the real draw.
That is, other than the Nightbreed themselves. There's a lot of back and forth as Aaron comes and goes from their sanctum beneath a graveyard--but it is impressive, especially for the time, how many elaborate prosthetics, sets, creature effects, and so on went into all this. Some look kinda ridiculous, but others are pretty nifty, be it the guy who extends snakes from his chest, or these flying crab mutations that seem to be in some weird 3D effect. Given how shaky the main plot is, the Nightbreed--persecuted freaks, mutants, and monsters driven underground over the years--become the other main attraction, and the Director's Cut gives you glimpses of them for your money. It's almost like a horror-themed X-Men, with all the murmuring about humanity's prejudices and hatred of what it can't be--but ironically, perhaps handled somewhat better, as the Nightbreed by and large do just want to be left alone.
The climax is also a lot fun--where armed mobs of police and militia storm the Nightbreed catacombs with explosives, flamethrowers, and shotguns, as the former let loose all their rather grisly powers. There's waffling about Aaron having to embrace his new mutant self, but you'll hardly pay attention to it with all the spectacle going on. In the middle of all this, there's a priest who I assume is met to be set up as the bad guy for next time, even if he does turn from a sympathetic character to a baddie with more whiplash than a Cenobite getting kinky with chains.
The exact tone of the ending also depends which version you watch--the theatrical cut is brisker paced, but the director's gives you more actual Nightbreed. Either way, with this one, it's one you have to watch for the production design and all the funky costuming effects--which can be pretty neat, and do give some glimpse into what could've been had the film had a more focused direction.
Ultimately, Nightbreed isn't a balanced film, and its dramatic tone can feel a tad overwrought, but there's fun to be had for monster lovers longing for a nice good fill of old-school rubber and prosthesis. After this, we had easily the best Clive Barker film with 1992's Candyman--which for me is definitely a horror classic of that period, with an excellent gothic mood intermixed with themes of urban decay and social commentary, combined with a brilliant creepy score and cinematography. But his adaptations peaked right about there--after that, we just had crappy Hellraiser sequel after sequel, with only the second maybe being worth watching. Compared to those, Nightbreed may as well be a masterpiece--and watching it, I certainly see why despite dismal returns and reception, it rose from the dark for some like the titular creatures themselves.
Comments
Post a Comment