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Blu-ray Review Nightbreed: The Director’s Cut Limited Edition Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

Todd Erwin

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Nightbreed: The Director’s Cut Limited Edition Blu-ray Review

Filmmakers don’t often get the opportunity to restore their original vision to an earlier piece of work, especially when that film was a financial disappointment, likely due to studio tinkering. Such is the case with Nightbreed, a film written and directed by Clive Barker in 1990 (and based on his 1988 novella, Cabal) that he eventually lost control of when he and Morgan Creek had creative differences over what the finished product should (or could) be. Shout! Factory now brings Barker’s director’s cut to Blu-ray (through their Scream Factory label) in two editions, likely pleasing fans of the film.

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Studio: Scream Factory

Distributed By: Shout! Factory

Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Audio: English 2.0 DTS-HDMA, English 5.1 DTS-HDMA

Subtitles: English

Rating: Not Rated, R

Run Time: 2 Hr. 1 Min.

Package Includes: Blu-ray

Two Blu-ray keepcases in outer hard paperboard case

Disc Type: BD50 (dual layer)

Region: A

Release Date: 10/28/2014

MSRP: $79.97




The Production Rating: 3.5/5

Aaron Boone (Craig Sheffer) has been having dreams of Midian, a dwelling place for monsters. After one particularly vivid dream, Boone’s girlfriend, Lori (Anne Bobby), learns that Boone’s psychiatrist, Decker (David Cronenberg), has been trying to get in touch with him. She convinces him that he should go see the doctor to let him know that the dreams are his only symptom, and that they are becoming less frightening. But Dr. Decker has something else in store, to frame Boone for the good doctor’s killing spree, to locate Midian, and rid the world of those monsters forever. What Decker doesn't understand is that, for the most part, the creatures living in Midian are peaceful, seeking refuge from the rest of the world and hoping to live out their lives without human interference. This all leads to a showdown in the third act, pitting the humans of suburban Calgary against the monsters of Midian.Clive Barker’s new director’s cut (which begins with a video introduction by Barker and restoration producer Mark Miller) restores much of the mythology and subtext missing from the original 1990 theatrical cut (made at the insistence of studio executives at Morgan Creek, who were expecting more of a straight up horror film than a dark fantasy), and also makes the monsters more sympathetic and the humans more bigoted. Although running only 20 minutes longer than the 1990 version, approximately 45 minutes of alternate and new footage can be seen in the director’s cut, including Barker’s originally intended ending that makes more sense than the confusing ending seen in the theatrical cut. Craig Sheffer and Anne Bobby make a nice couple, and this new cut also spends more time developing their relationship. Cronenberg is excellently creepy as the demented Dr. Decker, especially when he’s wearing the Gimp mask. Charles Haid is over the top as Captain Eigerman, who leads the assault on Midian. This is, by far, a superior version of a film many thought to have been lost forever.


Video Rating: 4/5 3D Rating: NA

Shout! Factory, with help from Morgan Creek, were able to find the additional footage long thought to have been lost, and pieced this cut together by transferring the original camera negatives in 4k, then color timed and cleaned up the footage before assembling. The result is astounding, with deep blacks, consistent colors that are not overly saturated, and noticeable film grain that is never distracting. The 1080p transfer on this disc was compressed using the AVC codec, with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 that approximates the film’s intended 1.85:1 theatrical presentation. The same can almost be said of the theatrical cut included on disc three of the Limited Edition set, with the exception of some noticeable emulsion damage and scratches here and there.



Audio Rating: 4/5

The Director’s Cut features two English soundtracks in DTS-HD Master Audio, a 2.0 stereo mix and a far superior 5.1 remix that breathes life into Danny Elfman’s score as well as the climactic battle in the third act by spreading it across all five channels, providing some nice discrete surround effects and a lower deep end. Dialogue never gets lost in the mix, directing it mostly to the center channel. The theatrical cut included on the Limited Edition set consists of only an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo mix.


Special Features Rating: 5/5

Nightbreed: The Director’s Cut is available in two versions. A Limited Edition (originally restricted to only 5,000 copies but has since been upped to 10,000 due to popular demand) that consists of three discs including the Director’s Cut with bonus features on Disc One, additional bonus features on Disc Two, and the original theatrical cut in 1080p on Disc Three, retailing at $79.97. There is also a Blu-ray/DVD combo edition, retailing for $29.93, that consists of Disc One from the Limited Edition, with the same content on a DVD.40-page Color Booklet: Includes an essay on the history of the film by Restoration Producer Mark Miller, plus posters and production photos.Disc One (included with the BD/DVD combo edition):Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Clive Barker and Restoration Producer Mark Miller: The two discuss the challenge, journey, and ultimate joy Miller took to make this cut possible, the differences between the cuts, and other tidbits about the making of the film, and never once do they blame editor Mark Goldblatt for the cuts he made to the film (insisting that he was just doing the job the studio heads hired him to do).Tribes of the Moon: The Making of Nightbreed (1080p; 72:17): Members of the cast and crew are interviewed (with the noticeable exception of Clive Barker), offering many details about Barker’s earlier career as the director of a small theatre troupe in England before becoming a prolific writer of horror novels, the making of the film, and their reactions to both the theatrical and director’s cuts.Making Monsters: Interviews with Makeup Effects Artists (1080p; 42:11): Bob Keen and Martin Mercer, of Image Animation, discuss creating many of the monsters for the film.Fire! Fights! Stunts!: 2nd Unit Shooting (1080p; 20:20): Second Unit Director Andy Armstrong discusses the work of the second unit team on a motion picture.Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1:06): The original 20th Century Fox trailer, presented in a cropped 2.35:1 aspect ratio.Disc Two:Deleted/Alternate Scenes (1080p; 22:48): A total of 17 deleted or alternate scenes. many taken from the over-duped VHS Cabal Cut, are provided here in varying degrees of quality.Monster Prosthetics Masterclass (1080p; 11:11): Bob Keen of Image Animation returns to showcase more of the makeup effects created for the film.Cutting Compromise with Editor Mark Goldblatt (1080p; 13:55): Goldblatt discusses his early career with Joe Dante and Gale Anne Hurd, being hired to replace editor Richard Marden, and some of the issues he had with the earlier cuts and even the final theatrical cut.The Painted Landscape (1080p; 5:08): a look at the cave paintings along the walls of Midian, created by concept artist Ralph McQuarrie.Matte Painting Tests (1080p; 8:57): Test footage for many of the matte paintings used in the film.Makeup Tests (1080p; 4:52): Test footage for many of the makeup effects used in the film.Stop Motion Lost Footage (1080p; 7:01): Bob Keen of Image Animation discusses many of the stop motion animation effects that had hoped to create for the film, and what they had to eventually compromise to meet the production schedule and budget.Extended Torture Scene (1080p; 3:29): An extended version of the history of the Nightbreed sequence.Rehearsal Test Footage (1080p; 2:56): Footage of the actors without their makeup or creature costumes rehearsing the opening dream sequence.Extensive Still Galleries (1080p): A collection of early concept sketches, posters, pre-production art, and production photos.Disc Three:Theatrical Cut (1080p; 101:40)Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1:06): The original 20th Century Fox trailer, presented in a cropped 2.35:1 aspect ratio.


Overall Rating: 4/5

Fans of Clive Barker and Nightbreed can rejoice that the writer/director’s original vision of this film has been lovingly restored (Barker even thanks the fans for supporting the project during the end credits), and as usual with Scream Factory releases, the set includes some terrific bonus material. My only complaint is with the Blu-ray/DVD combo edition, which should have included the second disc of the Limited Edition set rather than a DVD version of the first disc.


Reviewed By: Todd Erwin


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Brian Kidd

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I really enjoyed the Director's Cut. Is it everything I had imagined? No. Then again, my expectations were unreasonably high after waiting for 24 years to see Barker's vision of the film. When I saw Nightbreed in the theaters, I was blown away by it. It was so original and had such a variety of unusual and imaginative creatures in it. Having re-watched it many times over the years, I've begun to see its flaws. Once I realized how much it had been tampered with by Morgan Creek, I thought perhaps many of those flaws would be completely solved by seeing Barker's cut. Well, the truth is that many of them were and some of them weren't. The jumps in plot are certainly gone. It does help to flesh out Lori and Boone's relationship. The ending is far-more-satisfying. That said, Barker wasn't great at actually lensing a film. He doesn't have an eye for framing and the spectacular scenic design is often wasted with too many tight shots. The pace goes from deliberate to 88mph in the blink of an eye. Still, the Director's Cut is a worthwhile, superior version of a fascinating but flawed film. I'm glad I finally got to see it after all these years.
 

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