After 24 years, Clive Barker's cult classic Nightbreed finally got its due with a director's cut in 2014, and here's everything that changed.
After 24 years, Clive Barker's cult classic Nightbreed finally got its due with a director's cut in 2014, and here's everything that changed. While he never quite achieved the crossover pop culture superstardom that Stephen King has managed to acquire, there's no doubt that Barker is one of the best and most influential horror authors in recent memory. Like King, he also tried his hand at directing movies, but unlike King, he actually proved to have a good amount of talent behind the camera.
One thing Barker hasn't been as a film director is prolific. He's only directed three films to date, Hellraiser in 1987, Nightbreed in 1990, and Lord of Illusions in 1995. Thankfully, what Barker lacks in quantity he makes up for in quality. Hellraiser is an all-time horror classic, while Nightbreed and Lord of Illusions both have loyal cults of worshipers. While at this point it seems unlikely that Barker will ever direct again, he's certainly given horror fans some great material to work with.
It's a bit amazing that Nightbreed even managed to earn a cult following though, as its original theatrical cut was heavily compromised, with distributor 20th Century Fox cutting nearly an hour of material out of the film without Barker's consent, with the cut footage thought to be lost. For years, Barker dreamed about finding it and creating a director's cut, and finally, Shout Factory provided him that opportunity.
Nightbreed Director’s Cut Differences: Every New & Alternate Scene
While only 20 minutes longer in length than the theatrical cut, the director's cut of Nightbreed actually contains about 45 minutes of new footage, as some material from the theatrical version was cut out or replaced. The director's cut makes the plot much easier to follow, and the character motivations easier to understand as a whole, while the theatrical cut seems to jump from scene to scene with little connective tissue. There are lots of small additions and subtractions that don't really alter the film much, but here are the more noteworthy changes.
Early on in the film, a new phone conversation between protagonist Boone (Craig Sheffer) and antagonist Dr. Decker (David Cronenberg) is shown, which more clearly setups their relationship as doctor and patient, and quickly establishes Decker's bad intentions. Another new scene sees Boone's girlfriend Lori (Anne Bobby) visit him at work, which sets up a slightly later scene in which Lori sings at a nightclub, which many fans feel goes on way too long, and is the director's cut's biggest problem. There's also an early dream sequence Boone has that gets really odd. Later on, after Boone has died but before Lori is investigating Midian, there's an additional scene between Lori and her new friend Sheryl Anne, more clearly setting up her death later at the hands of Decker.
A notable change that effects multiple scenes is the re-dubbing of Nightbreed leader Lylesburg's dialogue by actor Doug Bradley, after much of it was re-recorded by another actor for the final theatrical edit, restoring the character's intended British accent. The scene in which Lylesburg introduces the resurrected Boone to Baphomet is also longer, and there's a new scene where Lylesburg tries to stop Lori from looking for Boone inside Midian. Speaking of which, lots of additional creatures are shown inside Midian, showing off previously unseen practical effects. Later, after Boone has been captured by the police, new scenes show a press conference with the police chief, as well as Father Ashberry and Boone talking.
Closer to the climax of Nightbreed, there's a new scene in which Rachel picks up Lori in a car to go find Boone, in the hopes he can save Midian. Lori's first interaction with Boone's monster form is also altered with new dialogue. There are also new scenes with the cops stocking up on weapons and ammo before heading to Midian, Eigerman giving Decker a gun, and Eigerman arguing with Ashberry. There also also lots of small changes to the ending, with Boone rallying the residents of Midian to fight for their lives. The biggest changes to the conclusion see Decker kill and decapitate Narcisse, a mutated Ashberry kill Eigerman, and Decker not get resurrected. Lori also kills herself due to not wanting Boone to leave her behind, so he brings her back as one of the Nightbreed.
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Michael Kennedy is an avid movie and TV fan that's been working for Screen Rant in various capacities since 2014. In that time, Michael has written over 2000 articles for the site, first working solely as a news writer, then later as a senior writer and associate news editor. Most recently, Michael helped launch Screen Rant's new horror section, and is now the lead staff writer when it comes to all things frightening. A FL native, Michael is passionate about pop culture, and earned an AS degree in film production in 2012. He also loves both Marvel and DC movies, and wishes every superhero fan could just get along. When not writing, Michael enjoys going to concerts, taking in live professional wrestling, and debating pop culture. A long-term member of the Screen Rant family, Michael looks forward to continuing on creating new content for the site for many more years to come.
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