Over the past few years, there has been quite a bit of discussion about the “Cabal Cut” of Clive Barker’s Nightbreed. Would it ever be seen? Did it actually alter the finished film all that much? So many questions and so many rabid fans waiting, searching and theorizing on forums all across the internet. I realize now that Clive Barker wasn’t exactly happy with the finished product of Nightbreed, after so many edits were made. I, for one, was and still am a huge fan of the original. Perhaps it’s just nostalgia, but I guess I didn’t really need all that wonderful story telling when I was younger and just looking for monster movies to occupy my evenings. While we may never actually see the “Cabal Cut”, I have to say that the “Director’s Cut” is close enough and is clearly the better film.
Boone’s character gets the treatment he deserves, his relationships with his girlfriend, Lori, and his psychiatrist, Dr. Dekker, have many more layers to them, which completely alters the course of the film. Shout! Factory really came through with the special features as well as the transfer, which is safe to say, has never looked better.
This version of the film is for the die-hard fans of the original and for a brand new audience who may have never got the chance to see it when it was released years ago. Nightbreed ages well and is still a classic monster film worth multiple viewings. Introduce someone new to the crazy world of Midian and tell them Shout! Factory and Repulsive Reviews sent you there.
Be sure to pick up a copy from the official Shout! Factory website. It’s official release date is October 28th.
I give this version 4 hallucinations out of 5.
