Like many other writers, horror ( and gay ) literary icon Clive Barker has seen one of his books drastically altered when it reached the silver screen. Barker himself wrote the script adaptation for his novella Cabal ( which Morgan Creek, the studio that financed the movie, renamed with the more commercially friendly title Nightbreed ).
However, Barker's vision—he also directed the movie—was misunderstood by Morgan Creek, which insisted on reshoots, a shorter running time and, most importantly, a much different thematic emphasis. ( The cuts and the changes disheartened many involved in the creative aspects and were enough for editor Richard Marden to quit in protest. )
It was all to no avail. When Nightbreed was released early in 1990, it had been altered to resemble a typical slasher picture, and the movie flopped both critically and commercially—not a big surprise to anyone who saw it. The film veered wildly in tone and seemed disjointed but it also retained elements of its intriguing premise, eye-popping ( though rather gory ) special effects, a tremendous early Danny Elfman score, and enough gay subtext for three movies. However, filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky adored the movie, dubbing it "the first truly gay horror fantasy epic."
Over the years, Nightbreed gained a cult following and fans dreamed of seeing the excised footage from Barker's original cut. Now, nearly 25 years later, after a grassroots campaign, Barker is in the enviable position of seeing his intentions restored with Nightbreed: The Director's Cut, which Shout! Factory will release in deluxe editions packed with special features on Blu-ray and DVD on Oct. 28. Although this version—which contains 40 minutes of new and altered footage—is still far from perfect, it's a much more cohesive, deeper, and certainly more thought-provoking movie. Barker's intriguing theme—in which the disenfranchised monsters are the oppressed and their barbaric human cousins the oppressors—is front and center, and clearly has resonance for Our People.
The story follows the plight of Aaron Boone ( played by the hunky Craig Sheffer ), a loner plagued by nightmares of hideous monsters. Seeking treatment, Boone is instead convinced by his psychotherapist ( director David Cronenberg, who is blandly creepy ) that he has confessed to a number of brutal slayings while under hypnosis. Working with the police, and dosed by the doctor with LSD that he has misrepresented as lithium, Boone finds his way to Midian, a deserted cemetery where the monsters reside in an underground lair.
Boone is killed by the police; however, because of a bite from one of the monsters, he is reborn as Nightbreed—part of the society of undead monsters and freaks who are outcasts from society. Each of the Nightbreed has special powers but they have chosen to hide themselves away from humans, realizing they would be killed if discovered. That's just what the psychologist and the police want to do, and they follow Boone's girlfriend, Lori ( the plucky Anne Bobby ), to Midian. The misunderstood creatures—several of them who clearly read as gay—invoke sympathy from Lori and her few human and inhuman allies all for naught. A huge battle ensues after the police force the monsters out of hiding and their fate is up to Boone as their new leader—who exhorts them to fight back against the pathologically violent humans.
As for the queer subtext, that is clearer with the monsters-as-the-good-guys theme ( aka, the ethnic and cultural minorities ) more pronounced. One of the most prominent of the Nightbreed is Ohnaka ( Simon Bamford ), a seemingly sweet shirtless, tattooed man with a nipple ring who clutches a tiny English bulldog. Cornered at one point by the brutish police, he is subjected to what can easily be seen as a gay-bashing. There are other characters of both genders who also easily read as queer, and then there's also Boone, whose muscular body is objectified by the camera throughout the film. ( He is introduced wearing tighty-whities and is often seen shirtless. ) The inclusion of Kenneth Nelson in a small role, who starred in The Boys in the Band and who died a few years later of AIDS, also resonates.
Ironically, both the studio's imposed ending and Barker's—reinstated in this ultimate edition—tantalizingly suggest a sequel ( Barker originally envisioned a trilogy ), and perhaps this renewed interest will lead in that direction. It's not much of a reach to suggest that fans of the currently red-hot American Horror Story: Freak Show, which also reeks of queer subtext, will find much to love in the equally theatrical Nightbreed—which is finally getting its due. https://shoutfactory.com/film/fantasy/nightbreed-the-director-s-cut
Briefly noted: Advanced Style is Lina Piloplyte's documentary version of the popular blog by Ari Seth Cohen, fashionista and transplanted New Yorker.
Upon arriving in Manhattan, Cohen began photographing elderly women he encountered on the street with, well, advanced style. Cohen's blog blew up and many of the sensationally glad women he discovered with his roving camera have become mini-celebrities themselves, as noteworthy for their glamorous looks as for their life affirming philosophies.
The seven women profiled in Piloplyte's delightful film, aged 60 to 90, offer proof that creativity and style have no age. The film plays exclusively at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St., beginning Friday, Oct. 24. The Siskel is offering patrons 65 years and older $7 discount tickets throughout the run ( available at the box office only ). http://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/advance_style
Film notes:
—Keepsake, a new iPhone app that allows users to upload and share content to a private Cloud, is sponsoring The Keepsake Film Festival, which will showcase the short films of Columbia College filmmaking students and match them up experienced filmmakers with the students. Entrants in the fest will vie for a $500 prize and the chance to direct the next Keepsake commercial. The screening event, which is free, will take place at Columbia College ( Stage Two, 618 S. Michigan Ave. ) on Wed., Oct. 29, beginning at 7 p.m. To submit and/or RSVP for the event, email Keepsake rep Hadley Hendon at hadley@getkeepsake.com .
—The 9th annual Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema is taking place Oct. 29-Nov. 9. The fest will screen 18 features ( both narratives and documentaries ), with three LGBT-themed films as part of the line-up.
French actress Fanny Ardent stars in The Secrets, a lesbian-themed coming-of-age drama from director Avi Nesher ( who will appear at the screening -Thursday, Oct. 30, at the Music Box, 3733 N. Southport Ave., at 9:30 p.m. ). Israel's most prominent queer filmmaker, Eytan Fox ( renowned for Yossi & Jagger, Walk on Water, etc. ), directs the delightful comedy Cupcakes, in which a group of amateur singers find themselves vying for the top prize in a Eurovision type song contest. The movie screens at the Music Box on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m. Finally, Operation Sunflower, a historical drama based in fact from director Avraham Kushnir, will screen on Sunday, Nov. 2, at 8 p.m. and Monday, Nov. 3, at 8:30 p.m. at the AMC Northbrook Court, 1521 Lake Cook Rd., Northbrook. Complete line-up, advanced tickets at http://israelifilmchi.org/
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