Product Details

• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Anchor Bay
• VHS Release Date: September 5, 1990
• Run Time: 102 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 630168740X
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #153,463 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Troubled twentysomething Craig Sheffer is haunted by violent dreams of serial killings and nocturnal invitations by misshapen creatures who live in a misty, mysterious land called Midia. Adapted and directed by Clive Barker (Hellraiser) from his novel Cabal, this tribute to the magical creatures of the night plays like a Jungian reinterpretation of classic myths with a modern twist. Nightbreed are the dead reborn as monsters of legend, fantasies, and nightmares who form their own outcast society in an underground city beneath an Alberta graveyard. Visionary horror director David Cronenberg steps in front of the camera to play Sheffer's unscrupulous psychiatrist, an eerie, unsettling character whose dark side is hidden under a soft-spoken manner and an eerily calm and controlled voice. Barker has a rather unsubtle approach to this fantastical Holocaust metaphor: every human is a victim, a hick, or a bloodthirsty monster, and the climactic witch-hunt is all gore and spectacle. By contrast the bestial society of outcasts has a kind of natural, innocent savagery that turns protective when the tribe is threatened. Cool-looking beings of bright colors, latex masks, and outrageous bodysuits, they band together like some extreme mutant superhero team with anger-management issues. Barker could use more attention to details (what happened to the so-called mystic properties of his shape-shifting monster heroes when the guns were drawn?), but there's an undeniable charge to his modern take on myth and magic. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most under-rated Baker film..., July 10, 2000

By 

Juliette Miranda "Juliette Miranda" (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Night Breed [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Night Breed is surreal and eerie, effectively bringing to life elements from director Clive Barker's short work "Cabal". It's a shame that this movie is out of print, as it is a perfect representation of what good horror films should be. The effects are vivid and edgy -but not campy-and David Cronenberg is fantastic as the deceptively pleasant doctor. Clive Barker has such a wild and somewhat nasty take on what consititutes fear and horror, that all of his films turn out well. Night Breed stands ahead, however, as it combines primal terror with a human touch that makes the movie not only enjoyable but relatable as well. After watching Night Breed, it's is very easy to see that Mideon could be a favorable option to heaven or hell. It would be for me, at any rate.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This movie is incredibly cool, August 4, 2000

By 

Emily R. Jarrell "emma34" (Newport News, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Night Breed [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Craig Sheffer did a wonderful job as Boone and Ann Bobby was good as his girlfriend. This is one of the most awesome movies and the book was excellent too. I agree with the reviewer who said Nightbreed has a huge potential for a sequel, that would be so cool and there are so many interesting stories that could continue where the first left off. This is definitely on my top 10 horror movies.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Greatest Horror Movie Ever Made?, December 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Night Breed [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This movie is unreal! Never before has Horror and Fantasy been mixed to such a perfect balance. This film is genuinely both scary and unsettling, but in a way that also stays suspenseful. There is no real star in this movie as all the characters have their own special charisma. But you can't help but to come away with your own favourite 'Middian Monster'. Why this isn't available on DVD is beyond me! It's a REAL horror classic with a huge following that deserves to be seen in it's original 'Widescreen' glory. (and my VHS copy has just broken!)