Rarely does a director get the chance to completely rework his film to make it closer to his vision than what a studio executive swore would work better. Clive Barker is getting a chance at redemption for his movie Nightbreed. After his success with Hellraiser, Barker was looking to make another strong horror film. Between his battles with the studio and the MPAA, the film was watered down in time and content. Now he’s getting to construct the version of the film that he originally wanted to be released. Can Barker make horror fans embrace a movie that fell flat the first time? Those who have had a taste of the recut are gushing. Here’s the press release from Scream Factory:
NIGHTBREED: THE DIRECTOR’S CUT
ON BLU-RAY™ & DVD EVERYWHERE OCTOBER 28, 2014
“This is film history and beyond my wildest dreams of realization.” Clive Barker
On October 28, 2014, the horror home entertainment brand SCREAM FACTORY™, in collaboration with Morgan Creek Productions and Clive Barker’s Seraphim, Inc., will finally unleash the highly sought-after Director’s Cut of Clive Barker’s classic tale of terror, NIGHTBREED! Perfectly timed for Halloween, NIGHTBREED will be available in two retail versions: A 10,000 Unit Limited-Edition 3-Disc Blu-ray™ set and a Special Edition DVD & Blu-ray™ Combo. Written and directed by visionary filmmaker Clive Barker (creator of Hellraiser) and based on his popular novel Cabal, the cult-classic film, NIGHTBREED, stars Craig Sheffer (Hellraiser: Inferno), Anne Bobby (Born on the Fourth of July), David Cronenberg (Director, Eastern Promises) Charles Haid (Hill Street Blues) and features a soundtrack by award-winning composer Danny Elfman. Morgan Creek Television is actively developing a television series based on this film.
Click the corresponding links to pre-order the Limited or Special Editions.
Limited Edition
In 1990, the film was released theatrically nationwide. However, the movie studio edited the film extensively and several scenes were excised or rearranged – much to Clive Barker’s disappointment. Since then, a fan-driven movement was created (www.OccupyMidian.com) to see the full version of the film restored and re-released. Now, after 25 years, fans and horror enthusiasts can finally experience NIGHTBREED like never before! Scream Factory, in conjunction with Warner Bros., was able to find the long-thought-missing original film elements and combed through over 600 boxes to locate not only the lost scenes but a treasure trove of never-before-seen footage as well. With lost footage meticulously restored, the result is not only a more faithful adaptation of Clive Barker’s book Cabal, but also what he originally intended NIGHTBREED to be.
Official statement from Director Clive Barker: “This is film history and beyond my wildest dreams of realization. When Scream Factory told me that they found the NIGHTBREED film footage I was gob-smacked! This is the ultimate validation of choices made by myself and Mark Miller [of Seraphim Films] all the way back in 2008. As we embarked down the road of attempting to track down the lost footage, we looked at each other and said, ‘Maybe one day they’ll find it.’ It’s my pleasure to announce that the day has come. Speaking personally, I didn’t allow myself to believe that it would. Even if we did find some footage (which we did in 2009 in the form of heavily degraded VHS tapes) and even if we did find a company willing to release the film (which we did in 2013 with Scream Factory, God bless them) the prospect of finding the actual lost film materials was remoter than I’d wanted to admit out loud. If the footage could not be found by those who had worked closest on it the same year it had been released, then what were the odds we’d be able to find anything 20 years on? But Scream Factory, in their commendable determination, kept up the search and thanks to them total reconstruction has been made a possibility. There’s never been a reconstruction that’s had as little chance of succeeding and yet has succeeded on as many fronts as this film has. It’s unprecedented. To now have a movie that we can put together in the way that I fully intended it to be seen when I first set out to make this film in 1989 is extraordinary. The project has moved inexorably to this conclusion. Fate and the hard work of individuals such as Mark Miller, Russell Cherrington, Phil and Sarah Stokes, Occupy Midian, Morgan Creek, and ultimately, Scream Factory have made this a possibility and I could not be happier.”
New statement from Clive Barker’s Office: The Nightbreed Director’s Cut is an entirely different film than the one which was released in theaters. Its 20 minutes longer than the theatrical cut, but it contains over 40 minutes of new and altered footage. Clive oversaw the reconstruction and edit himself, personally ensuring that, at long last, he was able to tell the story he always wanted to tell, but until now, had never been given the chance. Once the scenes were reordered, and the original film footage restored, the entire film received a brand new sound mix and color pass. It is, in every way, a different movie. It contains more story, more monsters, and there’s even a musical umber. Ultimately, what we’ve delivered is a love story 25 years in the making.
Final details on the two retail sets are as follows:
DVD & BLU-RAY COMBO SPECIAL EDITION SET
New “Director’s Cut” presentation of the film which contains over 40 minutes of new and altered footage
Introduction by writer/director Clive Barker and restoration producer Mark Alan Miller
Audio Commentary by writer/director Clive Barker and restoration producer Mark Alan Miller
Tribes of the Moon: The Making of Nightbreed featuring interviews with Craig Sheffer, Anne Bobby, Doug Bradley and more… (72 minutes)
Making Monsters – interviews with makeup effects artists Bob Keen, Martin Mercer and Paul Jones (42 minutes)
Fire! Fights! Stunts! 2nd Unit Shooting – an interview with Andy Armstrong (20 minutes)
Original Theatrical Trailer
1:78 Widescreen/DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1/Dolby Digital 5.1/English Subtitles
LIMITED EDITION 3-DISC BLU-RAY SET (10,000 Numbered Pieces)
DISC 1: THE DIRECTOR’S CUT
New “Director’s Cut” presentation of the film which contains over 40 minutes of new and altered footage
Introduction by writer/director Clive Barker and restoration producer Mark Alan Miller
Audio Commentary by writer/director Clive Barker and restoration producer Mark Alan Miller
Tribes of the Moon: The Making of Nightbreed featuring interviews with Craig Sheffer, Anne Bobby, Doug Bradley and more… (72 minutes)
Making Monsters – interviews with makeup effects artists Bob Keen, Martin Mercer and Paul Jones (42 minutes)
Fire! Fights! Stunts! 2nd Unit Shooting – an interview with Andy Armstrong (20 minutes)
Original Theatrical Trailer
1:78 Widescreen/DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1/Dolby Digital 5.1
DISC 2: BONUS DISC
Deleted and Alternate Scenes (approx. 20 minutes)
Monster Prosthetics Master Class
Cutting Compromise – an interview with editor Mark Goldblatt
The Painted Landscape: The Concept Art of Ralph McQuarrie
Matte Painting Tests
Makeup Tests
Stop Motion Lost Footage
Extended Torture Scene
Rehearsal of Boone’s dream
Extensive Still Galleries – Early Sketches, Deleted Scene, Posters and Pre-Production art, On the Set, The Cast and Crew
DISC 3: THE THEATRICAL CUT
New transfer from the inter-positive
1:78 Widescreen/DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1/English Subtitles
**NOTE: Those who order the Special Edition and the Limited-Edition sets directly from www.ScreamfactoryDVD.com will also receive an exclusive 18″x24″ poster of the newly designed artworks (available while supplies last)!
