More Nightbreed... (Interested..?)
UPDATE - May 2013
Mark Miller : "We're trying to get some fests this year. We're probably going to see some theatrical stuff and it looks like we're going to get a DVD release, if not the end of this year then early next year."
Jimmy Star Show
By Jimmy Star, Ron Russell, Jimmy Star Show, 22 May 2013
Screenings for the composite Cabal Cut of Nightbreed continue in 2013...- Theatre by the Lake, Keswick - 22 February 2013, with Russell Cherrington.
- H.P.Lovecraft Film Festival, Hollywood Theatre, Portland, Oregon - 3-5 May 2013, with Russell Cherrington.
- Darlington Arts Festival, The Forum, Darlington - 8 May 2013, with Russell Cherrington and guests.
- Gwinnett Performing Arts Center, Duluth, GA - 27 July 2013, with Russell Cherrington, Craig Sheffer.
- Oz Horror Con - [9] August 2013, with Russell Cherrington.
- Eerie Horror Fest - 18-20 October 2013, with Russell Cherrington, Craig Sheffer and Doug Bradley.
UPDATE - November 2012
Nightbreed secures the cover slot on Rue Morgue's December issue as Clive talks about what the movie has meant to him...
UPDATE - July 2012
Clive :
"The movie [originally] failed so dismally and the reception was so vicious, I was just dragged down by the waste of it. If I've come across as distancing myself from it, it's because I felt that I had not succeeded. I felt I'd let everybody down, including myself. There were a lot of people who'd really given their love and pushed harder than they needed to on my behalf, and we had nothing to show for it...
"What we're looking at [now] is a monstrous jigsaw, but the fact we've been able to reassemble the pieces in the right order now testifies to the fact that my version was actually shot. After all this time, I'm suddenly very optimistic!"
The Strange Case of Clive Barker's Nightbreed
By Owen Williams, Empire Magazine, No.279, September 2012 (Note - interview took place 12 July 2012)
Several more screenings of the composite Cabal Cut of Nightbreed have been announced - the full updated list is below:- Terror in the Aisles, Portage Theater, Chicago - 13 and 14 July 2012, with Russell Cherrington - 7:30pm (Fri) and 12am (Sat)
- Rue Morgue's Cinemacabre Movie Nights, Toronto - 19 July 2012, with Mark Miller and Russell Cherrington...
- Monster-Mania Con, Cherry Hill - 18 and 19 August 2012, with Mark Miller, Russell Cherrington and others...
- FrightFest, London - 24 August 2012, with Russell Cherrington. (NB. Festival / Day passes available from Empire Cinemas 30 June, single-film tickets from 28 July)
- Slash, Vienna - 23 September 2012, with Russell Cherrington and others.
- Quad, Derby - 28 September 2012, with Russell Cherrington and others.
- Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff - 29 September 2012, with Russell Cherrington and others.
- Stripe Auditorium, University of Winchester - 30 September 2012, with Russell Cherrington and others - 8pm
- Grimm Up North, Manchester - 5 October 2012, with Russell Cherrington and others. (NB. Tickets available from 31 July)
- Sitges, Barcelona - 12 October 2012, with Russell Cherrington.
- Celluloid Screams, Sheffield - 26 October 2012, with Russell Cherrington and others.
- Horrorthon, Dublin - 29 October 2012, with Russell Cherrington.
- Weekend of Horrors, Bottrop - 2 November 2012, with Russell Cherrington and others.
- Night Visions, Helsinki - 3 November 2012, with Russell Cherrington.
- Abertoir Horror, Aberystwyth - 9 November 2012, with Russell Cherrington and others.
- Morbido, Mexico - 17 November 2012, with Russell Cherrington.
- Electric Cinema, Birmingham - 23 November 2012, with Russell Cherrington and others. NOTE - SCREENING CANCELLED
- Fantastic Film Festival, Paris - 25 November 2012, with Russell Cherrington.
- Hawthorne Theatre, Welwyn Garden City - 15 December 2012, with Russell Cherrington and others.
UPDATE - June 2012
Encouraging news about Morgan Creek's 'blessing' for the Cabal Cut...:Clive : "My friends, Clive here,writing to share some wonderful news. Following the two Sold Out screenings of Nightbreed: The Cabal Cut on Sunday, Morgan Creek has given us permission to show the cut around the world and to raise money to prepare the cut for a release on Blu Ray. This could not, would not have happened without your voices. We have all been heard. The Morgan Creek team have my thanks and my respect. Very seldom does anyone in the movie business pay attention as they have, understanding perhaps that the message of the movie as I shot it is one that dramatizes a different ending to the age-old story of how a war between Humankind and something Other draws to a close. The real Nightbreed will be available for everyone to see. I hope its message of redemption and forgiveness move you."
Twitter Posts
By Clive Barker, 12 June 2012
And further screenings of the composite Cabal Cut of Nightbreed:- Rue Morgue's Cinemacabre Movie Nights, Toronto - 19 July 2012, with Mark Miller and Russell Cherrington...
- Monster-Mania Con, Cherry Hill - 18 and 19 August 2012, with Mark Miller, Russell Cherrington and others...
- FrightFest, London - 24 August 2012, with Russell Cherrington. (NB. Festival / Day passes available from Empire Cinemas 30 June, single-film tickets from 28 July)
UPDATE - May 2012
The new composite Cabal Cut of Nightbreed is set to be screened as follows:- New Beverly Cinema, Los Angeles - 10 June 2012, with Mark Miller and Russell Cherrington - a second screening added, so both 7:30 and 11pm
- Terror in the Aisles, Portage Theater, Chicago - 13 and 14 July 2012, with Russell Cherrington - a second screening added, so both 7:30pm (Fri) and 12am (Sat)
UPDATE - April 2012
Clive :
"Hello all. Clive here. Just wanted to let you know of the wonderful movement to find a home for the director's cut of my film Nightbreed.
It's called Occupy Midian. Clever title courtesy of the lovely Anne Bobby who plays Lori in the movie. You can find it here [on twitter] and on Facebook.
"Go forth...and 'Breed..."
Twitter Posts
By Clive Barker, 11 April 2012
Russell Cherrington :
"For the last few years, Mark Miller has been working at getting Morgan Creek interested in a re-release of Nightbreed. He wanted them to allow a director's cut to be put together from the original footage. Nothing happened, and Morgan Creek told Mark that they could not locate any materials. Phil and Sarah from www.clivebarker.info then got involved with Mark, and between them, an original workprint was found on VHS. This was transferred to DVD and shown in 2010 at a HorrorHound event.
"I asked to see the workprint in June 2011, and decided at that point to work with the original script to create a composite cut of Nightbreed. It became clear to me that what I was working on was The Cabal Cut of the film. In late 2011, another workprint was found, again on VHS. I got a DVD copy of this from Mark, and with Seraphim Films' blessing, I worked the material from all three sources into the Cabal Cut.
"Once that was assembled, I asked Doug Bradley to redub his voice into the new version so that Lylesberg would no longer be German. Here's a youtube clip of Doug in the studio..."
Sign The Nightbreed Director's Cut Petition!
By John Nicol, Fangoria at www.fangoria.com, 13 April 2012
Clive Barker directing during the Nightbreed pick-ups, 1989
(previously unpublished)
UPDATE - March 2012
A composite cut of Nightbreed is set to be screened at Mad Monster Party Saturday 24 March 2012 plus Q&A with Mark Miller alongside the editor of the composite, Russell Cherrington, and cast members Anne Bobby and Craig Sheffer.Please note, Clive will not be in attendance and Mad Monster caution that programming is subject to change.
Mark Miller: "First, I should set the record straight. There was a three hour version but that was what we got when we put the two rough cuts together. And during the editing process we realized that what we were seeing were some of the reshoots. For example, in one of the first versions of the composite, Captain Eigerman died twice. We watched it all the way through and realized that probably shouldn't happen, so we went back and fixed that. Eventually we ended up with the version we have now, which is two hours 35 minutes long. Still a considerably longer film, but it doesn't feel that way at all. Without giving anything away, I can tell you that you can expect to see a lot more of everything - more monsters, more action, more story. And believe it or not, there's even a musical number."
Sinister Seven: Seraphim's Mark Miller on Nightbreed: The Director's Cut
By Ron McKenzie, Rue Morgue.com, 21 March 2012 (note - full text at: http://www.rue-morgue.com/ )
UPDATE - 2 July 2010
Nightbreed: Not The News Anyone Was Looking For...
It's been a little over a year since our good friend Mark Miller was told by someone at Morgan Creek that Nightbreed's "missing" footage was in fact safely stored in their vaults, simply needing a reason to dig it out - but that no-one at the company could see a reason to do so.
As soon as we heard that the near-mythical footage had survived, we asked for your help to show how much support exists for a director's cut of the movie.
Over that period - during which we located two VHS workprints containing an hour of cut footage, one of which Morgan Creek authorised for a screening at HorrorHound last March - more than 2,000 people have added their names to the 'Release Nightbreed' petition on this page, as well as spreading the word in magazines, on news sites and blogs and at conventions.
A huge, huge thank you to each and every one of you from Clive and ourselves: your support has been instrumental in moving Morgan Creek from an initial "there's no interest" position on releasing an extended DVD or Bluray to one where they have actually been into the vaults to pull out the footage...
...and that's where the good news turns bad...
We've just had the following conversation with Morgan Creek:
Morgan Creek: "So I have a bit of sad news to relay. After MUCH digging, hunting and trying our best to unearth where (if at all) the missing Nightbreed footage might be, we've come up empty handed. Therefore, that VHS that was screened at the convention is the ONLY footage that exists of a director's cut."
Revelations: "Wow, that's tough news! A year ago we had no idea whether or not the footage still even existed and it was only when we heard the company knew exactly where it was that we and Clive even got up hopes to be able to construct an extended cut of the movie. Sounds like the initial comments to Mark were unduly optimistic?"
Morgan Creek:"Unfortunately yes - we were wrong about this one."
There's not much that can sweeten a blow like this when so many hopes have been so raised...
We've given the news to Clive and will be talking more with him about whether this might be a final death knell for a true extended Nightbreed. In the meantime, again prompted by your visible and vocal support, Morgan Creek have offered us access to all the Nightbreed material they have and have granted us permission to pull this together into a comprehensive illustrated anniversary book about the movie. We'll draw on this as well as on unpublished material in Clive's archive and we've started discussions on whether this package might gain permission to include a release of the workprint too...
At this point, we and Clive and Mark need to again thank everyone who has been moved to support Nightbreed so eloquently. That passion has not been wasted and has motivated a studio to spend time and effort looking to rescue the lost work of filmmakers who shared a heavenly vision of monsters... We've not given up all hope...
UPDATE - 6 February 2010
Official word from Morgan Creek (and a one-off workprint screening)
Clive Barker directs David Cronenberg during re-shoots for Nightbreed, 1989
(previously unpublished)
Clive Barker directs Doug Bradley for Nightbreed, 1989-
Click here for exclusive behind the scenes footage on the set of Nightbreed! (Note: File size = 4.4 MB) 
We're happy to report that, over the past several months, we've had a number of cordial and constructive conversations with Morgan Creek, the studio that owns the rights to Nightbreed.
Morgan Creek initiated these conversations - prompted by the huge petition and support for an extended Nightbreed DVD release on this very page and by the noise you've generated on horror sites across the internet.
So thank you to everyone who's added their name and their voice so far and for all your passionate and eloquent support of the movie!
However, we're less happy to have to tell you that, after discussing the current home entertainment market in "the horror genre" with Warner Bros., Morgan Creek have decided to take "a pause" before deciding to move forward with the DVD release we're all calling for.
They've adopted a "not now" position, telling us that, in their opinion, the current market will not support the required investment in reassembling the master reels to produce a director's cut of the movie.
Now, it's not a "never" position - which is a real step forward... - but it is a huge disappointment. We are therefore asking for your continued help in showing the size and commitment of Nightbreed's audience.
Please continue to show your support for an extended release by adding your names to the list below (our e-mail details are below) and by continuing to talk about this campaign in forums and blogs.
We're working with Clive on planning our next series of conversations with Morgan Creek - your support is what caught the studio's attention in the first place, so please let's keep it going. Our thanks in advance!
In the meantime, the studio has approved a one-night-only screening of the work-in-progress VHS workprint (again, news of the discovery of that below...). This will screen at the upcoming HorrorHound convention in Indianapolis on the evening of Saturday, 27 March 2010. The convention details - with an anticipated Nightbreed reunion - are at the HorrorHound convention site.
Again, heartfelt thanks from Clive and ourselves - our quest for a DVD release of the extended Nightbreed as Clive originally intended it continues...
e-mail us by clicking on this link or send us a Tweet to @clivebarkerinfo (find us at our Twitter page here)UPDATE - 18 July 2009 - a second (longer) workprint discovered!
A second VHS copy of the film has come to light - this time a 159 minute cut - another 14 minutes! Lori's performance of Johnny Get Angry is amongst the "new" footage, as is the "on the next wind..." closing scene with the breed in the barn. Fingers crossed... this feels like we might just be on a bit of a roll here...
UPDATE - 10 June 2009 - extended workprint discovered!
We just finished watching a 145 minute version of the film's mid-1989 workprint! That's 44 minutes longer than the theatrical release!! And it's even more significant than that since there are none of the later re-shoots of Decker's murders, so the actual deleted footage is far more than 44 minutes!
Yes, there's (lots) more violence as the Sons of the Free invade Midian, yes there's some deleted stop motion footage, yes, Narcisse gets decapitated, yes Lori stabs herself on a hilltop and Boone bites her... Yes, yes, yes!
Now, this is just a VHS copy so it's not of releasable quality, so... thank you for your continuing messages of support - let's keep working to get a proper DVD release for an extended Nightbreed...
Clive :
"Unbelievable news. When Mark Miller... (apologies.I am shaking with excitement) Mark volunteered to try and find my cut of Nightbreed. I thought there was 25 minutes missing. I was wrong. Phil and Sarah Stokes called. They possess a video copy of my Work Print, 44 minutes longer than the theatrical release.
"Now all we need is somebody to fund the reconstruction of what was always intended to be Celebration of the Shamanic Outsider. When Nightbreed was released the only support came from the gay press. But the movie seems to have found a broader audience. Nightbreed's about outsiders. And if the Inside is grey fat hamburgers and eye candy I'll stay outside with the monsters.
"It's wonderful that people find something of value in Nightbreed, though it reveals my failings both as an artist and as a man. The failure as an artist is tied to the inability to function as a normal member of the species; to pack every sliver of time with significance, like capsules of humanity on craft sent to the stars."
Twitter Posts
By Clive Barker, 10 June 2009
...For almost twenty years, the two most-asked questions of Clive at conventions and signings (and, for the last ten, through this website) have been
when's the third Book of the Art coming out? and
will there be a director's cut of Nightbreed?
The first answer is entirely down to Clive (and the answer's usually, "Definitely, eventually..."). The second, though, may very well prove to be in your hands. Yes, yours.
After many years of replying, "I hope so, but we don't know where the footage is," Clive's answer is now, "Maybe yes, if enough people want to buy it..."
Clive : "I have a friend, Mark Miller, who came to me and said, 'I want to pursue the missing Nightbreed material. I have some time off from my work. I want to do this.' I said, 'Well, there's no money, Mark. There's nothing in it for you except a huge thanks from me and from many, many, many fans if you were to be successful..."
Midnight Writer
By Carnell, Fangoria, Issue 284, June 2009
Mark Miller: "One fan set out in search of the truth, armed only with a few phone numbers and the power of a name...
"On one call I was transferred to a production executive. You already know what I told him, so let me tell you what he told me: He Can Access The Lost Nightbreed Footage At Any Time.
"My jaw dropped. Struggling to remember my already limited vocabulary, I asked what had to happen in order for the footage to see the light of day. He explained to me that someone, namely one of the higher ups, had to have a good reason to pull it out of storage. I, having that good reason, nodded and thanked him. He couldn't have been a nicer guy.
"Excited, I pictured myself walking through large dusty warehouses filled from floor to ceiling with ancient reels of arcane footage. I'm sorry to report, that's not what happened.
"Shortly after, one of said higher ups was gracious enough to give me a moment of his time. I was shocked when he told me there wasn't a big enough audience for the film and that the answer to my request must be no.
'Not even worth the cost to upgrade to Blu-ray,' he said.
"Ouch."
Nightbreed
Correspondence from Mark Miller to Phil and Sarah Stokes at Revelations, 26 May 2009
...Mark pressed on, calling different people before finally receiving a definitive studio 'no' to the expense of assembling an extended release.
Mark Miller: "So endeth my search, thus far. But this doesn't mean that all hope is lost. What's important is that we've all learned two very essential pieces of information:
"1. The footage is not lost; it's in waiting.
"2. The only thing standing between us and the director's cut of Nightbreed is - good news - its already loyal audience...
"It ain't cheap to restore and release a movie. Let's show the powers-that-be that it's worth their while, shall we?"
Nightbreed
Correspondence from Mark Miller to Phil and Sarah Stokes at Revelations, 26 May 2009
...If there's a demonstrable audience for an extended Nightbreed then that could well influence a release as a pure commercial decision, but we need to figure out just how large that audience really is. A small but noisy group will not make a difference here - we need to see just how many people would actually put down their hard-earned money for this...
Remember, there isn't a Region 2 DVD release at all and the Region 1 release is a bare bones version missing the 25 minutes of footage that Clive would love to get back into the movie - a song, some violence, some structure... There's also the prospect of a commentary and hours of potential bonus content...
What do you think?
If you're interested in showing the size of audience or demand for an extended version of Nightbreed, please either e-mail us by clicking on this link or send us a Tweet to @philandsarah (find us at our Twitter page here).
Just your name or screen name is fine but please feel free to add your country of residence and / or a sentence or two on why this would be a great idea. We'll collate responses at the bottom of this page and build a picture of support for Nightbreed here!
Spread the word too... The more will definitely be the merrier for all of us...
On behalf of Clive, Mark Miller and ourselves - thanks in advance for your thoughts and comments!
Clive : "It's sort of interesting that movies have their moments where suddenly they come back into focus again, and I hope this can happen for Nightbreed... "
Clive And Kicking
By Mike Watt, The Dark Side, Issue 101, February/March 2003
...To celebrate Mark's journey of discovery, we went back and pulled out a few more never-before-seen snippets from the behind the scenes footage we discovered a couple of years ago. For those who love Nightbreed - click on the picture of Boone and Decker fighting below to see Craig Sheffer and David Cronenberg in action and to witness the destruction of Midian!
Clive : "The movie has, and this is wonderful, you know, a lot of fans. And it's a cult movie and it's a real pleasure to me. Because, in a way, it's closer to my heart than anything else amongst the movies. And I know it's a flawed picture and there's lots of things I would have wanted differently, but it moves people, it gets into people..."
Interview
By Amber Black and Tim Trautmann, Review, 1996
Doug Bradley: "It remains like no other movie I've ever seen. It is extraordinary, and I get asked all the time at conventions, 'Is there a director's cut of Nightbreed?' All I can say is I don't know, but I hope there is because I would like to see it. I saw it recently on television in the USA and it does still stand up, but only because the visuals are so extraordinary and the subject matter is so extraordinary, Unfortunately, no sooner has it stood up than it collapses."
Pin - Points
By Nick Vince, Hellbreed No.3, July 1995
See a little of what might be in an extended version here with our showcase of two deleted sequences - with more exclusive footage, our archive of comment on Nightbreed and tracing the movie from script to screen.
Well, we knew there were a lot of fans out there, but Boy!! As is self-evident from the long, long listing on the next page here
The archived Revelations 'More Nightbreed' petition.
Clive. Mark and ourselves will keep pushing for this with the weight of your support behind us - thank you on behalf of the Tribes of the Moon!
Note : the expressions of support on the page of the archived Revelations 'More Nightbreed' petition are from 2009 to 2011 and are separate from and in addition to the many people now signing the 2012 Occupy Midian Facebook group's brand new Occupy Midian petition, here. Sign up there to show your support!
Nightbreed and Other Films
