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Everything is true. God’s an astronaut, Oz is over the rainbow and Midian is where the Behind the Scenes Pic of the Day lives.
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with today’s Behind the Scenes Pic!
I have to say I have a huge soft spot for the movies where popular authors try their hand as directors. I’m a legitimately big fan (and not in a so-bad-it’s-good way, I don’t believe in that way of watching movies, but that’s a whole other discussion) of Stephen King’s Maximum Overdrive and I quite like Clive Barker’s Nightbreed.
It’s just really interesting to me watching these guys big personalities play in a field that is new and fresh for them. They do things weirdly, so these admittedly cheesy movies end up with an almost experimental undercurrent that gives them a fascinating identity.
Take today’s featured movie, Nightbreed, for example. He cast director David Cronenberg as pretty big character, which kind of blows my mind. I know Cronenberg cameo’d in some of his films before, but it’d be like if someone cast Hitchcock in a movie in the ‘50s. How nuts is that?
The whole tone of the film is weird and unlike Mr. King this wasn’t Barker’s first time bringing his work to the screen. Hellraiser has similarly bizarre and unsettling tone.
Anyway, I’m rambling, but my point is looking at these films from a cinema history perspective is really interesting to me. They were very powerful in their fields and that bought them some interesting leverage to make these out-there movies.
Here’s Barker and Cronenberg on the set of Nightbreed. Apologies the pic isn’t bigger, but it’s still pretty neat. Enjoy!
If you have a behind the scenes shot you’d like to submit to this column, you can email me at quint@aintitcool.com.
Tomorrow’s pic takes a close look at a rather cool (but not edible) prop from an ‘80s horror franchise film.
-Eric Vespe
”Quint”
quint@aintitcool.com
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Click here to visit the complete compilation of previous Behind the Scenes images, Page Two
Readers Talkback
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Have you signed the petition? Have you seen the extended cut? I have done the former, have not done the latter. As soon as they release that sucker on disc I will, though. I've seen some of the extra footage and although it's very rough (VHS only), it's fascinating.
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Still can't believe their adult division dropped Barker. Are we never to receive the gifts of "Black is the Devil's Rainbow" and "The Scarlet Gospels"? I want to read more Barker shorts! I want to read about Harry D'Amour vs Pinhead!
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Oct. 7, 2012, 2:43 a.m. CST
I'd give anything to pick these two guys brains about Astrotheology, Enochian Magic, and Occult Freemasonry.
by Mr. X
Almost anything. ;)
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Loved that book as a kid. Scary thing is, my own daughter will be old enough to read it in a handful of years.
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It made an ambitious, mess of a film... ...into a really long, ambitious, mess of a film.
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Cronenberg rocks in that movie & I love all the creatures & crazy makeup & sets in this film. Also, that mask Cronenberg wears is by far the creepiest and coolest serial killer/bad guy attire ever in my opinion.
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Oct. 7, 2012, 6:17 a.m. CST
Clive Barker looks like Springsteen in the Tunnel of Love era...
by Jorge Madrid
Did Annie Leibovitz make that picture?
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Oct. 7, 2012, 6:33 a.m. CST
It would be great if it were released on Blu-ray, but the matte paintings will look like shit.
by User897
The non-anamorphic DVD's, LD's, and VHS tapes need to be finally retired!
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I saw The Cabal Cut. It should be a rough cut for a director's cut. But I guess Barker is so happy anyone is doing it at all that everything will stay in whether it should or not. There's probably 20 minutes of material not needed. That said, the additional character development of the Nightbreed is good. They're more sympathetic and the humans become the true monsters. It's both more mature and desirably subversive.The love story is further devloped to have more substance. SPOILER-----Decker, Cronenberg's character, is without question killed-----END SPOILER. It's quite a different vision than what found its way to theatres in 1990. If all goes well and it finds its way to Blu-ray it's well worth a look though expect indulgences. One thing's for sure, it illustrates further the depth of Barker's artistry. Pinhead is great. I love Pinhead. But there is so much more to Barker than that. Read The Great and Secret Show, Imajica, or Abarat if interested. The Books of Blood is, of course, some of the best horror ever.
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Oct. 7, 2012, 7:41 a.m. CST
anyone else remember the absolutely mental Amiga game of this film?
by IWasInJuniorHighDickhead
I used to have nightmares about running away from Peloquin
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Oct. 7, 2012, 8:05 a.m. CST
Cronenberg plays a fantastc villain. He should act more often.
by albert comin
This movie is good, pretty good, but it wouldn't be as good without he fantastic turn as a villain by David Cronenberg. I have seem professional actors not being half as charismatic as he. And like many, i'd like to see the real director's version of his movie.
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Oct. 7, 2012, 9:33 a.m. CST
astrotheology is a much drival as the witterings of Alice Bailey and Helena Blavatsky
by papabendi
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I actually know some details about that. They have been trying to get it made for YEARS. The idea was originally a live action film, then the plan was to do an animated film. Then, Monster House came out and they decided to drop the idea of an animated film because it was deemed too similar. A few years ago when the "young adult book adaptation" thing was at its peak the idea was mulled around again. Unfortunately it's in limbo hell.<p> Btw, I totally agree... It's one of my all time favorite books and would make a FANTASTIC movie.
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Oct. 7, 2012, 11:02 a.m. CST
What would Buffy and Angel be without Nightbreed? David Boreanaz even looks like Craig Scheffer.
by Gary Makin
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One of my favorite movies of all time. In story, thems, characters, if not execution. I really wish we could finally get: 1. A true director's cut of Nightbreed 2. The long-promised sequel to Nightbreed 3. The realization of New-Midian in a third Nightbreed film. Even if these were done in an animated fashion, I would be a happy boy. "Protect me from my enemies!" Make it happen, Clive!
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IMO Decker should be a horror icon like Jason, Freddy, Michael, Leatherface, etc... Sure he's only in one film (but was set up to return in a sequel) but in that one film created such a great character and made that role his.
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Is there really a Harry D'Amour vs Pinhead story? What other stories is D'Amour in besides The Last Illusion?
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Love it.
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Oct. 7, 2012, 11:54 a.m. CST
papabendi - I totally agree with what you're saying. Organized religion is drival.
by Mr. X
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D'Amour shows up briefly in The Great and Secret Show and then is a major character in the sequel Everville. He's also been in a couple other short stories. One is called Lost Souls, which you can find online. The other's name escapes me, which I'm finding very upsetting because I can't find proof of it online anywhere. If another Barker fan could help out, that'd be great! It involves a marathon race through New York. While the race is going on, D'Amour investigates a demon who has killed his painter friend.
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Oct. 7, 2012, 1:39 p.m. CST
Harry D'Amour would make a good sat/cable TV show. There's been several similar series over the years.
by Gary Makin
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Forgot about The Great and Secret Show. Read most of it. Don't remember what made me stop. And gmakin, yeah that would make a good series.
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Third time at least!
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Just for more Danny Elfman
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The Nightbreed vs Hellraiser comics? Pretty fun stuff back in the day.
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I've only read the story. I was looking forward to reading the rest of the story but I couldn't find
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The story you're describing sounds like "Hell's Event" from BOOKS OF BLOOD Vol. 2, although i don't think D'Amour appears in it. (It's been a while since I read it, though.) That story is about a marathon in London in which a demon from Hell is running. If the demon wins, Satan rules the earth - but the human racers are unaware of the stakes or the true nature of their competitor.
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I'd love to see someone try to tackle an adaptation of that. Someone like Guillermo del Toro.</p> </p> Actually, Imajica is a masterpiece as well. An author can have two masterpieces right?
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It's worth sticking around until the end. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_txDsAipxTA
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Oct. 8, 2012, 11:23 a.m. CST
Am I missing something for never having seen this movie?
by kindofabigdeal
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But I feel TV adaptations could only fuck it up. Scott Bakula wasn't as bad a D'Amour as I might have expected though. To bad the movie wasn't quite up to par.
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Oct. 8, 2012, 1:51 p.m. CST
Nightbreed (Cabal) was planned as a trilogy if I'm not mistaken...
by Darth Macchio
Fell in love with Nightbreed the first time I saw it as a kid. Read all Barker's fiction and have loved all of it. Some of his newer stuff is less 'horror-y' than it is 'drama-y' but his horror is some of the best modern fiction around in that genre. I had read that Barker originally planned for a trilogy of books for Cabal and Midian but that he ended up working on the larger connected universe works (Imagica, Great & Secret Show, etc) and it just never happened. Also heard about the rumored '3 hour' cut of Nightbreed, the 'Cabal Cut' as mentioned above. Haven't seen it of course but would love to have a copy. Barker also did all the artwork for 'Thief of Always'. On the cover and inside the book. The guy is an all-around creative force. I love 'Thief of Always', have read it multiple times and hope it one day makes it to the cinema. It would be perfectly great for something like Laika/stop-motion work or, if nothing else, straight up cgi..tho I think stop-motion would be a perfect fit. And while yes, there's similarities to "Monster House" - it's not remotely the same story as "Monster House" - it's an infinitely better story than a mad ex-wife possessing a house than in turn comes to life and tries to eat children...the house in "Thief of Always" is entirely...ENTIRELY...something different. The story is about as different as can be and still have a "house" in it. I won't spoil it but if we can have 'Deep Impact' come out the same year as "Armageddon" and people don't get confused and burn their houses down, I doubt in the extreme there'd be an issue making "Thief of Always" and having "Monster House" exist in the same world. They are infinitely LESS alike than are Deep Impact and Armageddon but yet people managed to see either or even both without loosing copious amounts of blood or oxygen. Barker's a phenomenal talent and we need much more of that in the modern horror world. Taken his work as a whole, he's like a more brutal version of Tim Burton...Barker takes his unique massive visual fantasy and imagery to the rated R or even NR/x world and horror is infinitely better off for it. To bad most of his work ends up in mediocre films (hard to say who's to blame but I cannot find fault with Barker's written work - it's uniformly excellent and quite often completely brilliant)
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Thoroughly agree re: Weaveworld. My very favourite book by Barker; it would be extremely difficult to pull of on film, but if anyone could do it, I'd bank on Guillermo.
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Thanks for the heads up. A shame that it hasn't climbed out of development hell yet.... though a film probably would never be as dark as I imagined it, even as a kid.
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