Think I'll make a trip down to Miami and visit this "Dexter" character....
I’ve been a huge Clive Barker fan ever since I saw Hellraiser on USA when I was about 12. I discovered Nightbreed* one saturday night on TNT when I was 15, and loved it. Even in it’s edited for tv form. Didn’t see the full version until it hit dvd several years later. Nightbreed is really an underrated film and not only does it feature amazing fx work, it showcases that David Cronenberg is as great an actor as he is a director.
Now there’s word from Clive Barker that the movie is being worked on to be a tv series.
Here are the words straight from the man himself.
“We are also actively in conversation about doing a ‘Nightbreed’ television series which will be for cable, so it will have a chance to be as sexy or as graphic in terms of the violence as we need it to be,” says Barker. “For example, do you have Spartacus over there? Oh my God, it redefines gruesome… I also applaud them for finally realising it’s not a bad thing to see a manhood once in a while – it’s not as if half the world doesn’t see it daily…”
I love how he uses the Spartacus tv series as an example, as I’m a fan of that show, and it does get pretty over the top in it’s gruesome violence and sleaze. Perhaps he’s hinting that he’d like it to be on the Starz channel like Spartacus? Well, at least we already know it’s not going to be sanitized. Frankly, I’d have a hard time believing it if Barker said that he was trying to shop it to regular tv networks. There’s no way something by him would be able to work within the limitations of network tv. Not even a Harry D’Amour series.
This tv series will also hopefully help to get out the “Director’s Cut” of the film that’s been slapped together and has been making the rounds in the convention circuit. I’d love to see that.
*I’ve never read Cabal the source novel for Nightbreed, but that’s one book I know I need to get to. Just last night I finished reading The Hellbound Heart, the progenitor of the Hellraiser series, and it was quite the interesting read.
source: bloody-disgusting
9 comments
Cabal is a cracking book. I read it about 10 years ago and it really reminded me what a missed opportunity Nightbreed the movie was. I’ve only seen the hacked up version, but a TV series could work. There are so many stories around Medea that could be told.
Speaking of Harry D’Amour, how do you rate Lord Of Illusions?
It’s another brilliant film that lost financially. I love that film. A lot.
Cabal was short, but Barker was also involved in the Nightbreed comic book published by Epic comics. If you want something maybe even cooler, there was a two issue graphic novel set called Jihad which was the war between the nightbreed and the cenobites. I haven’t read any of it in 15 years. I had saved my lunch money and made payments on a layaway to originally buy Cabal, and still consider it to be among my favorite pieces of fiction.
I also agree on the disappointing financial return for Lord of Illusions. The recent story about Daniel Van Bargen made me think about that. I have the soundtrack and occasionally throw on the magic moments track.
I’ve been meaning to pick up the Nightbreed comic series. That was actually my initial exposure to Nightbreed. Seeing that cover of a guy holding 2 large knives with a weird mask with buttons for eyes and a zipper mouth. I was about 8 or 9. I thought it was creepy looking and cool.
The Magic Moments track is great. Love how it’s used in the film.
Let’s hope this is one project that gets past the “we’re in discussions” phase. NIGHTBREED was always better suited as a television series rather than a film, with all of its characters.
(Nevertheless, it could be pretty damn expensive. So many actors in freaky monster-makeup on a weekly show?)
I could swear there were rumors of a TV show before, I think the late 90s. I don’t believe it ever made it past the “We’re in Discussions phase”. I do think now is more accessible to have the effects done, especially if it tries to do it the way the comic spun off, with a small group of the breed each episode and not having large group scenes.
Barker has talked a lot of stuff over the years, and I love his books, but he definitely talks more than does. How many times did he say there was going to be an animated Thief of Always (a fantastic children’s pre-teen book). I will say that I enjoyed the 2009 movie “Dread” that he produced (based off his short story of the same name), but it’s been too long since Barker last graced the live action fans hearts, either with film or the also hopeful TV series.
Even though it’s routine slasher faire, the family attack sequence in Nightbreed is quite effective. The combination of the mask, the casual nature of the killer and the implied violence as he walks up the staircase is chilling. I think the film had a lot of potential, and I appreciate Sheffer from a nostalgia point of view, but I think he ended up limiting the film especially when compared to the intensity of the first scene.
But, it does remind you of how great Cronenberg is, with the exception of Dead Ringers (which for some reason annoys the Hell out of me) I’ve pretty much enjoyed anything he’s ever done. And, it’s been nice to see him rebound critically and financially with Eastern Promises and a History of Violence.
I would so love to see a miniseries version of Imajica It’s probably my fave Barker book..
Weaveworld is begging some kind of adaption, such a perfect mix of fantasy and horror!
Comments are shown as archived from the original site; new comments are closed.