"Nightbreed"
has something in common with "Avatar", and with "X-men" before that.
All of those movies want you to sympathize with their characters,
despite the fact that those characters aren't human. As the stories
progress, you may find that you are rooting against your own kind,
and greeting familiar faces with suspicion. Sometimes the devil you
don't know, seems like the better choice.
Classic
Movie Trailers - "Nightbreed" Director's Cut (1990)
A
lot of people can relate to those that don't fit in. Even if you've
been popular and social your entire life, there's a good chance
you've walked into a place that made you feel unwelcome. There's also
a good chance, that you have niche interests that bind you to other
people, even if those people are far away. The rest of the world may
not understand you, but when you go online you can be where you
belong and have the chance to express yourself, to those that will
listen.
It's
those kinds of emotions that this movie tries to tap into. Granted,
it's not the same as being a hippy, in the days when that was frowned
upon. It also isn't comparable to being an emo teen, but there is a
similar chord. In every case, there's an outside group that makes it
harder for you to be yourself, when all you want to do is just that.
So
with the right plot and adequate acting, we are able to relate to
beings that have little in common with us. Whether or not
"Nightbreed" was successful in doing that for you, is part
of your own personal experience. I find it interesting to note
however, that unlike other persecuted groups, the monsters here don't
have much of a solid identity. They have attributes of vampires and
shape-shifters and devils, but they really haven't carved out a place
of their own.
Let's
consider vampires for moment. Like them, some of the Nightbreed can
be destroyed by the sun. Others in the group, have the ability to
turn into mist and that's something that Dracula is famous for.
Still, the monsters here have no craving, or need for blood. That
fact may make them more sympathetic characters, but it leaves them
with no attributes to tie them together.
They
all look and act very different. Killing them is no easy task, as
there is no sure method that will deal with all of them. In fact, if
they did not reside in the same area and identify themselves under
one name, there is nothing to say they are related at all. They are
not human but what are they, exactly?
Maybe
if I could answer that question, this movie would have led to a
franchise, like Hellraiser did. It could have possibly expanded on
its theme, and presented more of its ideas. Unfortunately, the ideas
that it does show aren't clearly defined. I don't think it's possible
to fully identify with a group, if even they don't know what they
are.
@ChannelSeals
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Watch
"Nightbreed" on Netflix!
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