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From the mind of writer/director Clive Barker – the macabre visionary responsible for Hellraiser and Candyman – comes Nightbreed, a nightmare-induced fantasy set in a world like nothing you’ve ever experienced before… one which will leave you questioning who the real monsters are.

By night, Aaron Boone (Craig Sheffer, Teen Wolf) dreams of Midian, a hidden subterranean world where monsters have created a haven from humanity. Under pressure from his girlfriend Lori (Anne Bobby, Born on the Fourth of July), he attends psychotherapy sessions, unaware that his shrink, Dr Decker (Videodrome director David Cronenberg), is setting him up to take the fall for a series of violent murders. Convinced he no longer belongs in the human world, Boone goes in search of Midian – not realising that the real killer has plans for both him and the colourful cast of outsiders who call it home…

The victim of studio interference and an unrepresentative marketing campaign, Nightbreed was poorly received by critics on its initial release and failed to ignite the box office, but has since undergone a radical reappraisal. Arrow Video is proud to present two versions of this depraved cult classic: the studio-approved theatrical cut and the reconstructed, reinvigorated director’s cut, for the ultimate nightmarish viewing experience.

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:

• High Definition Blu-ray™ (1080p) presentations of the 120-minute director’s cut, transferred from the original camera negative, and the 102-minute theatrical cut, transferred from the original interpositive
• Lossless 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and uncompressed 2.0 PCM audio on the director’s cut
• Uncompressed 2.0 PCM audio on the theatrical cut
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• New audio commentary on the theatrical cut by critics Adrian J Smith and David Flint
• Audio commentary on the director’s cut by writer/director Clive Barker and restoration producer Mark Alan Miller
• Introduction to the director’s cut by Clive Barker and Mark Alan Miller
• Walking the Line Between Heaven and Hell, a new video interview with critic Kat Ellinger
• Speaking up for the Monsters, a new video interview with critic Kim Newman
• Tribes of the Moon: Making Nightbreed, an extensive documentary on the making of the film, featuring actors Craig Sheffer, Doug Bradley, Anne Bobby and many more
• Making Monsters, a documentary on the film’s creature designs, featuring special makeup designer Bob Keen
• Fire! Fights! Stunts!, a video interview with second unit director Andy Armstrong
• Deleted and alternate scenes
• Monster Prosthetics Masterclass
• Cutting Compromise, a video interview with editor Mark Goldblatt
• The Painted Landscape, an exploration of the work of concept artist Ralph McQuarrie
• Matte painting tests
• Makeup tests
• Lost stop motion footage
• Extended torture scene
• Rehearsal test
• Theatrical trailer
• Rare TV spots
• Multiple image galleries, including early sketches, set photos, poster and pre-production art, stills from the UK launch party at Tower Records, and more
• Original screenplay (BD-ROM content)
• Reversible sleeve feature original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx
• Double-sided fold-out poster
• Limited edition 40-page booklet, featuring new writing on the film by author and critic Amy Simmons and an in-depth history of the film’s development, release and rehabilitation by Mark Salisbury, co-author of Clive Barker’s Nightbreed: The Making of the Film

I've been meaning to check this out for some time but it's always been pushed back in my queue because a new version always seems to be coming out. Is it worth at least taking a look at if I'm a fan of the other Barker films and stories?

YMMV. Barker's films go for or hint at an epic feel, and his ode to monstrosity in Nightbreed, especially the DIrector's Cut, shows this intention to its fullest. However, intention and execution are separated by a wide gulf, and the film falls wide of the mark. Barker has affection for his misfits, which realigns your expectations of a monster movie, but his lead can't carry a movie, Danny Elfman's score doesn't work (and feels like offcuts from his Burton scores), and neither the Theatrical nor the Director's Cut achieve the scale Barker clearly wanted. Budget limitations and the notorious interference of Morgan Creek meant that this could never clear the tower. It is, though, worth your time for Cronenberg's performance and to see Barker evolve from Hellraiser.

It's a mess... but an interesting one that I revisit once in a while.

Definitely worth checking out if you’re a Barker fan. As a movie, it’s an interesting failure. But as a step in Barker’s creative process and an example of him dealing with hindrances on his creative control, it’s essential. Being able to watch the different cuts and hear Barker speak about them is good stuff.

I fell hook, line, and sinker for the Lord of Illusions trailer. I thought "he's finally done it! Quantum Leap Guy was an odd choice, but I'm so there!" I ended up with regrets.

We discussed the film and its release by Scream Factory for several pages here

And I loved Lord of Illusions, an infinitely better film than this. Here are my thoughts from revisiting it last year

So you're saying I should forego my 762nd rewatch of One Crazy Summer and give LoI another shot? Kind of a Sophie's Choice.

Glad to have the choice between different cuts as I’m not sure the DC offers any serious improvement; indeed, I’d argue it presents a new range of problems.

There is some striking stuff in the movie which continues to fascinate.

Going back, Barker’s own novella was so compact and just got on with it.

All the best Barker on film is flawed but fascinating aside from Candyman. Would love to see Hellraiser V Inferno get a decent or very good version. I can only find interlaced versions. It could play well with Nightbreed given it brings back Craig Scheffer to a Barker production and is strikingly directed by Scott Derrickson.

Except it's not "a Barker production". His involvement in the series ended with Bloodline.

Big Ben, as others have noted, it's definitely worth taking a look. It's not a perfect transition from novel to film, but I think in that sense, Lord of Illusions has been the only film that's truly captured Barker's voice, even if the tone was altered for Scott Bakula's involvement. I've personally got a soft spot for Nightbreed, as I'm pretty sure both the film & book were my introduction to Clive Barker, at least consciously - I may've seen the first two Hellraiser's prior to this. It's got some interesting & memorable characters; and I don't think Craig Sheffer's as bad as has been suggested. The film's just a little too much a product of its time, I'd say. The director's cut brings it much closer to its source, but it's unfinished in a similar way to the extended cut of Alien 3, and is missing some of the edge present in the novel.

Thanks for all the info folks I think I'll certainly pick this up as a curiosity. Surely a new version won't come about by the time I purchase this.

Famous last words...

4K coming in May. Updating Specs on Friday

2-DISC 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
4K restorations of both the Theatrical Cut and Director's Cut
- 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray™ presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of both cuts
- Original lossless 2.0 stereo audio and optional DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio for both cuts
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for both cuts
- Reversible sleeve feature original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx
- Perfect-bound collectors' booklet featuring writing on the film by Mark Salisbury, co-author of Clive Barker's Nightbreed: The Making of the Film, and Barker archivists Phil and Sarah Stokes
- Double-sided fold-out poster featuring newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx

DISC 1 - THEATRICAL CUT
- Audio commentary by critics Adrian J. Smith and David Flint
- Vintage introduction by writer/director Clive Barker
- Monsters, Maniacs and Midian: The Making of Nightbreed, a brand new feature-length documentary incorporating never-before-seen interviews and behind-the-scenes footage shot on location at Pinewood Studios for an Electronic Press Kit in 1989
- Memories of Midian, an interview with actor Nicholas Vince
- Walking the Line Between Heaven and Hell, an interview with critic Kat Ellinger
- Speaking up for the Monsters, an interview with critic Kim Newman • Deleted and alternate scenes • Extended torture scene
- Theatrical trailers and TV spots
- Extensive image galleries, including early sketches, set photos, poster and pre-production art, stills from the UK launch party at Tower Records, and more
- Original screenplay

DISC 2 - DIRECTOR'S CUT
- Introduction by Barker and restoration producer Mark Alan Miller
- Audio commentary by Barker and Miller
- Brand new audio commentary by critics Kim Newman and Stephen Jones, and Barker collaborator Peter Atkins
- Brand new audio commentary by Miller and director's cut editor Andrew Furtado
- Tribes of the Moon: Making Nightbreed, an extensive documentary on the making of the film, featuring actors Craig Sheffer, Doug Bradley, Anne Bobby and many more
- Making Monsters, a documentary on the film's creature designs, featuring special makeup designer Bob Keen
- Fire! Fights! Stunts!, an interview with second unit director Andy Armstrong
- Cutting Compromise, an interview with editor Mark Goldblatt
- The Painted Landscape, an exploration of the work of concept artist Ralph McQuarrie
- Monster Prosthetics Masterclass, an interview with Keen on the film's incredible prosthetic effects
- Matte painting tests
- Makeup tests
- An exploration of the film's abandoned stop motion animation tests, with special makeup designer Bob Keen
- Rehearsal test
- "Johnny Get Angry" music video

As with Hellraiser Bloodline, Stephen Jones is quite excruciating on the commentary here - squarking and swearing like a teenager and frequently cutting off and drowning out the others. At one point, an exasperated Peter Atkins begs "please let me finish!"