Cabal is the natural evolutionary step from Clive Barker‘s groundbreaking short story collection, Books Of Blood.
This slim novel offers post-Cronenbergian body horror, Freudian identity issues, an original mythology for monsters and includes a rampant serial killer: more than enough material for a lifetime’s worth of sequels and spin-offs.
Cabal’s naturalistic dialogue, deft character strokes and punchy yet eloquent prose render the most extraordinary flights of fantasy entirely plausible so it remains a great pity that – despite an open ending – Barker has never returned to continue the journey of anti-hero, Boone.
Fans will have to make do with Barker’s own darkly brilliant movie adaptation, Nightbreed; recently re-edited for a must-see Director’s Cut. Click the link for further information http://www.clivebarker.info/morenightbreed.html
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My problem with this is that it started in the middle. There was no time taken to ease us into the world or suspend our disbelief
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Indeed, I think Barker was still in “short story mode” when he wrote it.
He has developed a habit of starting projects, based on an explosion of creativity, and leaving things feeling tantalisingly incomplete. I’m still waiting for a sequel to Galilee too!
And why was his directorial career so short!
Still, I am desperate to see the Director’s Cut of Nightbreed – it made a big impression on me when it was released. xx
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[…] Clive Barker’s Cabal: The Nightbreed (lilywight.com) […]
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I love Cabal, it’s my favourite Clive Barker novel – I regularly re-read it, but haven’t for a while – maybe time to get re-acquainted.
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I can’t remember how many times I read and re-read The Books Of Blood in my teens.
I keep hoping that a local cinema/film festival will get hold of the extended cut of Nightbreed. Have you seen it?
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Have only seen the ordinary version years ago and don’t remember too much about it, I’ll have to check that out too.
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I had a very warn out VHS copy that I had to give-up on when my player broke 😦
It is a truly extraordinary film and there is obviously a lot of love for it out there.
If you locate a nearby screening and see the movie let me know what you think xxx
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I never knew it was Craig Sheffer until now. But still Hellraiser: Inferno is bad for Pinhead and his jolly crew 😉
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I am a HUGE fan of David Cronenberg’s film, “Nightbreed” It admittedly had some casting issues, but that is probably due to the time and talent available. I first saw film on VHS, loved it, purchased an entire Laserdisc system and bought the disc, was amazing video quality, (for the time) can’t wait to get a hold of a blu-ray disc. My favorite line, “Yes, it’s true, There ARE monsters and Jesus was an astronaut”! Profound and awe inspiring! With David Cronenberg’s eerie style, this film is a serious joy to behold!
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Corrections: This film most definitely had a David Cronenberg style (VideoDrome, Scanners) although it was Clive barker who directed it.
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That’s right, Rick. But Cronenberg does star in the movie so you can have a point anyway 😉
I know a re-edit of the movie is making its way around the festival circuit but we really need a DVD/Blu-ray release.
I hope this post has inspired you to go out and read some Clive Barker books xxx
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take a look at http://www.occupymidian.com for screenings…
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Thanks Russell, I could just do with something a little bit nearer although I know a couple of guys who run movie clubs and organise screenings – I’ll be leaning on them so maybe they’ll get in touch.
I always support a link to your FB group in my homepage sidebar – Tribes Of The Moon got to stick together 😉 xx
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did barker ever finish the “great and secret show” trilogy?… after “everville”, i was waiting for the completion, but it took so long, i just sort of lost touch…
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I don’t believe so 😦 I wish he’d directed a few more movies too.
If I had time I’d probably go back and read all his stuff from the beginning… he obviously doesn’t have the time too either! The Abarat books keep getting sequels though x
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[…] Lily Wight […]
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The comic series was awesome!!
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I’d really like to read this. Is it an illustrated adaptation of the novel or a continuation/side stories?
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[…] https://lilywight.com/2013/02/21/clive-barker-cabal-nightbreed-directors-cut/ […]
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Hi Lily. Thought you might be interested in this:
http://creatureofthewheel.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/clive-barker/
Cheers!
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Thanks Owen, that’s a great piece. Have you seen The Cabal Cut?
There hasn’t been a screening near me, although I am hoping to persuade a couple of film club guys I know to try and organise something.
Roll on that DVD release! x
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I have, yes, although not on the big screen, weirdly enough. Russell sent me a disc when I was writing the article (I had to send it back afterwards though, sadly!) I was at a couple of festivals last year where it played, but I’d seen it by then, and two-and-a-half hours is a lot to sit through multiple times. Honestly, in any form I don’t think Nightbreed is a masterpiece, but the new version is definitely a vast improvement on the old one. I hadn’t seen it for years, and I watched the long one first and couldn’t really spot the difference. But then I went back to the short one, and I was like, ah, I see… You wonder how it ever made any sense to any of us! I guess we’d just all read the book, so we came to it primed…
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It was the concept and make-up that captured my imagination. I was more intrigued by what the film couldn’t show than by what it eventually did. I was hoping the new edit might go some way to bridge that gap.
Some writers seem to have a sensibility that doesn’t always translate well to other media – especially when others get involved.
I just wish Mr. B would write more sequels to his books.
Now, please tell me that any attempts to re-make Hellraiser have stumbled x
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It kind of does – it moves a lot slower, so you just get a lot more time to see the world and take it in. And obviously that makes the monsters more visible. It’s really Anne Bobby that benefits the most though. She’s just a COMPLETELY different character than she was in the short cut – much stronger and more proactive.
Haha, yeah, I’m with you there. Where are Art III and Galilee II and The Scarlet Gospels? WHERE?! I’ve got to admit I’ve not read Abarat yet though. You? Any good?
That Hellraiser remake seems to have died a death at the moment (although did you see that Dimension made a super-cheap Hellraiser 9 last year, just to keep the rights?) It was going to be by Pascal Laugier, who made Martyrs, at one point. Then the guys that did Drive Angry and the remake of My Bloody Valentine were on it for a while, but they moved on. I think that’s the last anyone’s heard about it so far…
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Laugier might have made a decent job of it. Martyrs made a big impression on me.
I’ve only read the first Abarat book, I enjoyed it, it was quite surreal and whimsical but it didn’t leave me with that burning desire to rush out and grab the next one – Galilee did though. Doh!
And well done on your brilliant article in Empire on Fangoria. I love the magazine but knew very little about it’s evolution. The prospect of Fear returning in printed form may actually have made me let out a bit of wee 🙂
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TMI!
I think Martyrs is an extraordinary film – it’s weird though, it actually put me off horror for ages. I didn’t swear off it or anything, I just wasn’t in the mood for weeks afterwards. I went and hid in my happy place! I don’t know what he would have done with Hellraiser really. The whole thing smacked a bit of some Hollywood exec noticing that Martyrs had someone with no skin in it and going, ‘Woah dude, like, he could totally remake Hellraiser…’
And thank you – glad you liked it. It was an enjoyable one to put together; they’re a good bunch at Fango. And I’ve got a feature IN Fango now, because of that. I wrote them something about the Hellblazer comics. Nice to talk to the Fear guy too, and be able to tell him how much I loved reading it when it was around. Sounds like he gets that a lot, which is a cheery thing!
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My response to Martyrs was very similar. I would like to be able to bring myself to watch it a second time for a reappraisal but I can’t.
Do let me know if you get any info. on Fear’s possible return to the shelves of W.H. Smith! x
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