Nightbreed(1990)
1990 · Clive Barker · 121 min
A troubled young man is drawn to a mythical place called Midian where a variety of friendly monsters are hiding from humanity. Meanwhile, a sadistic serial killer is looking for a patsy.
Horror · Fantasy
6.4554 votes
TMDB score
3/5
Intensity
3/5
Gore
2/5
Stays with you
How Nightbreed scares
Nightbreed feels more like a dark fantasy adventure than a straight horror movie, with a strange sense of wonder mixed into the dread. The scares come less from tension and more from the sheer strangeness of its monster world, full of odd creature designs and practical effects. There's real bloodshed and some brutal moments from a very human villain, but the movie spends just as much time making you sympathize with its monsters as fear them. It's a good pick for people who like weird, imaginative horror with a cult, misfit-outsider feel rather than pure dread.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, Nightbreed rates psychological 2/5, visceral 3/5, gore 3/5, lingering effect 2/5, and overall intensity 3/5.
- Psychological: 2 of 5
- Visceral: 3 of 5
- Gore: 3 of 5
- Lingering: 2 of 5
- Intensity: 3 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 30 of 100 — leans Slow burn
Supernatural vs Real-world: 40 of 100 — leans Supernatural
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 30 of 100 — leans Fun-scary
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
Starts as a moody, uneasy build before shifting into a chaotic, action-heavy back half that stays intense with only brief dips.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 3, 4, 5, 4.
How scary is Nightbreed?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, Nightbreed rates 3/5 — solidly scary, building its fear through slow-burn dread rather than shocks. It works on both fronts, unsettling the mind while going for the body. Expect it to be moderately gory and fun-first. Some of it will follow you to bed, but it lets go within a day or so.
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