10 Horror Movies That Deserved To Become Cult Classics (But Didn’t)

Nightbreed (1990) could have been the jewel in renowned horror author Clive Barker’s movie crown. The writer, who found fame when his collection of short stories Books Of Blood (1984-1985) was first published, turned his hand to filmmaking with his debut feature Hellraiser (1987). The movie and the iconic Hell-demon Pinhead are both iconic in horror culture, with Hellraiser and its sequel Hellbound (1988) both rightly considered classic cult films.

After the success of those two features, Barker looked to adapt another of his novels Cabal (1988), and embarked on creating a real passion project in Nightbreed. This tale is a fantastical blend of a serial killer story with elements of the supernatural and monster genres, and Nightbreed should be looked back on with the same kind of passion as Hellraiser or the other renowned screen adaptation of Barker's work, Candyman (1992).

The source material is a real page turner of a novel, bursting full of unique ideas and characters that should have transferred to the screen perfectly. However, Barker found himself constrained by budget limitations and studio cuts, which created an initial theatrical version of the film which was somewhat of an incoherent mess.

Barker has since released a director’s cut of Nightbreed, extending the run time by nearly 45 minutes, which enabled him to focus on developing the characters and tying elements of the story together better. That said, Nightbreed still remains a movie that has passed many people by, failing to live up to Barker's initial lofty expectations.