Horror and cult film podcast with Baz Bishop. Episode 08: Nightbreed — My Own Private Midian. Clive Barker built monsters a whole civilization, a studio got scared of it, and fans spent twenty years refusing to let a butchered cut be the final word. Concept artist Ralph McQuarrie closed out his career painting Nightbreed's history. And underneath the monster makeup, a personal story about finding your own Midian a long way from home. Films and references in this episode: Nightbreed (1990), dir. Clive Barker. Cabal (1988 novella). Hellraiser (1987). Find Baz on all platforms: @baztothebonecast · @baztothebonecast (Threads) · @baztothebonepod (X/Twitter) Support the show: patreon.com/baztothebonecast Contact: baztothebonepod@icloud.com TIMESTAMPS Est. Time Section Notes 00:00 Cold Open Delivers on the EP07 tease — “Midian looks surprisingly like Canada.” 01:42 The Setup The argument: understanding the monster means understanding yourself, or the thing you fear. 04:22 Movement 1 — The Novel Cabal (1988). Why Barker kept it short and fragmentary. 06:58 The Casting Coup Cronenberg against type. Peloquin, Kinski. Ralph McQuarrie's mural. 09:58 The Trilogy That Never Was What Morgan Creek's fear cost the wider mythology. 11:31 Movement 2 — The Film Building Midian. Shot in Alberta. 13:19 Movement 3 — The Butchering The studio note, the recut, the personal toll on Barker. 17:09 The Critics Come Around The decades-late critical reappraisal. 18:10 The Fandom Strikes Back Mark Miller, Russell Cherrington, Occupy Midian, the tape bake. 21:56 Movement 4 — The Resurrection The Cabal Cut. The Arrow 4K set. 24:00 The Other Cut Fan Cabal Cut vs. official Director's Cut — not the same thing. 25:10 The Influence Hellboy, Buffy, Angel, True Blood — Midian's children. 26:26 The Turn Midtown, My Midian — Baz's own story. 28:56 The Door Barker's own words on what Nightbreed was always about. 30:07 The Close Wrap, next-episode tease, sign off. FILMS AND REFERENCES Film / Reference Year Context in Episode Nightbreed 1990 The central film. Dir. Clive Barker. Both theatrical and Director's Cuts discussed. Cabal 1988 Barker's source novella, published as part of Books of Blood Vol. VI. Hellraiser 1987 Barker's directorial debut — referenced in Movement 2 as the film Barker chose not to simply repeat. KEY FIGURES Figure Context in Episode Clive Barker Writer/director. Adapted his own novella. Central voice throughout via 2012 Rue Morgue interview. David Cronenberg Plays Dr. Philip K. Decker — cast for his reserved, composed manner. Craig Sheffer Plays Aaron Boone. Anne Bobby Plays Lori. Oliver Parker Plays Peloquin, the Breed member who bites Boone. Nicholas Vince Plays Kinski. Charles Haid Plays Sheriff Eigerman, leader of the human posse. Mark Goldblatt Editor of the theatrical cut — caught between Barker's vision and studio orders. Danny Elfman Composer. Score later reused to score the fan-reconstructed Cabal Cut. Ralph McQuarrie Concept artist (Star Wars trilogy, E.T., Star Trek IV). Painted a 60-foot mural of the Nightbreed's history — his final screen credit. Mark Miller Seraphim Films co-head. Found the lost workprint footage in Barker's storage closet. Russell Cherrington Film lecturer who assembled the fan-made Cabal Cut from workprints and Barker's earliest scripts. OTHER REFERENCES Rue Morgue Issue 129, “Midian Calling” (December 2012) — primary source for the production history, Barker's personal account of the recut, and the “closet where the homos live” quote used in The Door. Interview conducted with Barker, Mark Miller, and Russell Cherrington. The DarkSide magazine, Arrow Video 4K UHD review (Allan Bryce) — source for the Arrow disc's extras breakdown and critical reappraisal material. Occupy Midian — the fan campaign (5,000+ Facebook members, 8,000+ petition signatures, 15+ screenings from March 2012) that pressured Morgan Creek into supporting a proper restoration. The Cabal Cut (2012, Russell Cherrington) vs. the official Director's Cut — two distinct fan/studio reconstructions, addressed directly in The Other Cut segment. EP04 callback — Baz's lifelong werewolf/monster affinity, referenced in The Influence as connective tissue between episodes. EP07 tease payoff — the Cold Open delivers on the “Midian looks surprisingly like Canada” line first teased at the end of Episode 07. LINKS FOR SHOW NOTES Podbean: baztothebonepod.podbean.com Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/7nY4azkoWpBThOjg0Pb80F Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/baz-to-the-bone/id1891305409 Amazon Music: music.amazon.com/podcasts/06d80ad3-d7b5-49e9-821a-fbd654ea1de2 iHeartRadio: iheart.com/podcast/329448085 Patreon: patreon.com/baztothebonecast Beacons.ai: beacons.ai/baztothebonecast Instagram: @baztothebonecast TikTok: @baztothebonecast Bluesky: @baztothebonecast Threads: @baztothebonecast X/Twitter: @baztothebonepod Facebook: @baztothebonecast YouTube: @baztothebonecast Email: baztothebonepod@icloud.com Daddy Baz Designs (Etsy): etsy.com/shop/daddybazdesigns AUDIO CREDITS Theme music: The Last Reel (mid-tempo version) — original composition. Licensed for commercial use via Suno. “extremely-close-thunder” by Spennnyyy | freesound.org/s/350506/ | CC BY 4.0 Baz To The Bone is produced independently. Horror. Cult Film. Bad Taste Done Properly.
