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.

It’s humans that we should fear, not monsters.

That’s the basic premise of Nightbreed, a 1990 horror that I (young and gay) watched with wonder when it came out, because for once the camera lingered on the hot guy and not the hot gal. Don’t get me wrong, no one’s literally gay, but come on. That’s a lot of Aaron (Craig Sheffer) in his tighty-whiteys. And Midian. Of course, it’s a movie about outsiders, shunned by society, killed on sight, banding together in secret to live in a place with a culture and tradition of their own.

And later, when I learned it was based on the novel Cabal by known homosexual Clive Barker. Well. This is gayer than A Nightmare on Elm Street 2.

Aaron has dreams of a place called Midian, filled with monsters, and his therapist, Dr. Decker (David Cronenberg), tries to convince him that these dreams mean that he, Aaron, is the masked serial killer that has been terrorizing the city.

In reality, well, Aaron’s the good guy in this story. You can piece it together. But after encountering a lunatic that also speaks of this mythical city of Midian, Aaron goes on a quest to find it, and perhaps understanding.

Some of the denizens of Midian

Certain humans, it turns out, are really monsters. Mutants, really, who show their true form and powers when they come to Midian. The movie poster shows a glimpse of the diverse and wild monster design in this film. Aaron, you’ll be happy to know, is still kinda hot after his transformation, unlike some.

Aaron’s girlfriend Lori (Anne Bobby) follows, and Decker is also in hot pursuit, seeking Midian for his own ends. On the way he riles up the local redneck populace and brings a mob to the gates of Midian.

The acting isn’t amazing, but the story is fun, the characters are believable and man, the creature design is fun. And the soundtrack is fun.

Watch it for the parable. Watch it for the creature design. Watch it for the tighty-whiteys. But watch it. It’s worth it. At least, I like it. I like it a lot.