i think what bothers me about what tim b*rton’s work has become (and like perhaps this was always an undercurrent in it that has become more prominent over time) is that it depicts a version of the experience of being a creepy outsider that’s always entirely palatable to the mainstream. with the exception of maybe beetlejuice (but even there, i feel like subsequent depictions of beetlejuice have sort of defanged him from his hilariously smarmy, slimy initial incarnation), ed wood, and sweeney todd, his misunderstood protagonists are always completely understandable and likable to a mainstream audience. whatever makes them “different” is a quirk that either makes them more endearing or is offset by other more socially acceptable qualities. i’m not really sure where i’m going with this exactly, but i suppose it irritates me bc it’s like media that poses as counterculture but, in fact, espouses utterly mainstream, establishment values.
i was reading up on clive barker several months ago and his YA fantasy series abarat and how, in the early 2000s, he was in talks with disney for a film series and a theme park in conjunction with it and how those things never materialized and the comparisons + contrasts to burton’s relationship to disney are striking
Such this! Sometimes the ‘good guys’ are simply flawed without any offsetting qualities. Almost like in real life…
Interesting story about Clive Barker (no idea if it’s true).
After the success of Hellraiser and Weaveworld he was given carte blanche when it came to making Nightbreed. Decent budget, proper studio, amazing soundtrack (by Danny Elfman no less).
For those who don’t know, Nightbreed is based off his short story, Cabal in which the goodies are essentially monsters, and the baddies are the police, the holy men and the therapists etc.
Legend has it that when the film was finished Clive took it to the studio execs who just couldn’t get their heads around the fact that the supposed good guys were so flawed.
Anyway they made him reshoot the end and cut a sizeable chunk from the runtime. Unfortunately because of this the film became a little disjointed and flopped, which apparently broke Clive’s heart as it was a real passion project for him.
Anyway I’m not what my point was but the original cut is now available and is a fucking masterpiece in my opinion.