What Brought Decker Alive?

[darkglobe]

At the end of the film, what do you suppose was meant by Deckers rebirth?

Was he just not quite dead yet?

Like Boone, had he become one with his inner monster?

Or something stranger - was he some kind of agent of another power that was sent to strike down Midian?

[cobweb]

Well, that scene is in neither the original story nor the original screenplay. The screenplay follows the book closely, with Eigermann and Ashberry forming a sort of partnership to hunt down the 'Breed; something made possible by Ashberry's encounter with Baphomet. Originally, in both the book and the screenplay, Ashberry became endowed with the ability to find the Nightbreed when he was scalded by the blood of Baphomet. Eigermann plans to use him like a bloodhound.

Then there is this quote from "The Making Of The Film", :" Barker, however, is in no doubt as to Ashberry's future function. 'There are people out there in the world who have been waiting for Ashberry, just as there are people out there who have been waiting for Boone. Secret orders who have been waiting for their particular Lucifer. Armies waiting to rise who want a leader, and Ashberry is going to walk into their lives like I guess Hitler did; to stir up some feeling.' "

So personally I think that the scene with Decker was most likely something that the studio wanted; probably because Decker was the most obvious antagonist in the film. If there had ever been a sequel, someone thought that Decker continuing to be the antagonist would be better than having Eigermann in that role.

As to how he came back to - I hesitate to call it life - somehow a bowl of Baphomet's blood was preserved in the destruction and Ashberry pushes a gooey fistful of it into his chest cavity, I presume to his heart. So I'm guessing that had there been a sequel, Decker would have been "the walking dead". It would've been interesting to see how his character was done, being the dead hunting the dead, he would've been a very confused, ironic figure. lol.

Sorry so wordy. Not intentional.

~ Cobweb

[darkglobe]

Oh no - wordy is good!

I seem to remember a Cronenberg interview around the time, and that he said something to the effect that Clive wanted to keep his character because he was good for the story and he enjoyed working with David.

But I guess I wondered if there was a higher purpose to what Decker was doing, an evil entity he might have been unknowingly serving.