Passes the Bechdel test

Nightbreed

Name: Nightbreed
Released: 1990

1990. Directed by Clive Barker, written by Clive Barker.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

3 / 3

Passes

Yes 1. At least two women
8 women characters. 4 of them speak.
Yes 2. Who talk to each other
In 5 scenes out of 262.
Yes 3. About something besides a man
In those scenes, our script parser found no man named. See the scene.

Second opinion

Agree bechdeltest.com readers give it 3 out of 3.

The film

A community of mutant outcasts of varying types and abilities attempts to escape the attention of a psychotic serial killer and redneck vigilantes with the help of a brooding young man who discovers them. Based on the novel "Cabal" by Clive Barker.

Released: 16 Feb 1990
Genres: Action, Fantasy, Horror
Rated: R
IMDb: 6.5 / 10
Metascore: 40 / 100
Awards: 7 wins & 5 nominations total
Elsewhere: View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

Women
Men
Not in the cast list
Bigger name, more lines

Lori 141 lines, woman
Boone 134 lines, man
Decker 63 lines, man
Eigerman 54 lines, man
Narcisse 44 lines, man
Lylesburg 39 lines, man
Joyce 37 lines, man
Rachel 36 lines, woman
Peloquin 26 lines, man
Sheryl 17 lines, woman

Full cast, 42 people

Craig Sheffer as Aaron Boone
Anne Bobby as Lori Desinger
David Cronenberg as Dr. Philip K. Decker
Charles Haid as Captain Eigerman
Hugh Quarshie as Detective Joyce
Hugh Ross as Narcisse
Doug Bradley as Dirk Lylesberg
Catherine Chevalier as Rachel
Malcolm Smith as Ashberry
Bob Sessions as Pettine
Oliver Parker as Peloquin
Debora Weston as Sheryl Ann
Nicholas Vince as Kinski
Simon Bamford as Ohnaka
Christine McCorkindale as Shuna Sassi
John Agar as Gas Station Attendant / Victim
Jack Bennett as (voice)
Alexis De La Rocha as (voice)
Kim Robertson as Babette
Nina Robertson as Babette
Tony Bluto as Leroy Gomm
Vincent Keene as Devil Lude
Bernard Henry as Baphomet
Richard Van Spall as Drummer
David Young as Otis and Clay
Valda Aviks as Mellissa Rickman
Mac McDonald as Lou Rickman
Richard Bowman as Rickman Boy
McNally Sagal as Motel Receptionist
Daniel Kash as Labowitz
Bradley Lavelle as Cormack
Stephen Hoye as Gibbs
Tom Hunsinger as Tommy
George Roth as Kane
Peter Marinker as Pathologist
Lindsay Holiday as Morgue Assistant
Kenneth Nelson as Emergency Doctor
Carolyn Jones as Emergency Nurse
Ted Maynard as Bartender
Mitch Webb as Jail Cell Doctor
Eric Loren as Ambush Cop
Peter Atkins as Man in Club

Who talks, scene by scene

Lines of dialogue in every 6 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 4% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.

Women

Men

Scene 1 Scene 262

Hover, tap or tab to a bar to see those scenes: where they happen and who's talking.

Show the numbers

Scenes	Women's lines	Men's lines
1 to 6	0	0
7 to 12	20	26
13 to 18	0	31
19 to 24	1	2
25 to 30	0	0
31 to 36	0	21
37 to 42	0	3
43 to 48	0	20
49 to 54	0	9
55 to 60	0	0
61 to 66	6	14
67 to 72	1	2
73 to 78	19	6
79 to 84	12	18
85 to 90	24	6
91 to 96	9	16
97 to 102	1	33
103 to 108	34	21
109 to 114	3	4
115 to 120	12	14
121 to 126	6	7
127 to 132	8	6
133 to 138	1	2
139 to 144	0	26
145 to 150	1	2
151 to 156	0	16
157 to 162	1	10
163 to 168	1	5
169 to 174	10	18
175 to 180	0	10
181 to 186	11	13
187 to 192	1	21
193 to 198	1	24
199 to 204	2	18
205 to 210	0	24
211 to 216	1	4
217 to 222	0	6
223 to 228	1	18
229 to 234	1	7
235 to 240	6	11
241 to 246	2	9
247 to 252	0	0
253 to 258	10	14
259 to 262	4	1

The evidence

Straight from the script
Counted from the script and the credits

Tap an exhibit to open it.

Exhibit A: the passing scenes

The scene our parser counted as passing, word for word.

LORI: Jesus... RACHEL: Bring her. Bring her, please.

LORI: No... RACHEL: Please.

RACHEL: We don't have much time. LORI: I know.

RACHEL: Babette! LORI: Rachel, no!

BABETTE: How soon? RACHEL: On the next wind. If not tonight, then tomorrow. BABETTE: On the next wind...

Exhibit B: every 100 lines

Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 29 are women's.

210 lines from women, 518 from men.

Women
Men

Exhibit C: who's in it

8 women and 31 men in the cast. 4 women and 21 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

Women
Men

Exhibit D: who gets heard

The first woman speaks at line 8 of 761. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 61 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

First line by a woman
Longest stretch with no woman speaking

Words spoken

Women speak 28% of the words (1,701), men 72% (4,281). Women have 29% of the lines, so their lines run shorter than men's.

Exhibit E: the test the other way

Two named men talk to each other about something besides a woman. It passes the reverse test.

Conversations between two named characters

Two women

Two men

Exhibit F: behind the camera

2 of the 11 people in these jobs are women. Across the whole crew, 13% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by: Clive Barker (man)
Written by: Clive Barker (man)
From the novel by: Clive Barker (man)
Produced by: Gabriella Martinelli (woman), Mark Alan Miller (gender not listed)
Shot by: Robin Vidgeon (man)
Edited by: Richard Marden (man), Mark Goldblatt (man)
Music by: Danny Elfman (man)
Production design by: Steve Hardie (man)
Costumes by: Ann Hollowood (woman)