Ah, vampire B-movie schlock. Not big blockbusters starring Anne Rice vamps or Stephenie Meyer sparklepires, but lower-budget affairs splattered with blood.One of the best examples of the genre is "Subspecies," a movie series with a genuinely creepy villain and lots of atmosphere. "Subspecies: The Awakening / Bloodstone: Subspecies II / Bloodlust: Subspecies III" brings together the first three volumes of the series, following the vampire Radu's pursuit of a pretty but utterly useless American girl.
"Subspecies: The Awakening" (I don't know why it's called that instead of just "Subspecies") involves three grad students writing their theses in a Romanian village. Their investigations bring them to a ruined castle where vampires were once said to dwell, as well as an encounter with the broodingly handsome Stefan (Michael Watson). Guess what Stefan is!
But it turns out there is still vampiric stuff afoot: the evil, ghoulish Radu (Anders Hove) has returned to the castle, and has murdered his own dad to steal the Bloodstone (which supposedly drips the blood of saints). And he's decided to make all three girls his consorts -meaning that only Stefan and an elderly Romanian man can save the day!
In "Subspecies II: Bloodstone," Radu is returned to life and immediately kills his brother, only for Michelle (Denise Duff) to immediately escape with the Bloodstone. Her sister Becky (Melanie Shatner) arrives in Romania to try to help her sister, but she has little idea that Michelle has become one of the undead -and that Radu is determined to find her.
And in "Subspecies III: Bloodlust," Radu's "mummy" returns him to live with Michelle's blood. The three of them immediately teleport back to the Transylvanian castle, where Radu begins educating Michelle in the ways of the vampire -and falls in love with her. Meanwhile, Becky arranges a small-scale infiltration of Radu's castle, so she can rescue her sister.
"Subspecies" is a pretty cheesy piece of work -lots of naked boobs, goopy blood and hilarious death scenes (head-stab!) permeate the series. And the main character is a vampire who looks like a ghoul and has fingers he can snap off to form little stop-motion demons that... well, they occasionally fetch things for him. Like I said, cheesy.
However, it's a fun kind of cheesy. It's the kind of cheesy that you want to get popcorn for, rather than scoffing at -and it's definitely more hardcore than "Twilight." Some parts (the middles of "Bloodstone" and "Bloodlust") are rather slow-moving, but we also get charming Romanian villages, picturesquely decayed castles and plenty of vampire attacks.
The characters, however, are a mixed bag. Anders Hove is a deliciously disgusting villain, with his stringy fingers, ghoulish face and drooling mouth. But he also manages to inject some pathos into Radu in "Bloodlust," where we see the vampire starting to grow sad. And Becky Shatner does a really good as a strong, independent heroine who just wants to rescue her sister.
Sadly, Denise Duff's Michelle does little other than cry, scamper around whining, and hang around Bucharest clubs in increasing gothic clothing. You'll get tired of her fast; the character is much better when played by Laura Tate. Stefan is possibly the wimpiest vampire in existence (he's immobilized by a NET), and "Mummy" may actually be a mummy that someone dug up and put on puppet strings.
"Subspecies: The Awakening / Bloodstone: Subspecies II / Bloodlust: Subspecies III" brings together the first three -and three best -Subspecies movies. Watch these, and avoid the fourth one.
Buy Subspecies: The Blu Ray Collection Volume 1 (2013) Now
This is my second favorite series from Full Moon, Radu is the ultimate villian. He is creepy looking and has a cool voice. If you like vampire movies check these out...Read Best Reviews of Subspecies: The Blu Ray Collection Volume 1 (2013) Here
Great trilogy box set...except its FOUR films. Why Subspecies 4 is not part of this box set is inexplicable. There isn't a 5th film or even a 6th film. The series is over or stalled at 4. So why not release it as the Subspecies collection with the fourth film? Weird.Want Subspecies: The Blu Ray Collection Volume 1 (2013) Discount?
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