Bloodstone: Subspecies II (1993)

I was amazed at how wonderful this sequel to Subspecies turned out. I had also enjoyed Subspecies, but this was vastly superior. It is very moody (most of the time) and elevated by some excellent colorful nighttime cinematography by Paunescu. The look of several nighttime scenes were clearly inspired from Argento classics Suspiria and Inferno. I am actually at a loss on why Paunescu had not shown his talent, much in display here, back in Subspecies as well. Probably this has got to do with the fact that he produced this one which may have allowed him more say on the look of the movie whereas he was only the d.o.p. in Subspecies, doing only what he was told to do. He even appears on screen in a cameo as a cab driver here. What spoils the overall mood of the movie from time to time, and holds it back from being a masterpiece, are the lame scenes with the protagonist's sister investigating with the help of an American official and Romanian police officer et al. Without them, the movie would be a far more solid work. I guess they were shot to pad out the duration of the movie. I am not also very happy with the look of Radu's mother who seems too much like a Tales of the Crypt character. Nevertheless, thanks to wisely not bringing back the 'good, handsome vampire' Stephan and hence building the movie around Radu and Michelle, and thanks to excellent cinematography as I have already emphasized, this rises not only above direct-to-video standards, but would have hold its ground if it were a theatrical release. I wish I could see it in big screen, where it deserved to be seen.

I got the great opportunity last night to see all the Subspecies movies, normally when you get into the sequels, they're disappointing and you don't get into them, they also ruin the series. But thankfully Bloodstone: Subspecies 2 is a different story. This is a fun sequel that really develops a story instead of the typical bite and gore vampire film. We get a little closer insight of Radu's history, who he is and how he has become Radu, also that he has mortal feelings at times, especially for his new protégé, Michelle. The reason why this series is so interesting I think is because it provides the scares while going into a very interesting story about vampires and makes it a great night for horror movies.Radu is back, after arising from his decapitation, well, you'll have to see how they pull it together, he finds his brother, Stephan resting and kills him. He goes to another coffin to find Michelle, who is waiting for her transformation of being a vampire, but before Radu can kill her, the sun comes up and burns him, he runs, Michelle grabs the bloodstone and gets as far away as she can. Megan, her sister, has come to Romania to find Michelle, but finds out about Michelle's new... life style.Bloodstone: Subspeices 2 goes deeper and isn't the typical horror movie, it has a great story. It of course still delivers on the good scares, of course mostly due to Radu and how chilling his performance is. Then his mom comes into the scene and makes The Mummy look like Madonna with that chilling look. We are family in this sequel, it's fun and definitely worth the look, this is such a cool series to get into, I recommend it for the horror genre fans.7/10

Subspecies 2 picks up right where the first one ended, with Michelle(portrayed by the far more appealing Denice Duff) fleeing from a resurrected Radu. In Denice's possession is the Bloodstone, an ancient relic that contains the blood of saints, that Radu is determined to retrieve.This doesn't suffer from the typical sequel downfalls, as director Ted Nicolaou keeps the set creepy and paces the film marvelously. Anders Hove, as cinema's most accurate vampire, albeit Max Schreck, is the only returning cast member from the original. Laura Tate does not reprise her role as Michelle, leaving the character to a far more capable and attractive Denice Duff.As Denice struggles with her new found lifestyle, she calls her sister, portrayed by William Shatner's daughter Melanie, to help her. Obviously not thinking about her sister's safety, Denice delivers her to near certain death. Helping Melanie are US embassy stud Kevin Blair and oddball professor Michael Denish. Kevin portrays the skeptic, but is enamored with Melanie, so tags along.I have seen all of the Subspecies films and this one is my second favorite, right behind the original. VIOLENCE: $$$ (Denice struggles with feeding on a grungy rockstar wannabe while Radu indulges. There is moderate vampire mayhem here but the gore in the original was superior).NUDITY: $$ (Denice takes the patented horror film shower scene which Ted plays more for characterization than for skin. He shows the tortured woman weeping under the showerhead and doesn't use the gratuitous angle).STORY: $$$$ (The screenplay is rather solid despite Denice's characters lack of regard for her sister's safety. The story emphasis is on Denice, as we must watch and see if she can resist Radu and if Radu can control his "fledgling").ACTING: $$$$$ (Exceptional acting, supplied chiefly by Denice Duff. Ms. Duff has the unrivaled ability to capture every emotion in the human emotional handbag. Her work far exceeds Laura Tate's boring portrayal of Michelle in the original. Denice Duff should offer acting lessons to all those A-List sorry excuses for actresses that the tabloids love so much! Anders Hove was better in the original; much more fiendish than he is here).

This is a straight-to-video vampire movie. Were some of you expecting a masterpiece? I wonder why people take such a perverse joy out of bombing a film like this! It really is much better than its low rating would suggest.Moody directing, lush Romanian locations, and deliciously over-the-top villains like Radu and Mummy add up to a gruesomely wonderful viewing experience. Denise Duff gives a sympathetic performance, and it sure doesn't hurt that she's a "10" on the Brian scale. The folk music score is another highlight.I've shown this movie to a number of people - gals and guys of different professions, with varying levels of sanity - and all of them have liked it. If you want to rent a horror movie that's violent but not repulsive, and clever enough to hold your attention when there aren't killings on screen, then "Subspecies II" is the flick for you (sorry about the bad poetry there!).