Subspecies (1991)
Dir. Ted Nicolaou
Full Moon Entertainment
UK Distribution – 88 Films
Three female students visit Pledmar in Transylvania to stay at the historic fortress and study the local folklore. They learn about the local history and find out that 500 years ago local peasants were under siege in the fortress from Turks and when their food and water ran out the peasants ventured out to find the Turks have fled and those left are dead with their throats torn.
Back to modern day and King Vladislav (Angus Scrimm) head of the vampires is killed by his son Radu (Anders Hove) who steals the holy grail of vampires the bloodstone , which according to legend bleeds the blood of saints and was a present to the King Vampire after the siege ended . Vladislav’s son and Radu’s half brother Stephan (Michael Watson) is also in town and so begins a fight for power and the bloodstone.
This is Full Moon at their imperious best, it is low budget but a great story and fabulous scenery make this a great proper vampire film.
The effects are pretty laughable at times , at the start we see Radu trapped by his father snap four fingers off which turn in to little demons , or the titles Subspecies. But the effects just add to the love which Full Moon make their films with, it is whats expected and always raise a smile.
The scene of the local festival is well done using locals wearing masks in the graveyard. And the use of real scenery and buildings make Subspecies aesthetically lovely and really easy to watch.
The story is a great traditional vampire film with no sparkle and teenage angst in sight. Some good acting , stunning sets and the odd boob make Subspecies a great amount of fun and a film that can be returned to again.
The DVD quality is super sharp and the some nice extras included too.
Extras: Cast and crew interviews / Killer Montage / Videozone / Trailer / Audio commentary
Full Moon full steam ahead 7.5/10
Subspecies is released by 88 Films on March 18th in the UK on DVD & BluRay .
And check out their great site – https://www.88films.co.uk
Taken from my blog https://thecorpsegrinder.wordpress.com/2013/03/11/subspecies-1991-review/
