‘Subspecies’ Is the Perfect Franchise for Vampire Lovers

In my never-ending quest to fill my time with as many horror films as possible, a good friend recommended I dive into the Subspecies franchise. I’d only ever seen the first film, and I’m a huge fan of Charles Band and Full Moon Features’ ability to unapologetically come up with the wackiest horror films and see them come to fruition. It had been a long time since I saw the first Subspecies film, so ingesting the franchise was like a different experience. I had no idea I was jumping into one of the more fun vampire franchises ever made.

Starting off with Ted Nicolaou’s Subspecies (1991), the film kicks off centuries prior, with a small, but standout roll from Angus Scrimm (Phantasm) as King Vladislav. The King is the father of the devious Radu (Anders Hove), who was born of seductive sorceress, and vampire-hating Stefan (Michael Watson), born of a mortal woman who had the King’s heart. Radu murders his father in hopes of obtaining the bloodstone (a relic containing the replenishing blood of Saints), but only causes a power feud over the castle between himself and Stefan, which goes on for hundreds of years.

In present day, college students Mara, Michelle, and Lillian (Irina Movila, Laura Mae Tate, and Michelle McBride, respectively) arrive in Romania for studies, but things turn for the worse when Radu turns Mara and Lillian into vampires while Michelle falls in love with Stefan. Constantly battling for power, Radu wants Michelle, and the brothers fight to the death, where Stefan decapitates Radu, but not before he bites Michelle. Stefan’s only choice to save Michelle is to turn her, and the two sleep as Radu’s minions reassemble his body.

What a ride the first film is. Not only do you get a fun minor role from Angus Scrimm, rocking full Phyllis Diller hair, but the opening scene is filled with everything a fan of horror and vampire can dream of. Cool vampire lore? Check! Little stop motion creatures that raise hell? Check! The setting being filmed on location in an actual castle owned by Charles Band? Check! The story in Subspecies isn’t the most innovative, but it’s simplicity works well as classic Romanian vampire folklore is weaved throughout. The film also boasts a plethora of both fun and hilarious practical effects, with everything from awesome looking blood-soaked severed heads to comically long fingers for Radu. The bloodstone itself even looks like a giant tasty Ring-Pop. Speaking of Radu, Anders Hove commits to doing an amazing job at playing the disgustingly evil vampire throughout the entire series.

Bloodstone: Subspecies II (1993) picks up directly after the first film and doesn’t mess around. A revitalized Radu immediately murders a sleeping Stefan and retreats to sleep to regain energy. Michelle, now played by actress Denice Duff, awakens to find Stefan dead, and flees the castle with the bloodstone in hand, in attempts to locate her sister for help. Meanwhile, Radu’s mother, a now-woken mummy within the castle, helps Radu recuperate and set out to find Michelle and the bloodstone. Michelle finds her sister Becky (Melanie Shatner), and the two go to the U.S. Embassy for help. Radu captures Michelle, and with the help of members of the agency, Becky returns to the crypt to save Michelle. A battle ensues, and Michelle stabs Radu with an enchanted dagger, sets fire to the mummy, and allows Becky to escape, while Michelle must stay behind as the sun rises.

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This one is probably my favorite of the series. It felt like the special effects upped the ante and this film sports one of the grossest mummies on film. We also got the introduction of Melanie Shatner (William Shatner’s daughter) to the franchise as Becky. The sequel is still chock-full of hilariously cheesy moments, but posed even cooler set design, and more exploration of the castle. I also loved that Ted Nicolaou returned to direct all of the sequels, which helped keep consistency. Unfortunately, it was here the franchise climbed to its peak.

In Bloodlust: Subspecies III (1994), Radu is brought back to life yet again by his “mummy,” using the blood of Michelle. Michelle promises to become Radu’s “fledgling” if he promises to teach her everything he knows. Meanwhile, Becky returns to save Michelle, and while she tries to escape, Radu’s mother attacks her. Radu rips off his own mother’s head to protect Michelle, but she shoots him with silver bullets, and throws the bloodstone off the roof. Radu jumps after it, but is engulfed by the sun’s rays and falls, impaling himself on a tree, while burning in the sunlight. Becky escapes with Michelle by putting her in a body bag.

The third film has little to offer aside from some fantastic special effects. Radu’s gross, dripping, on fire body is one of the coolest shots in the entire franchise. I did appreciate this film developing Radu’s character a little more, showing that he is capable of patience, protecting and caring. A lot of the film took place away from the castle and was a bit of a slog…but nothing in comparison to the next entry.

In a break from the main Subspecies storyline came Vampire Journals (1997). This Subspecies spinoff follows Zachary (David Gunn), a vampire who hates and hunts other vampires, and his quest to kill the vampire bloodline that turned him, culminating to Ash (Jonathon Morris), his master.

This entry offers almost nothing to the franchise, aside from some truly hilariously cheesy dialogue, and the fact that Ash returns in the fourth Subspecies installment, showing us that Radu was actually Ash’s master. Unfortunately, everything I loved about the rest of the Subspecies franchise was brought down a level in Vampire Journals.

In Subspecies 4: Bloodstorm (1998), Radu is saved once again when his burning body conveniently lands in a puddle, putting out the fire, and he scampers off into the darkness to heal. Meanwhile, in a shocking turn of events, the escape car containing Becky, Michelle, and some helpers from the last film are in an off-camera wreck, killing everyone inside except for Michelle. She’s taken in by a stranger named Ana (Ioana Abur), who brings her to Dr. Nicolescu (Mihai Dinvale), a nearby doctor and secretly a vampire himself, who promises to heal her.

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Radu enlists Ash to hunt down Michelle, and Dr. Nicolescu makes a deal to give Michelle to Radu in return for a few drops from the bloodstone. Radu agrees, but betrays the doctor, killing him once he has Michelle. Michelle then decapitates Radu, putting his head on a pike to burn in the sunlight.

This one wasn’t too bad. Aside from the really weird choice to kill off two of the last two film’s main characters off-screen, the story was pretty fun, and as much as I disliked Vampire Journals, it was cool to see the two films connect by making Ash Radu’s fledgling. The goopy practical effects continued through the end of the series, never really disappointing us with bad CG. Certainly, being reduced to a burning, severed head means the end for Radu and the Subspecies franchise, right?

Overall, I had a blast with the series. There were tons of ups and downs, but in a world where we don’t get a lot of really great vampire films, it’s excellent to go back and find a fun under-the-radar franchise filled with killer effects, interesting lore, and an awesome villain. All of the Subspecies films, including Vampire Journals, can be watched for free (with ads) on Tubi!

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