One thing is certain about Full Moon: the company found its niche and audience years ago, and you either love it or hate it. While the budgets of its films have decreased drastically, the same style and mentality remain. Back in 2023, they threw a little extra money in the direction of Ted Nicolaou, who delivered a hell of a new entry in the Subspecies franchise. Everything is still there; it’s just delivered a bit differently.
They continue to re-release HD editions of their earlier films, and a few recently made their way to my desk. The first two are Decadent Evil (2005) and Decadent Evil 2 (2007), both directed by Charles Band. These came out at a time when I wasn’t following them too closely and never had the chance to see them. I’m pretty sure these have been out a while, but they are now in HD from the 35mm negatives.
In Decadent Evil, the “Meat Market” is a decaying strip club ruled by the vampire Morella (Debra Mayer). The cursed hybrid Marvin is kept as a grotesque attraction, forced to witness nightly bloodletting after being magically reduced for defying her. As Morella nears ultimate power through her final kills, Marvin’s son Ivan (Phil Fondacaro) arrives, bringing a violent plan for revenge.
In Decadent Evil 2, after escaping Queen Vampire Morella, Sugar (Jill Michelle) and Dex (Daniel Lennox) travel with Marvin to Little Rock, where they attempt to resurrect Marvin’s son Ivan (this time played by Ricardo Gil) using the blood of a King Vampire. Their mission leads them into a hidden coven operating out of a strip club, where temptation and horror blur as a new strain of decadent evil rises.
The films are exactly what you expect, which, for me, is a good thing; they remind me of Full Moon in the early days. Sex, blood, puppets, and puppet sex are exactly what I’d want to see in a Charles Band flick. I could have actually done without the puppet sex, but it’s definitely a showstopper.
The cast in both films delivers above-average performances, and Phil Fondacaro in part one is a real gem. His presence is missed in the sequel, though Ricardo Gil does well.
RELATED: ‘Bad Channels’ (1992) Blu-ray Review: A Full Moon Oddity
Both discs feature the usual special features, including trailers, auditions, behind-the-scenes segments, and more. I started watching Full Moon movies around the age of 14. I’m 51 now and still love the absurdity that Band and his crew deliver. Decadent Evil 1 & 2 felt like mid-range films for the company, but they deliver exactly what’s promised.
We’re hardworking geeks who love to geek out, but we can’t do it without you! If you enjoyed this article and want to see more like it, please consider tipping our writers. Also, as an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
 and Decadent Evil 2 (2007), both directed by Charles Band, now released on Blu-rays.){kind=link}