Subspecies (1991)
Studio: Full Moon Entertainment
Video Release: July 18, 1991
Blu Ray Release: August 16, 2011
R
Review by James Klein
For it's 20th Anniversary, Full Moon Entertainment has put out on their own label one of their biggest hits from the early 1990's. While Full Moon is mostly known for Puppet Master, Subspecies was a huge hit when released straight to video back in 1991, spawning several sequels. Now, the original film has hit blu ray in an unremarkable special edition that is best viewed for fans only as Subspecies is just a mediocre vampire film.
Set and actually filmed in Romania, two American girls meet up with their Romanian girlfriend to do a study on Romanian history for some college class or course. This little plot point is left vague and is used to just have characters utter dialog about the history of Romania which is at times interesting while at other times dull. Little do these girls know that an evil vampire named Radu who has just killed his father after being banished from his homeland. Radu wants this blood stone that these vampires drink from which is a family heirloom. But it is Radu's half brother Stephan who wants to protect not only the blood stone but also the girls, especially Michelle who he falls head over heels for as does she. Before you can say Twilight, these two characters are uttering melodramatic lines to one another and this vampire movie which does have some promising atmosphere and average make up effects becomes down right silly.
While the make up of Radu is similar to Max Schreck's make up in Nosferatu, the special effects are now mostly dated especially with some silly stop motion monsters. These monsters look ok in close ups with a decent concept design but when they move, these creatures look like something out of a Bert I. Gordon film. It's cheap effects like this that pull the viewer right out of the movie. The violence is kept very minimal so there isn't a lot of make up effects and big time scares to satisfy gore fans either. In fact, there is very little violence or action at all with Radu walking around graveyards and castles ever so slowly instead of attacking victims or turning into a bat.
While I found myself becoming bored, my mind started wondering to other vampire films. Here's a question: if vampire's survive by drinking blood, why do they always have blood dripping down their mouths? Why not lick it up? Why are they so messy? They seem to be wasting blood and yet they are obsessed with drinking it to survive. You don't see humans walking around with Gatorade dripping down our lips.
When the film ended with an unexciting climax, I took a look at the special features on this 20th Anniversary blu ray. Aside form one old featurette and some trailers, you get nothing extra. What is worse, the picture quality of Subspecies is awful. The film looks as if you are watching a VHS tape. Scratches cover the picture and the film looks murky during night scenes. I was unimpressed with Full Moon's Puppet Master transfer but this is much worse. It doesn't help that Subspecies is kind of a bore which had me paying closer attention to these details.
Subspecies just doesn't do much for me. The film did spawn several sequels so there is a fan club for these films. I however find it overly dull and too melodramatic for its own good.
Video Release: July 18, 1991
Blu Ray Release: August 16, 2011
R
Review by James Klein
For it's 20th Anniversary, Full Moon Entertainment has put out on their own label one of their biggest hits from the early 1990's. While Full Moon is mostly known for Puppet Master, Subspecies was a huge hit when released straight to video back in 1991, spawning several sequels. Now, the original film has hit blu ray in an unremarkable special edition that is best viewed for fans only as Subspecies is just a mediocre vampire film.
Set and actually filmed in Romania, two American girls meet up with their Romanian girlfriend to do a study on Romanian history for some college class or course. This little plot point is left vague and is used to just have characters utter dialog about the history of Romania which is at times interesting while at other times dull. Little do these girls know that an evil vampire named Radu who has just killed his father after being banished from his homeland. Radu wants this blood stone that these vampires drink from which is a family heirloom. But it is Radu's half brother Stephan who wants to protect not only the blood stone but also the girls, especially Michelle who he falls head over heels for as does she. Before you can say Twilight, these two characters are uttering melodramatic lines to one another and this vampire movie which does have some promising atmosphere and average make up effects becomes down right silly.
While the make up of Radu is similar to Max Schreck's make up in Nosferatu, the special effects are now mostly dated especially with some silly stop motion monsters. These monsters look ok in close ups with a decent concept design but when they move, these creatures look like something out of a Bert I. Gordon film. It's cheap effects like this that pull the viewer right out of the movie. The violence is kept very minimal so there isn't a lot of make up effects and big time scares to satisfy gore fans either. In fact, there is very little violence or action at all with Radu walking around graveyards and castles ever so slowly instead of attacking victims or turning into a bat.
While I found myself becoming bored, my mind started wondering to other vampire films. Here's a question: if vampire's survive by drinking blood, why do they always have blood dripping down their mouths? Why not lick it up? Why are they so messy? They seem to be wasting blood and yet they are obsessed with drinking it to survive. You don't see humans walking around with Gatorade dripping down our lips.
When the film ended with an unexciting climax, I took a look at the special features on this 20th Anniversary blu ray. Aside form one old featurette and some trailers, you get nothing extra. What is worse, the picture quality of Subspecies is awful. The film looks as if you are watching a VHS tape. Scratches cover the picture and the film looks murky during night scenes. I was unimpressed with Full Moon's Puppet Master transfer but this is much worse. It doesn't help that Subspecies is kind of a bore which had me paying closer attention to these details.
Subspecies just doesn't do much for me. The film did spawn several sequels so there is a fan club for these films. I however find it overly dull and too melodramatic for its own good.
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