Helldance

Bloodstone: Subspecies II is a horror film directed by Ted Nicolaou. The film stars Anders Hove, Denice Duff, Kevin Spirtas, Melanie Shatner, Michael Denish, Pamela Gordon and Ion Haiduc.

When Michelle disappears, her sister Rebecca begins searching for her and discovers she must battle a love-starved vampire and his minions.

Usually C grade films are big disappointment but this film is an exception, where first part of this film was good second part follows the first part effectively and is a decent entertainer just like it's predecessor.

The plot is good and screenplay is gripping. The film will keep the viewers intact although special effects are disappointing.

Acting in the film is good and Anders Hove was the most impressive of them all. Rest of the cast supported well.

Cinematography was average and could've been better and climax sets a great foundation for third part.

Overall this is not a typical C grade film and this film entertains.

Having sensibly disposed of Stefan and focused on the far more interesting Radu, the Full Moon crew really gets this series rolling with its second film. Michelle (Denise Duff, replacing the first film's Laura Tate) escapes Castle Vlad and flees to Bucharest, taking with her the precious Bloodstone. Desperately battling her own developing vampirism, she begs her sister Rebecca to take her back to America, but when Rebecca arrives, Michelle - ashamed of her condition - finds it near-impossible to face her. This sets up the film's central game of cat-and-bat-and-mouse, as the worried Rebecca and the resurrected Radu hunt Michelle through Bucharest's night time streets and Rebecca assembles a motley gang of Fearless Vampire Hunters [TM] to pursue her sister's tormentor. A terrific mixture of macabre and down-to-earth characters, with Duff standing out as the terrified but strong-willed Michelle, Melanie Shatner fine as brave and concerned Rebecca, Michael Denish enjoying the Van Helsing-esque role of Prof. Popescu and Ion Haiduc especially good as the pragmatic Romanian cop Lt. Marin.

The movie, however, *belongs* to Anders Hove as Radu. Hove brings a completely unexpected level of sympathy and emotion to the character. He gets under the skin of the monster makeup to wonderfully suggest the childlike nature, terrible loneliness, and unfed craving for love that offset Radu's displays of cruelty and sudden violence. The scenes with his horrific mother are genuinely affecting, as he tries desperately for even a moment of her approval. Hove's performance is certainly the core of this film and bids to become the main reason for further Subspecies films.

This film picks up right where the first film left off. Brand new vampire Michelle must flee Castle Vladislas after the eternally slobbering Radu kills her lover, the Good Vampire Stefan (no great loss, really). Michelle has not gone away empty handed however; the life-giving Bloodstone is now in her possession, and Radu wants it back. Finding Michelle is no problem, but killing her (as he had originally intended) proves much more difficult as the hideous Radu decides he wants both the Bloodstone and Michelle for his own.

Denice Duff is quite good as the new Michelle here, stalking victims in humid European nightclubs with a seductive coldness, while at the same time desperately trying to deny the murderous impulses which disgust her. She is heartbroken without being whiny, tragic and lost but refusing to be anything other than what she has become. Her scene in the hotel is one of the best in the film, as she cries herself to sleep and then wakes up screaming as the full light of morning comes burning through her window, forcing her into the cold refuge of the shower stall where she is later discovered, presumed dead and carried off in a body bag, only to awaken at dusk in full panic once more.

New characters include Michelle's sister from America, responding to Michelle's desolate and panicked phone call. Joining her later are a young police detective and a Van Helsing-ish man who leads them to Castle Vladislas. Radu's "Mummy" is here as well, a cackling lawn gnome of a woman who is in desperate need of some Oil Of Olay. But Michelle and Radu always remain central, Radu disgusting in his cruelty and yet almost pathetic in his newfound love for the pretty Michelle; Michelle horrified and yet drawn to the ancient vampire who was responsible for making her what she is. Their relationship is most unique, a true Beauty and the Beast pair.

While not as Gothically creepy as the first Subspecies, Bloodstone is still a strong entry in the series, visually compelling and with a good, strong storyline to boot. All the actors are earnest and believable simply because (with the exception of the Immortal Michelle and her icy-white radiance) they are approachable looking, attractive without being blindingly so. And then there's Radu...

Radu is the main reason I am as big a fan of these films as I am. He is gross, manicure-impaired, ugly as all hell (literally!), and yet he's also aristocratic and cunning with a wicked sense of humor and an intelligence that has escaped most new vampires. He's not ashamed of who or what he is. He enjoys his cruelty, and his bloodlust and his eagerness to show Michelle the ropes is like the worlds most perverted Hallmark card. It's great! I said it before and I will say it again: Radu is what a vampire should be, and his presence makes these films totally enjoyable. 8 stars out of 10 for this one.

Michelle (Denice Duff) escapes the castle of Radu (Anders Hove) with the sacred bloodstone, which contains the blood of the saints. In Bucharest, she contacts her sister for help (Melanie Shatner), who flies in ASAP, but Radu has followed Michelle to the city, coveting the artifact and her.

"Bloodstone: Subspecies II" (1993) is the second of four films released between 1991-1998, not to mention a spinoff flick. A fifth installment finally surfaced in 2023. They're gothic horror in the modern-day similar to Dracula flicks, just with a different antagonist. "Subspecies," incidentally, was the first American film to be shot in Romania after the breakdown of the Iron Curtain, filmed in September-November, 1990. This one was shot in 1992. Romania, incidentally, was the sole country in Eastern Europe to overthrow its socialist government with violence.

"Bram Stoker's Dracula" was released the year between the first movie and this one. The difference is that Coppola's blockbuster had more money to work with and was shot in the studio in Los Angeles whereas these "Subspecies" flicks used actual ancient ruins, castles and woodland areas of Romania. In short, they're great Gothic flicks for authentic Carpathian atmosphere.

Like Coppola's movie, the tone is totally serious and the vampires are revolting. Radu is like a meshing of "Nosferatu" (1922/1979) mixed with Marvel's Morbius. He could've been the lead singer in a black metal band in the 90s. Speaking of metal, the band in the nightclub is 13 Ghosts and the two songs they play are "Death of Innocence" and "Beneath the Gravestone."

As far as the women go, Irina Movila stood out in the first movie as Mara, but she's absent here. As such, Denice Duff carries the story on the feminine front, replacing Laura Tate as Michelle from the 1991 film. There are a couple tasteful bits of nudity concerning Michelle, but no sleaze. Melanie Shatner, William's daughter, plays second fiddle to Denice, but she's strapped with an unappealing short haircut. Meanwhile Pamela Gordon as the grotesque "Mummy" is a creative touch.

The diminutive stop-motion creatures from the first movie only appear near the beginning.

Of the first two movies, I prefer the first, but this one is a quality continuation of the story, albeit very simple. Of course, simplicity is the composer's greatest tool.

The film runs 1 hour, 26 minutes, and was shot entirely in Romania, including Corvin Castle in Hunedoara and Bucharest.

GRADE: B-/B.

Terrible? No this is not terrible. Actually Subspecies 2 is the best of the 4, soon to be 5 films. This time Michelle the survivor of the weaker part 1 seeks the help of her sister to escape her stalker, vampire Radu. Good story, acting, and effects. ***1/2 out of *****.