Subspecies V: Blood Rise

Was blessed to see the film premiere at Horrorhound Weekend...OMG Ted knocked it out of the park....the cinematography, the landscapes, the score, the poetic dialogue, and our cast was amazing...Anders's evolution as Radu from crusader to vampire lord was nothing short of badass.... Denice Duff as new character Helena is a very memorable different character for her....her performance is awe-inspiring. Kevin Spiritas was once Mel Thompson, U. S. Embassy in parts 2 and 3 and now he becomes the role Angus Scrimm was in the original SS...He is King Vladislas the father of Radu...we are also brought into the world of musicians Ash and his sister Ariel (Stasa Nikovic who was so sweet to meet) very vulnerable and deadly...the Bloodstone is there....i could go on and on but see this movie when it comes out ASAP.

I didn't even know they were goin to make another subspecies until I came across it on Tubi and so glad I did. I actually never watched any of the full moon movies when I was younger I remember seeing a few of them on the blockbusters shelves as a kid tryin to convince dad to rent them but that never happened. But in the past few years I watched quite a few here and there and have found they're definitely hit and miss but the subspecies films are the gems of the collection in my opinion. Radu is what a vampire is supposed to look like and has been played excellently over the years by Anders hove. His transformation from man to monster is amazing in this one. It took awhile to realize where it was goin but once it all came together this ended up being one of the best in the series I hope to see more from them, I actually think it would make a good mini series.

It's been 25 long years since the release of Subspecies IV, so it's hard to believe this sequel even exists. Better still, it's actually a good movie! We live in an age of disappointing reboots, but this isn't one of them.

Of course, you have to grade movies like Subspecies on a curve. Is Blood Rise a conventionally good film? Probably not, but it's solid by B-movie standards. The music, costumes, and cinematography all exceed expectations; clearly, this was a labor of love for the production team. The makeup and special effects are more erratic, but still admirable given the low budget. The location filming in Serbia is excellent and preserves the unique European flavor of the series.

Most importantly, Anders Hove effortlessly slides back into the role of Radu - a repulsive yet somehow sympathetic character, and one of cinema's coolest vampires. As with the earlier entries, he's the best thing in the movie by miles, but the supporting cast is pretty solid. Notably, Hove plays the role seriously this time and isn't as campy as before, which might disappoint fans who enjoy the more overt comedy of the previous films ("Muuuummy!")

The plot of Subspecies V is merely okay, alas. It jumps around in time a lot, meaning that some situations can feel rushed and underdeveloped. Also, there's a conspicuous lack of action and crowd scenes - betraying the limitations of making a period-piece movie without enough money. Still, the film is good at glossing over its weaknesses and playing to its strengths, like mood and character.

I think Ted Nicolaou wanted to make a strong directorial statement with this film, by demonstrating that it's possible to create a serious and impactful Subspecies movie in 2023. While I personally prefer the more fun approach of the previous films, I was impressed by what he achieved here. This is probably the best Subspecies movie since part 2, and it's a nice blend of nostalgia and new ideas.

So...can we get a sixth one?

Its crazy that it took decades for this latest installment to finally be released and even crazier that many of the cast from the 90's films were in this, I thought this was gonna be a continuation of the previous entries but instead this is a prequel which I think they(Full Moon) wanted to explain the origins of Radu probably from the beginning of the series. The story is very well presented and there was much more to work with in terms of CGI and special effects than in the previous films which made for more dramatic scenes and the story is easy to follow along with the pacing as well, I would really like to see another installment in the series to follow up on the events of Blood storm because this wouldn't make sense as the final film in the series but have no problem with this either.

Really recommend this especially if you're a fan of the 90's films for the back story to how Radu became what he is and this also explains the spin off of Vampire Journals as well, it was well done and worth the watch for sure.

Producer Charles Band and director Ted Nicoloau's long-awaited Subspecies V: Blood Rise takes place during the Holy Crusades and shows how Christian knight Radu (Anders Hove) came to be the nasty vampire we know and hate from the earlier films.

For the fifth film in a franchise, it's not an entirely worthless effort: the origins story makes a nice change from the previous movies, which had become very repetitive, and Anders Hove puts in another solid performance as Radu, although his advancing years do make it hard to accept him as a younger version of his character (especially as the crusading knight - a little too old to be swinging a sword). Perhaps it would have been wiser for Hove to step aside and allow Radu to be played by someone new.

Overall, though, if you're a fan of the series, this one should prove entertaining enough and is better than I had expected. I rate Blood Rise 5.5/10 rounded up to 6 for IMDb.