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If you're making a list of the all-time scariest vampires in film, there are some obvious choices. Names like Max Schreck's Nosferatu, Bela Lugosi's Dracula, Christopher Lee in Hammer's Dracula films, Reggie Nalder from Salem's Lot, Gary Oldman's Dracula and Chris Sarandon from Fright Night immediately come to mind. One that is often overlooked but still deserving of the title is Anders Hove's portrayal of Radu Vladislas from 1991's Subspecies.

While the film itself may not go down as one of the greats, the nightmarish Radu has helped to cement Subspecies' place as a cult classic. The primal bloodsucker is undeniably creepy, with a raspy voice and long, crab leg-like fingers that bring to mind the iconic imagery of Nosferatu. The movie spawned three sequels and a spin-off. For its 20th anniversary, Full Moon Features released a special edition Blu-ray and DVD of the film.

Angus Scrimm (Phantasm) receives top billing, but he appears merely as a cameo in the prologue. His King Vladislav is the first character to appear, brandishing a chintzy powdered wig. But the cheesiness does not last for long, as Radu is introduced next. The vampire king, having been seduced by a sorceress, is Radu's father. As you can imagine, there is not much family bonding between the two. Radu kills his father in order to obtain the bloodstone, a powerful relic that "bleeds the blood of saints." Centuries later, two American college girls, Michelle (Lara Tate) and Lillian (Michelle McBride), meet up with their European friend, Mara (Irina Movila), in Romania to research the local culture. They stay at a Transylvanian castle in the town of Prejnar, where they cross paths with another guest, Stefan (Michael Watson). He claims to be studying nocturnal animals, but there is only one creature on his mind: his brother Radu. Stefan develops a relationship with Michelle, but the superstitions that the girls were researching become all too real when their blood is sought by the evil Radu.

Subspecies was shot on location of Romania (reportedly the first American film to do so after the fall of communism), which adds immense production value. The rich landscapes, shadowy forests and ominous castles provide a beautifully Gothic atmosphere that would be impossible to replicate with sets. Some locals even appear in bit parts.

The title of Subspecies does not refer to the vampire race, but rather Radu's pint-sized minions born of his body. As characters, they're entirely unnecessary, but Charles Band has a bizarre fetish for putting little monsters in his films (see also: Puppet Master, Demonic Toys, Ghoulies, Gingerdead Man, et al.). They were created by Dave Allen using stop motion and puppetry, which has not aged well. Thankfully, they don't play much of a role in the story, so their distractions are kept to a minimum.

The Blu-ray presentation is nothing to write home about, but the movie still looks better than ever. This marks the first time that the film has been released in its proper 16:9 widescreen format. Despite some softness, the newly-remastered, high-definition transfer is a bast improvement on the grainy, dull DVD. Similarly, while the stereo audio is on the flat side, it gets the job done. It's unlikely that the film will ever look better.

The only special feature (aside from some Full Moon trailers) is the Videozone featurette from the original VHS release. Innovative for its time, Videozone is like an electronic press kit featuring interviews with the cast and crew. They mostly discuss working in Romania. It's also interesting to learn that the subspecies were originally portrayed by actors in rubber suits before making the switch to puppets. Given that this is the anniversary edition, it would have been nice to have some new features looking back on the film or at least a commentary track.

The marvelous filming locations and Radu's eeriness don't excuse all of Subspecies' mistakes. The film was obviously made on a low budget; the script, written by Jackson Barr and David Pabian, is a bit too melodramatic; the acting, particularly that of the three girls, leaves a bit to be desired. Still, director Ted Nicolaou utilized his limited resources to deliver what is arguably the best title best title in Full Moon's storied catalog.

Cultural differences can be astounding. As with most first world countries, the depiction of a child's death is widely considered taboo here in America. It's interesting, then, that Kinji Fukasaku's Battle Royale is celebrated as a major achievement in Japanese cinema. After all, it depicts dozens of teenagers brutally murdering one another. Not only did the movie receive critical acclaim, but it also became one of the 10 highest grossing films in Japan and went on to receive multiple awards at the 2001 Japanese Academy Awards.

Battle Royale is not without its controversies, however. Its native Japan attempted to ban Koushun Takami's novel of the same name on which the movie is based when it came out in 1999 and tried to do the same to the film upon its release the following year. Neither attempt was successful, but other counties prevailed in blocking the release. Thanks to the Streisand effect, all of the contention merely gave the film free press.

Contrary to popular belief, Battle Royale was never banned in the United States. However, a distribution agreement had never been reached. Various DVD incarnations of the film have been available in the past, the legality of which is questionable at best. Anchor Bay's new version, therefore, marks the first official North American release of the title.

The release is well-timed. With the film adaptation of Suzanne Collins' similarly themed The Hunger Games hitting theaters just a few days later, the DVDs will be on new release endcaps while the subject matter is fresh on everyone's mind. And the comparison is not hidden; there is a quote atop the back cover from Entertainment Weekly that equates the two.

Anchor Bay has provided viewers with a few options from which to chose. First, there is a bare-bones DVD or Blu-ray with the film and nothing else. More noteworthy, however, is the Battle Royale: The Complete Collection four-disc set, which features both the theatrical and extended cuts of the film, the 2003 sequel Battle Royale II and a disc of bonus material.

The film presented on the standalone disc is dubbed the director's cut, although that's not exactly accurate. The extended cut features eight additional minutes of footage, including three "requiems" at the end, as well as various minor changes throughout the picture. Fukasaku reportedly preferred the original cut, but the alterations don't change the overall narrative experience too much (although many fans will argue this point).

After experiencing the tragedies of September 11th and countless school shootings in the years following the film's release, Battle Royale is less shocking for its depiction of kids being slaughtered and more terrifying that such heinous acts could actually be committed. The film is not all melancholy, though; it is elegantly spun with dark humor and great action. And it's not just mindless violence for the sake of it; the film is an allegory for the cutthroat world of adulthood that awaits students after their schooling.

In an alternate reality, the nation of Japan collapsed from unemployment in the year 2000. Amidst the chaos, hundreds of thousands of students boycotted school. As a result, the adults feared the youth and, in an attempt to quell them, passed the Millennium Educational Reform Act, also known as the Battle Royale Act.

A class of 42 ninth graders who believe that they're going on field trip find themselves as the randomly chosen participants in the Battle Royale. As their teacher, Kitano (Takeshi Kitano), explains, it is a three-day battle to the death. Only the last student standing is allowed to go home. Everyone is equipped with a bag of survival items, including a random weapon - which can range from a submachine gun to a saucepan lid.

At first, the students think it's a joke - but reality quickly sets in when the first teen is killed without hesitation. From there, it becomes and all-out war. One of the film's strengths is that it develops a large number of characters in a short amount of time. Given that they are high school students, many of the plot points are based on relationships and cliques. The viewer wants to see a number of them succeed, but the rules clearly dictate that there can only be one survivor.

Battle Royale is a modern classic, not simply only for for the controversy that it caused, but because it is a great film. It's nice to see that the artistic merit has superseded the reputation. If you haven't given in and purchased an imported copy already, the movie is a must-own for any film fan.

When a film opens by mercilessly depicting a penis being gruesomely castrated with a pair of scissors, you know that, if nothing else, you're in for something interesting. And Wound is just that, unrelenting for its entire 77 minute runtime.

A mere five minutes following the genital mutilation, a nude, submissive housewife is tortured by her "master" in front of a camera. The nightmarish imagery does not end there. Other eccentric scenes include an animalistic rape by a man in a pig mask, incestuous teat suckling and a nasty birthing scene featuring a deformed, blood-spewing vagina.

As a result of the questionable content, Wound stirred up a bit of controversy in its home country of New Zealand. While people unfamiliar with the genre might make a fuss about it, the graphic content doesn't hold a candle to the likes of A Serbian Film or even The Human Centipede. Nothing but overblown claims to drum up press.

Between the bizarre sequences lies the perplexing story of a mother uniting with her daughter. The plot is not easy to follow, but there are two sides to the story. On one hand, an orphan, Tanya (Te Kaea Beri), searches for the mother that she has never met. Meanwhile, the mother, Susan (Kate O'Rourke), believes that her unborn daughter is taking over her life.

Susan struggles with metal illness, which accounts for the film's nonlinear structure. Acclaimed filmmaker Ken Russell (The Who's Tommy) hailed the movie as a "masterpiece." While I wouldn't go that far, Wound does share the unsettling, dreamlike atmosphere with Russell's Altered States.

Writer/director David Blyth has been in the industry for some 35 years, but Wound feels more like an independent filmmaker's early attempt at experimentation with controversial issues. Blyth, whose most notable effort is helming a handful of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers episodes, recently took off the better part of a decade to focus on documentary work. Wound marks his return to features and, perhaps, a rebirth as a director as well.