Review of Bloodstone: Subspecies II (1993) by Wes S — 12 May 2014

"You can't destroy me, Stefan. Nothing can." So are the dying words of Radu Vladislas at the climax of Full Moon Pictures' 1991 vampire opus, Subspecies.

But you can't keep a good (or for that matter, evil) vampire down, now can you?

Picking up the moment the first film left off, Bloodstone: Subspecies II begins with Radu reattatching his severed head to his body, with the help of his minions, the subspecies making their only appearance in this film. Radu proceeds to dispatch his brother as he lies sleeping in his coffin. As he turns to stick a stake in Michelle's heart, the morning rays of the sun come through the window, forcing Radu to flee to the bowels of the castle. At nightfall, Michelle hits the road, but not after taking the bloodstone nestled in Stefan's bony hands.

Michelle escapes with the bloodstone, Radu following in tow. Michelle makes contact with her sister, Becky played by Melanie Shatner, who catches the next flight to Romania. Instead of finding Michelle, she finds Inspector Marin and Mel Thompson of the U.S. Embassy. Michelle has gone missing and all that was left behind is the bloodstone.

As far as sequels go, this one ain't bad, though it does contain a few plot holes, such as what happened to the heroic inn-keeper, Karl, from the first film? And how did Michelle grow long, curly hair in the span of one night? Or how is it that Radu sleeps the day unharmed while bathed in daylight?

If you just push a few of those nagging things aside, you'll be treated to a dumb, but entertaining thrill ride.

The acting is passable, faring much better than one might expect for such a low-budget direct-to-video horror film. Once again, the show is stolen by Anders Hove once again donning the extremely long fingers as Radu. One can tell he enjoys every moment as the evil vampire, relishing in making Michelle's life utter torment.

And speaking of Michelle, Denice Duff takes over the role from Laura Tate. Though Tate did well in the first film, most of her scenes involved giving hunky Stefan googly eyes. Here, Denice has to portray Michelle's decent into hell and though a little overacted, she does a phenomenal job.

Far more over-the-top is, but still quite entertaining is the late Pamela Gordon as Mummy, who seems to be even more evil than Radu. She speaks in a high, witch-like tone with matching cackle that will have you yearning for All Hallow's Eve.

So, sit back, relax and prepare for true vampires that don't sparkle in daylight and instead of romancing you, would rather tear your throat out. Sorry, Edward.