Bloodstone: Subspecies II Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		2.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Bloodstone: Subspecies II Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 22, 2015

The Subspecies franchise ranks amongst Full Moon's most recognizable and cherished, right alongside Puppet Master (and, arguably, the Trancers franchise) as the studio's public face, and both series enjoy the numbers to back up that claim. This review concerns Bloodstone: Subspecies II, the sequel to the successful Subspecies, a picture following the exploits of a vampire named Radu (Anders Hove) and a young girl named Michelle (played in the first film by Laura Tate) who becomes entangled in Radu's lust for power. This sequel begins moments after the first film ends, which, aside from the change in the lead actress, allows for a richer, continuing story that builds not on the back of its predecessor but right on top of it, essentially making the first film a first act of a larger story, this film and the somewhat more uneven Bloodlust: Subspecies III serving as the middle and Subspecies 4: Bloodstorm as the third act in a greater, essentially single-story collection (dismissing the spin-off film Vampire Journals).

Sleep tight, don't let the vampire bite...

Spoilers for the first film follow

Michelle (Denice Duff) awakens to find Stefan dead, stabbed and decayed nearly to the point of being unrecognizable. She manages to escape with the Bloodstone, the object the evil vampire Radu so desperately craves. When daylight forces Radu to retreat, Michelle, herself slowly turning into a vampire, escapes to Bucharest where she insists her sister Becky (Melanie Shatner) come to save her. Before Becky can arrive, however, Michelle's turn leaves her no choice but to begin feeding, forcing her further away from her sister when she does arrive. Becky sets out on her own to solve the riddle with the help of an American Embassy employee by the name of Mel (Kevin Blair) and a professor named Popescu (Michael Denish). Meanwhile, Radu seeks help from the hideously deformed Mummy (Pamela Gordon).

Bloodstone: Subspecies II may have lost a lead actress, but it retains arguably the two most important members within the franchise: Actor Anders Hove and Writer/Director Ted Nicolaou. Hove is again terrific in the lead as the long-fingernailed villain who isn't flashy or well dressed but instead a terrifying freak with a laser-like focus on his purpose, an individual who can only be deterred by the rising sun. Hove finds an edginess for the character and shapes a dark cloud around him, certainly aided by the film's quality photographic style but doing all he can in movement, cadence, and of course makeup to sell a frightening beast that exists to exude hatred, anger, and a lust for his prized bloodstone. He shares the screen with a fair bit of icky gore and an unsettling, unnerving atmosphere that builds even through some of the movie's "safer" sequences in its middle stretch that drift away from the hardcore terror of the film's open and close but that do manage to further some key ideas, introduce several new and critical characters, and that keep the audience on edge with the constant shadow of terror that lingers like a dense, unmoving fog as the story progresses to its dark finale.

Ted Nicolaou's sequel surpasses the original in most every way. It's a tighter, more dramatically satisfying film, edgier and creepier, atmospheric and very well constructed. Though it follows a largely straightforward path of terror, exploration, and resolution (at least a resolution that builds to the next film's open), it's richly moody and filled with terrific use of shadow that compliments the more expressive, front-and-center chills and violence and gore that are critical to the story but not representative of everything it has to offer, which is often the case with lesser genre pictures. Bloodstone plays with a hard edge but a soft touch. Nicolaou certainly knows how to work his audience and build the picture through a give-and-take cadence that sees it progress linearly but play through a number of visceral ups and downs that keep the tension high even as the story unfolds in traditional narrative delivery. Nicolaou additionally demonstrates a strong grasp of structure, leaving dialogue behind in much of the more visually constructed and emotionally charged first section and saving exposition and further character and world development for the chattier, but no overzealously so, middle stretch. The movie, then, feels richly complete, enjoying a firm rhythm and dynamic mood that, blended with some good performances and quality filming locations, makes for a strong middle act in the larger Subspecies story.

Bloodstone: Subspecies II Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Bloodstone: Subspecies II's 1080p Blu-ray transfer is largely of a high quality. Its biggest issue comes by way of terribly crushed blacks that see every dark scene and background become a murky void of nothingness where detail and shadow subtleties go to die. The transfer additionally sees some minor print wear and some baked-on dirt across a few static backgrounds. Otherwise, this is a healthy, daresay even vibrant, presentation from Full Moon. Light but noticeable grain remains, yielding a handsome film-quality texture that sees fine detail preserved and accentuated. Facial and clothing details are sharp and complex as seen in many close-up and well-lit shots, but the image also excels in its depiction of stone, brick, and even grasses that show good individualized detail near the camera and never go excessively clumpy or smeary in the distant background. Colors are attractive and healthy with a slight push towards warmth but still showing some nice, balanced hues when light allows, particularly in that same grassy segment that can be found in the film's middle. Skin tones are largely fair and neutral with, again, only a very slight warm push. Despite some flaws, the transfer's pluses outweigh the negatives, and most fans should be satisfied with this presentation.

Bloodstone: Subspecies II Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The unquestionable weak point in this release comes with its audio presentation. Bloodstone: Subspecies II's Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is disappointing to say the least. It's cramped up the middle with precious little stretch to the sides, never mind the rears. Music is muddled and lacking in anything more than cursory audible detail. Even big Metal music at a club in chapter six demonstrates no range or heft. Minor background ambience is noticeable but often nothing more than an underlying light sound that is again crammed in the center. Fortunately, dialogue does come through with satisfactory intelligibility and center placement.

Bloodstone: Subspecies II Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Bloodstone: Subspecies II contains a nice array of bonus content.

• Audio Commentary: Director Ted Nicolau and Actors Anders Hove and Denice Duff share an informed, well-spoken track that covers a good deal of information across the entire filmmaking process, from small details of the shoot to general performance and filmmaking tidbits.
• Videozone (480i, 20:05): This vintage supplement features cast and crew interviews and examines in some detail filming locations, the process of crafting various scenes, celebrating the Fourth of July in Romania, building visual effects, and working through time and budget constraints. The piece ends with previews for other Full Moon titles.
• Killer Montage (1080i, 1:45): Clips from the series. Also available on the Bloodlust: Subspecies III disc.
• Making Subspecies (1080i, 8:38): Ted Nicolau, Anders Hove, and Denice Duff recount their experiences in making the films in a new retrospective piece. Also available on the Bloodlust: Subspecies III disc.
• Full Moon Trailers (1080p): Puppet Master, Puppet Master 2, Puppet Master 3, Castle Freak, Subspecies, Grindhouse Series Promo, Puppet Master X: Axis Rising, Killjoy Goes to Hell, and Reel Evil.

Bloodstone: Subspecies II Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bloodstone: Subspecies II is a surprisingly rich sequel to a somewhat underwhelming original picture. It finds a beautiful blend of simple narrative rhythm and frightening depth meshed with excellent photography and an unnerving pace and structure that elevates the film well beyond its otherwise meager means. Certainly the first film is a must-see so as to fully appreciate everything going on here and coming in the next movie, but altogether this is an impressive little slice of lower budget Horror filmmaking done right. Full Moon's Blu-ray release of Bloodstone: Subspecies II features satisfying video, dull audio, and a healthy assortment of extra content. Recommended.