Thom G
The first half is commendable, smoothly picking up from where the previous movie concluded, maintaining the atmospheric and aesthetic essence of the original without falling back on tired tropes or recycled formulas. Regrettably, the second half falters, meandering aimlessly and riddled with inconsistencies, leading to the collapse of the film's overall interest.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
04/09/24
Full Review
R P
Personally, I normally don't like it when a sequel changes a character's actor. I understand things change, but it normally takes me out of the story. In Bloodstone Subspecies II, I think Denice Duff improved the character of Michelle immensely.
(https://foreverfinalgirl.com/bloodstone-subspecies-ii/)
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/30/22
Full Review
Audience Member
Didn't Radu die in the first Subspecies?
Well, yeah. But now his minions have simply reattached his head and taken the stake from out of his heart, allowing him to Hicks and Newt the hero of the first film, Stefan, killing him within moments of the film's opening, sending heroine Michele to Bucharest with the titular Bloodstone in the hopes of getting help from her sister Becky.
Meanwhile, Radu's mother — yes, known as Mummy — comes on the scene and tries to help him turn Michele to the side of the vampires, which leads directly into Bloodlust: Subspecies 3, which was shot at the same time as this film.
A rare sequel that is even better than the original, this starts strong and gets even better, with actually scary moments and a multi-layered antagonist. I don't own the box set and action figure of Radu for nothing.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
02/06/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Better than the first, and of course Radhu's not dead. Nice opening (despite crapt v/o) as the homunculi drag his head next to his body. Gory special FX and he's back, vomiting acid blood on his bro. Lovin' mom! Also the snow white nod. It's got a better atmosphere and creepy feel than the original - conflicted vampire, red lens work, great shadow work. There are so many key moments and nosferatu touches lifting it above ordinary fare. It's clever!
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/26/23
Full Review
Audience Member
The vampire Radu return for this Charles Band produced sequel. Radu's head is reattached, the wooden stake removed from his heart, and he is then good as new, ready to unleash his undead malevolence upon the unsuspecting populace. The titular bloodstone serves as the film's MacGuffin, in which all the characters, both human and undead, are chasing after. I'm a huge fan of Charles Band's Full Moon Features and this film was made during the production company's heyday, when they actually had an Romanian castle at their disposal, which they inserted into the story of a number of their films ("Trancers 5: Sudden Deth" being the most forced). Not only did the European location shooting give the film added production value, this film features some better acting than most Full Moon films, which more often than not tend to be rather hammy. I also appreciate that writer/director Ted Nicolaou set out to make a more serious and straight-faced horror film than most Band productions, although there are still some elements of camp here and there. Overall, this is a classier of production than most Full Moon films, and although it's not among their best (that would be "Pit and the Pendulum," "Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge," "Shrunken Heads," or "Trancers" if that one counts as a Full Moon release), it's far better than their worst (i.e. "Evil Bong," "The Creeps," "Prison of the Dead" and many others [although I must admit that I still enjoy even the worst Charles Band production]).
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
01/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Formulaic, not interesting
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
01/17/23
Full Review
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