Movie Info
Movie Name: Bloodlust: Subspecies III
Studio: Full Moon Entertainment
Genre(s): Horror/B-Movie
Release Date(s): February 16, 1994
MPAA Rating: R
We’re kind of like goth vampires…when everyone was being a goth vampire
Michelle (Denice Duff) has become a thrall of Radu (Anders Hove) and is succumbing to her bloodlust while Radu finds that his love for Michelle is growing which pits him against his mother (Pamela Gordon). Michelle’s hunger is growing and the bloodstone could be the only thing that could help her fight it. Meanwhile, Michelle’s sister Rebecca (Melanie Shatner) is trying to free Michelle, but Michelle might be too far gone for saving!
Directed by Ted Nicolaou, Bloodlust: Subspecies III is a vampire horror film. Following Bloodstone: Subspecies II from 1993, the B-Movie was released by Full Moon Entertainment and received mostly negative reviews.
Full Moon movies are hit or miss (generally miss), but when they miss, they can still be fun for their “badness”. Both the Puppet Master series and Subspecies both were average when they missed…they weren’t bad-bad (aka funny) nor were they very inspired. Bloodlust: Subspecies III was really among the uninspired.
Moooooommmm…you’re cramping my style!
Not much happened in the movie that didn’t happen in the second film. The movies were meant to be companion pieces so instead of feeling like two parts of a whole that are equally enjoyable, Subspecies II and Subspecies III just kind merge into one goop. The ending of Subspecies II was anticlimactic. The ending of Subspecies III just has you expecting Subspecies IV…and on…and on. It also can’t decide if the series is about the cursed Michelle or her sister Rebecca.
The cast from Subspecies II returns for this entry (because you demanded it). William Shatner’s daughter Melanie Shatner is the sister that the movie is kind of about and Denice Duff continues on as her role of Michelle…which the movie is kind of about. All the actors feel like they are in a rut and the enjoyable mother (played by Pamela Gordon) isn’t as fun this time nor is Anders Hove who continues to be the best part of the series.
Who wants pudding!!!
The visuals of the movie are on par with Subspecies II, but that necessarily isn’t good. The movie does end with a nice goo-fest of Radu melting in the sunlight…only to form more claymation demons that were kind of effective in the first movie.
Subspecies III is no work of art, but there are very few Full Moon movies that really come off as strong. I admire that the movies form a massive epic, but it doesn’t necessarily make it a great epic (at least they go together unlike the Puppet Master movies that are kind of shoved together to form one big puzzle). Subspecies took a mini-break after this and Bloodlust: Subspecies III was followed by a semi-spin off called Vampire Journals in 1997 (which is generally considered part of the Subspecies series) and then Subspecies: The Awakening in 1998 (which also goes by the title Subspecies 4: Bloodstorm).
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