Editorials
This Alien is Pure Evil: 35 Years of ‘Xtro’ Insanity
Thanks to the well-received release of Alien in 1979, a wave of extraterrestrial based horror followed in its wake. Some blatant rip-offs, most terrible or forgettable, and a few so absolutely bonkers that they’ll sear into your memory forever upon first viewing. Harry Bromley Davenport’s insane Xtro falls squarely into the latter. Released 35 years ago in U.S. theaters on January 7, 1983, Xtro has spent the last few decades rising from critical savaging upon release into well-loved cult classic due to its amazing, enduring special effects and ballsy kitchen sink approach plot.
From a critical standpoint, the ravaging makes sense. Despite a rather simple setup, in which Sam Phillips is abducted by aliens right in front of his son’s eyes only to return altered three years later, it quickly becomes something far more complicated and not always the most coherent. A lot of that is due to keeping the extent of Sam’s alien makeup so shrouded in mystery that we sort of have to infer what his new alien abilities can do. It doesn’t help that it’s sort of all over the place. While it’s clear that Sam has returned to claim his young son, Tony, it’s not as clear why sucking on his son like a human juice box means transference of alien DNA. Even the editing can be a bit sloppy at times, with dialogue being heard before the character speaking it even appears on screen. There’s also a few plot threads that don’t make much sense or never bother to get resolved (Award winner for least empathic and competent doctor here). Character introductions are something Davenport wasn’t really interested in exploring either.
Yet, somehow, these idiosyncrasies only enhance the hypnotic charm of Xtro. Thanks to the weird juice box sucking, and Sam’s transference of alien abilities to his son, Tony develops the power to manifest anything he thinks up with his mind. Here’s where the kitchen sink aspect of the film really shines. While Sam is trying to reconnect with his estranged wife, Tony is torturing the neighbors with panthers, killer circus clowns, toy tanks, and life-sized toy soldiers. The very types of things no one anticipates when signing up for a sci-fi horror movie.
From a visual standpoint, it’s also easy to see why Xtro was hardly a favorite among critics. Gloopy, slimy, gory, bloody, and messy, Sam and Tony make a gross alien-hybrid father and son pairing. The most infamous scene landed Xtro on the supplementary list to the Video Nasties, a list of films that couldn’t be prosecuted but were liable to confiscation under a “less obscene” charge. That scene was the gnarly impregnation and subsequent birthing of a fully-grown Sam. It’s every bit as visceral as it sounds.
The special effects team is what elevates Xtro into something remarkable. From the goriest of kills and the squeamish, cringe-inducing ways in which these extraterrestrials seek reproduction, and even the various creature effects for each different iteration of the alien beings, Xtro is impressively revolting. So memorable, that even horror fans who haven’t seen the movie have still likely seen images from the film, notably the very creepy car scene early on with the crawling alien at the edge of the road.
Davenport pretty much dumps every single idea he had into this epic study of gory nihilism. Unnerving backward walking aliens, human hybrid aliens with pointy teeth, full-blown aliens, gloopy victim cocoons, slimy alien eggs, and everything in between, Davenport leaves nothing unexplored on a visual level. Plot-wise, Xtro has a bit of everything as well. It’s a sensory onslaught that leaves you feeling confused, yet in a that you can’t help but appreciate. Roger Ebert referred to Xtro as a “completely depressing, nihilistic” film in his review, and I agree. But unlike Ebert, I feel that’s what makes Xtro work.
Davenport went on to create two more sequels to this tour de force, but none held a candle to the magic of this crazy sci-fi horror. By no means a masterpiece, I’m so glad films like this exist. It’s the type of film that shouldn’t work at all, and still does. A brutal descent into complete madness, held up by fantastic special effects. Here are two 35 more years with one of the meanest sci-fi horror films in existence.
The problem with filming sequels back-to-back is that, unless you can afford expensive reshoots, there’s no easy way to adjust course in between movies if fans react badly to where the story is headed. That’s why it’s important to have a complete narrative thought out well in advance lest you accidentally kill a budding franchise.
However, this isn’t always the case. Every once in a while, it seems like the cinema gods smile upon certain chaotic productions and gift moviegoers with complete franchises that feel like more than the sum of their hastily produced parts. Ted Nicolaou’s Bloodlust: Subspecies III is precisely one of these miraculous pictures, with the raw talents of the artists involved (as well as the continued support from Romania) turning the feature into an effective conclusion for a series that kind of made things up as the filmmakers went along.
That’s why I’d like to invite my fellow readers to join me on this third part of our journey through the Subspecies franchise as we look into Bloodlust and talk about how it remains a surprisingly satisfying finale to the original trilogy.
A Trilogy Planned on the Fly
Released only a year after Bloodstone found plenty of success in rental stores and mail-in VHS catalogues worldwide, 1994’s Bloodlust was produced at the same time as its predecessor in (mostly) the same locations and with the same team. This means that the movie benefited from all the same upgrades as Bloodstone, with the crew now being more experienced with the ins and outs of surviving a low-budget Romanian production and the cast really settling into their characters.
At this point, everything from location scouting to the makeup process had been streamlined, with Wayne Toth and Norman Cabrera, the main duo behind special effects, even switching out time-consuming prosthetics for latex gloves in order to speed up Anders Hove’s monstrous transformation. The titular “subspecies” demons were also once again relegated to a mere cameo appearance due to the laborious puppetry required to bring them to life.
The only real hiccup came from the fact that actress Denice Duff had replaced the first film’s Michelle (Laura Mae Tate) and was immediately expected to portray the character as both an innocent victim in part II and as a secondary villain in part III. According to behind-the-scenes interviews, the hectic production schedule that blended two different movies meant that Duff would often find herself having to alternate between two incredibly different versions of Michelle during the same shooting day – though it’s obvious that she’s having more fun with Bloodlust’s more traditionally vampiric version of her character.
In the finished film, we pick things up immediately where the previous entry left off as Rebecca (Melanie Shatner) is forced to leave her vampire sister Michelle (Duff) behind in the dungeons of Castle Vladislav due to the rising sun. This allows Mummy (Pamela Gordon) to use Michelle’s blood to revive the vicious Radu (Hove) so that he may continue his quest for the coveted Bloodstone – a magical artifact that perpetually drips the Blood of Saints.
Meanwhile, the dreamy US embassy agent Mel (Kevin Blair) agrees to help Rebecca plan a rescue mission, though they’re unaware that Radu has become infatuated with Michelle during his attempts to guide her growing bloodlust. This all culminates in a climactic confrontation meant to tie up all of the series’ loose ends in one of Full Moon Pictures’ most ambitious productions.
The Evolution of Radu
Like its predecessor, Bloodlust: Subspecies III was also warmly received by fans who argued that the series was an even bigger success than Full Moon’s other major horror franchise, Puppet Master. This praise wasn’t unanimous, however, as 1994 had seen the rise of a more modern breed of sexy vampire popularized by Anne Rice, with old-school Nosferatu like Radu being viewed as obsolete when compared to the likes of Lestat and Gary Oldman’s take on Dracula.
In a way, one might argue that Nicolaou’s film is something of a swan song for the classic vampire story, as Bloodlust combines all of the traditional elements we tend to associate with these tales into a single tragic yarn that ties a neat little bow on Radu’s story as well as the old-fashioned monster movies that he represents. The finale remains shocking despite the fact that this is the third time we see Radu get brutally killed onscreen, with the brief tease that he may one day return feeling more like a nod towards the nature of evil rather than sequel bait.
The film dabbles a bit in gothic romance and even explores the inherent power fantasy behind transforming into an immortal creature of the night, but the filmmakers never lose sight of Radu as a demonic force even when he’s willing to betray his beloved Mummy for Michelle’s sake. In fact, his twisted “love” for his fledgling makes him even creepier as we get the feeling that his passion comes from a dark and disturbing place.
Anders Hove is at his absolute best in this film, with the effects department boosting his moments of what the younger generation would call “aura farming” whenever Radu emerges from shadows like a 90s version of Count Orlok. There are even a couple of surprisingly effective jump-scares here, which is why I’d argue that Bloodlust cements Radu as one of the most memorable cinematic vampires of all time despite his humble origins.
Subspecies Saves Its Best For Last
Nicolaou and Vlad Panescu also saved the best for “last” (more on that in a bit) regarding the film’s visuals, with the cinematography and overall atmosphere of Bloodlust absolutely surpassing what we saw in the previous films. Everything feels appropriately climactic this time around (including the wonderful soundtrack that was co-composed alongside an authentic Romanian orchestra), and I appreciate how this is the fastest-paced entry in the trilogy since the film doesn’t need to waste time setting anything up.
Bloodlust still suffers from some of the same low-budget blemishes as its predecessors, but there’s so much creative passion here that no amount of wonky effects work or stilted dialogue can get in the way of appreciating the flick’s gothic grandeur. That’s why it’s not surprising that the movie’s definitive(-ish) ending would later be retconned as fans begged for more Radu.
Of course, the next entry in this series would be a different kind of vampiric endeavor altogether, with the filmmakers attempting to engage with the same trends that ultimately killed Radu and his antiquated kin. That, however, is a story for another time. For now, I’ll merely insist that Bloodlust: Subspecies III remains a highlight of Full Moon’s expansive catalogue and is definitely worth seeking out today.
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