Editorials
“Game of Thrones” Just Turned Its Longest Episode into a Full-Blown Horror Movie
If you haven’t caught up with the latest episode of Game of Thrones, “The Long Night”, don’t worry; no major overarching plot points or character fates will be spoiled here.
From the opening scene of HBO’s mega popular Game of Thrones’ pilot episode, which saw a trio of rangers discovering mutilated corpses right before being attacked by undead creatures, horror has been a major element of the fantasy drama series. As the political maneuvering and battling for the Iron Throne in Westeros was only just beginning, so too was the war being waged on the living by the icy Night King; the humans just didn’t know it yet.
For seasons, we watched as the Night King and his White Walker generals slowly made their way across the land North of the icy wall that separates the wild from the rest of civilized Westeros, slaughtering unsuspecting native people and turning their corpses into reanimated soldiers for his campaign to snuff out humanity. With all of the final story pieces clicking into place in the series’ final episodes, the culmination of that silent, deadly war delivered the shows’ longest episode to date…. and it was an intense, feature length horror movie.
The first ten minutes of “The Long Night” created unbearable tension; it was mostly devoid of dialogue as it focused on ambient sound instead while we watched the characters we’ve grown to love (or hate) steel themselves for the battle ahead; the massive army of undead was about to arrive at their doorstep. The tension already coiled so tightly, and the fighting hadn’t even begun.
With the enemy still unseen, off in the distance well hidden by the pitch-black night, the fiercest Dothraki warriors charged toward them on horses with their fire-burning swords as the first wave of attack. The rest of the troops looked on in horror as they watched those far off flames get snuffed out in the dark, one by one; only a few made it back by fleeing in abject terror. If it hadn’t hit home just how horrific this undead army was, the characters grasped it now.
“We’re fighting death! We can’t beat death.”
Once the undead finally arrive at the gates of Winterfell, it becomes a harrowing fight to survive. The plan, of course, was to end humanity’s biggest threat once and for all, but that devolved quickly into simply trying to make it out alive. This undead army feels no pain and doesn’t need to stop for any reason. They don’t tire like humans, and their numbers are endless. This was the relentless zombie horde attack that World War Z should have been.
For much of the episode’s run time, it’s watching our characters getting pummeled by an unyielding undead army- all in various stages of decay. The battle is unnerving in itself as we see some of our favorites cry out in agony and exhaustion, while others weep and cower in fear, all the while so much blood is being spilled across the snow. And because all nonstop action films need moments that allow the audience to catch their breath, well, “The Long Night” decided to use those quiet moments to ramp up the fear instead.
Just about every major zombie film or show has a sequence that sees its protagonist(s) being forced to tiptoe around an enclosed space occupied by the undead so they can make it out without attracting unwanted attention. “The Long Night” gave us that sequence in the Winterfell library, late in the episode. With the humans’ only safe haven now inundated with the undead, young Arya finds herself alone and surrounded. She hides behind the bookshelves, sneaking around the shuffling zombies and trying to avoid catching their notice. It results in a taut, suspense-filled hide and seek game between Arya and one particularly eerie wight.
Another major standout scene in this horror-filled episode took place in the crypt. For the humans unable to participate in the battle- the children, women, elderly, etc. – they took refuge beneath the castle. Which happens to be the family crypt. It’s a tactical move that seems tenuous at best, especially from a horror fan’s perspective, considering there’s only one way in or out. That hints at a bloodbath waiting to happen. And it does. But the invading undead don’t come from above, but within. The long-buried dead ancestors are awakened, skeletons and all, to attack the most vulnerable. The reanimating corpses digging their way out of their dirt-filled tombs provided some of the best horror imagery of the episode.
All 82 minutes were stuffed to the brim with unmitigated dread, unrelenting terror, and suspense-driven action.
From quiet intensity to boisterous, pulse-pounding fights for survival, “The Long Night” made for what was essentially a satisfying feature length horror movie. Because the episode is action and horror-centric, you could tune in solely for this episode and not have to worry about the usually complicated plot. If you’re not watching, you’re missing out on a great show with enough genre elements to appease horror fans like ourselves.
There have been epic battles before in Game of Thrones, but never has the enemy been as scary as it was last night. If you see just one episode, make it this one.
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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