Ending a franchise, as Subspecies V: Blood Rise does, is extraordinarily difficult because endings themselves are inevitably bittersweet. Even the most satisfying of finales still mean that you have to say goodbye to beloved characters and locations, and that’s not even mentioning how a “bad” conclusion can sometimes retroactively make the rest of the story seem like it was a waste of time.
There’s also the issue of legacy sequels – films that revisit the source material years after it was initially released in order to honor the franchise’s past while often passing the torch onto a new generation of talent. These productions can balance heartfelt farewells with the promise of a new beginning, but they can also render the very concept of “endings” meaningless.
But what happens when a filmmaker decides to think outside the box and go out on their own terms when it comes to ending their beloved franchise? Well, if you’ve been keeping up with our retrospectives on Full Moon’s underrated Subspecies films, then you’ll know that writer-director Ted Nicolaou was never one to follow in other artists’ footsteps – which is why it’s only natural that the final entry in his vampiric franchise would be something that no one was expecting.
It would be nearly a quarter of a century before the iconic vampire Radu would return to haunt our screens after the end of Bloodstorm, with the fan-favorite antagonist having already been burned, impaled and decapitated “for good” several times at that point. So when the time came for Nicolaou to get the band back together for a final entry in the series, he opted for a haunting period-piece exploring Radu’s past instead of yet another gothic thriller set in modern-day Romania.
That’s why I’d like to invite fellow readers to join me as we dive into Full Moon’s most versatile franchise for one final retrospective – this time exploring 2023’s surprise legacy prequel Subspecies V: Blood Rise.
A Prequel Decades in the Making
The film industry changed a lot during the decades that ensued between the release of Bloodstorm and Blood Rise. From the fall of video stores to the rise of online streaming, the market that had originally made it possible for the straight-to-video Subspecies franchise to exist was no longer viable. In fact, the first incarnation of Blood Rise was originally scheduled to be produced during the 2000s, but a series of financial issues stemming from changes to the home video scene led to Full Moon downsizing its productions and focusing on cheaper movies instead.
The project was only revived when legendary producer Charles Band finally managed bring Full Moon back from the brink during the late 2010s, with Band working hard to raise enough funds to allow Ted to shoot his long-gestating prequel without making it look cheaper than the previous entries. Unfortunately, money wouldn’t be the only limitation when attempting to revive the long-dormant series.
Not only did the pandemic interfere with the original shooting plans, but filming in in Romania was no longer as cost-effective as it had been in the 90s. That’s why, for the first time in the franchise’s history, a Subspecies film would have to be filmed outside the birthplace of Dracula. Serbia was eventually chosen as a suitable alternative, with the country’s moody wilderness evoking much of the same dark atmosphere that fueled the original films.
Naturally, both Anders Hove, who had since become close friends with the director he had once publicly feuded with on set, and Denice Duff would return for this long-awaited tribute to their work, though not in the way that you might initially expect.
In the finished film, which was released in March of 2023, we follow the life story of Radu Vladislas (Hove), a vampire borne from the union of undead royalty and the evil witch Circe (Yulia Graut) during the Middle Ages. When a group of Knights Templar conduct a raid of Circe’s lair, the Holy Order decides to kidnap the newborn hybrid and raise him as a warrior capable of fighting the forces of evil. It’s only decades later that Radu reunites with his mother during a monster hunting mission and discovers his true origins.
While he initially resists the pull of his dark tendencies, a bloody encounter with his father’s consort Helena (Duff) sets Radu on the path to become the monster we all know and love to hate.
Bringing Radu Back to Life
Like previous films in the franchise, Blood Rise treats series continuity more like general guidelines than definitive rules, with the film retconning and rewriting much of Radu’s implied history in order to present him as more of a tragic figure this time around. And yet, in a world dominated by generic franchise filmmaking where continuity is God even when it gets in the way of telling a good standalone story, Nicolaou’s antiquated approach to the script explains why Subspecies V is so much more entertaining than it has any right to be.
The movie suffers from janky effects and cheesy dialogue, but these blemishes feel more charming than anything else. At times, it’s easy to forget that you’re not actually watching a genuine b-movie from the early 2000s – and I mean that as a complement. Even then, the physical sets and meticulously crafted costumes help to make the flick seem slightly less indie than most other contemporary low-budget productions, and the cinematography still retains much of the expressionistic flare present in the previous entries.
Sure, the ’90s Gothic atmosphere is sorely missed, but I actually commend Nicolaou for going out of his way to try something different this time around instead of relying on the same formula. That’s why I find it easy to overlook flaws like nonsensical character reactions and bizarre continuity issues.
Personally, I love how Blood Rise explores Radu as an actual person with a rich inner life who slowly succumbs to madness due to his overuse of the Bloodstone and his obsession with Helena, which is meant to explain Radu’s treatment of Michelle throughout the original series. It’s also great to see Duff flex her villainous muscles here, as I always thought that Michelle’s darker side was more interesting than the more traditional “damsel in distress” shtick.
The only thing that really irks me here is how the filmmakers had to replace Jonathon Morris as Ash, especially since Morris was my favorite actor in the series apart from Hove himself. While his character is still interesting and it’s fascinating to learn exactly how he became Radu’s fledgling, Marko Filipovic simply doesn’t have the same gravitas as his predecessor.
A Fitting Legacy for Full Moon’s Vampire
I also wasn’t a fan of how abrupt the ending was, though that can be forgiven due to the fact that you can simply continue the story by rewatching the first Subspecies film (now with added context).
Due to its nature as a prequel, Blood Rise feels like the least necessary entry in the franchise since Vampire Journals, but it also somehow manages to encapsulate everything that made us fall in love with the series in the first place. From clever filmmaking that makes the production seem more expensive than it really is to memorable performances by actors who wouldn’t traditionally get the chance to shine, Subspecies V fits snuggly into the series in spirit even if it doesn’t traditionally adhere to continuity or even share the same gothic visuals as its predecessors.
Of course, only time will tell if this is truly the last time we’ll see Radu onscreen, as it’s already been established that he’s one of the most persistent villains in all of horror cinema.
