Editorials
Happy 20th Anniversary to ‘Resident Evil!’
On March 22, 1996, Capcom’s survival horror video game Resident Evil was unleashed upon the world. Originally intended to be a remake of Capcom’s 1989 psychological horror game Sweet Home, which was itself based on the Japanese horror film of the same name, Resident Evil eventually broke off into its own property under the eyes of developer Shinji Mikami, who would go on to revamp the franchise with a new identity with Resident Evil 4. While it borrowed plenty of elements from Sweet Home (the mansion setting, the puzzles, the limited inventory, the “door” loading screen), Resident Evil took on its own identity with an original story and added elements homaging Alone in the Dark and The Shining. It’s not a perfect game, but it’s damn fun. After all, there’s a reason it’s credited with defining the survival horror genre.
Notable for it’s cringe-worthy, yet absolutely hilarious dialogue, sometimes obscenely difficult puzzles, and multiple endings, Resident Evil had its fair share of scary moments as well (the franchise wouldn’t have gone on as long as it has if it didn’t). There are tons of jump-out-of-your-seat moments that the series is known for, even if they were sandwiched between moments of epic cheesiness.
And who could forget the live-action cut-scenes, which were so masterfully acted by an extremely talented cast:
Resident Evil introduced us to some classic characters. From Jill “the master of unlocking” Valentine to Chris “we got to the root of the problem” Redfield, Capcom’s survival horror game also gave us Albert Wesker, one of the most formidable villains in video game history (even if he did end up going out like a tool 13 years later).
One can’t discuss Resident Evil without talking about its horrific yet iconic tank controls (which you can try out again with the HD remasters). Looking back, they are absolutely atrocious. The remaster at least gave you the option to switch to a slightly less bothersome control scheme, but honestly, if you’re going to play Resident Evil you might as well play it the way it was meant to be played. The tank controls add to the incredible difficulty of the game (and make no mistake, it is very difficult), not to mention its charm.
It’s usually Resident Evil 2 or 4 that is brought up when discussing the high quality of the franchise (and Resident Evil 6 when discussing the low), but the first entry in the seminal franchise is usually forgotten. Well, maybe forgotten is the wrong word, but it’s certainly mentioned less. It’s not mentioned as little as Code Veronica, mind you, but the first one still doesn’t get enough love. After all, it does provide one of the greatest jump scares in video game history, and that should never be taken for granted.
It’s one of the many frightening things to take place in a game littered with them. Do you remember the first time you faced a hunter? Or when the tyrant busted out of this chamber? Personally, Yawn was always my favorite reveal, but that’s just because I like snakes. Anyway, I’m curious to know what your first experience with Resident Evil was. When did you first enter the mansion, and what was your experience like?
Unfortunately, I was just seven years old when RE came out, and I was a Nintendo kid so I was all about the Nintendo 64. The only thing I knew about RE was that it had scary cover art. Oddly enough, I actually thought that Resident Evil and The Evil Dead were the same thing for the longest time because the cover art for Evil Dead 2 was similar to the cover art for the Director’s Cut of RE, but I digress. My introduction to RE officially came in 2002 with the release of the GameCube remake (which to this day is one of my favorite video games of all time).
Actually, I just lied to you. My first exposure to RE was the it’s-really-not-that-bad 2002 film adaptation directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and starring Milla Jovovich (it’s a fine movie, it’s just a terrible Resident Evil movie). That motivated me to ask for the GameCube REmake for Christmas, and boy was I not prepared for that. Once that was done I quickly snatched up the GameCube ports of 2 and 3 before 4 was finally released in 2004. I was forced to get a PlayStation 3 and make the conversion away from the Wii when RE 5 was announced to be released solely on the PlayStation 3 and XBox 360, and the rest is history. Needless to say, I’m sort of a Resident Evil nut now, so I’m planning on playing my copy of the Resident Evil Origins Collection tonight to celebrate!
What are your first Resident Evil memories? What do you want for Resident Evil 7? Let me know in the comments below or feel free to shoot me a Tweet, and while you do that, listen to this video containing some of Resident Evil’s spectacular dialogue!
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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