READ THIS FIRST: This is a 12-inch Diameter Laserdisc, which is NOT the same as DVD and cannot be played on a DVD player!

Laserdisc Title: "SUBSPECIES III: BLOODLUST"
Edition: Fullscreen Edition (Single Disc)
Directed By: Ted Nicolaou
Starring: Anders Hove, Denice Duff, Kevin Blair, Melanie Shatner, Pamela Gordon, Michael Dellafemina
Production / Year: 1993 Full Moon Entertainment
Running Time: 83 Minutes / Color
Audio Format: Digital Sound, Stereo, CX Encoded
Video Format: NTSC, CLV (Extended Play)
Miscellaneous Features: Rated R
Distributed By: Full Moon Entertainment
Catalog / Spine Number: LV 83124

Cosmetic Condition
Disc (s): Excellent - Few very light to very minor hairline surface swirls or very light fingerprint marks
Jacket: Excellent - Original outer plastic shrink wrap still partially intact

Synopsis:

Mummy heals Radu's wounds while Becky summons Mel Thompson and Lt Marin to the tomb in the cemetery. They find Professor Popescu's body but nothing else to substantiate Becky's story about vampires and a witch. As night approaches, Radu, Mummy and Michelle leave the tomb and return to Castle Vladislav. Becky, Mel and Lt. Marin follow but cannot enter the castle because the professor's secret entrance has been blown up.

Villagers begin to disappear. Mel calls his CIA friend, who shows up at the castle with silver bullets and full commando regalia. He and Mel scale the castle wall. Mummy kills the CIA agent, imprisons Mel, and orders Radu to kill Michelle. But Radu is in love with Michelle and beheads Mummy instead. Radu begins to realize that he has killed off his entire bloodline out of love for Michelle and bargains with her--Michelle's devotion for Becky's life. Michelle agrees and goes outside to talk with Becky. Radu kills Lt Marin who is watching from the bushes. Becky holds a gun with silver bullets to Radu's head and orders him to release Mel. Michelle takes the gun from Becky and turns it on Radu. She retrieves the bloodstone then, along with Becky and Mel, runs from the castle with Radu in pursuit.

But daylight is approaching, and both Radu and Michelle are in pain. Becky and Mel zip Michelle into a light tight body bag and toss the bloodstone over the castle wall. Radu attempts to retrieve it but the sun is too strong. He catches on fire, tumbles over the castle wall, and is staked on the limb of a dead tree. As Radu's body is destroyed, drops of his blood transform into his subspecies.

Just edges out S2 as my favorite in this hugely entertaining vampire series, mostly on the strength of Anders Hove and Denise Duff's performances. Same basic plot: Rebecca and her Fearless Vampire Stalkers continue where they left off, in pursuit of her sister Michelle, Radu, and the Bloodstone; while Radu tries futilely to gain the love and loyalty of his adamantly defiant "fledgling", Michelle.

Hove has completely sounded the depths of Radu's character and his portrayal of this tragic monster is poignant and heartfelt. Unable to command his headstrong protégé's fealty to the master she refuses to acknowledge, unable to win her heart with gifts or intimate displays of trust, Radu's despair is utterly human, yet he never turns on her. Despite his constant praise of pain and suffering, his deathly face conceals a heart capable of loyal and true love.

As for Denise Duff as Michelle, she is probably the coolest vampiress EVER, and if it not for Radu would no-doubt be the star of this series. The Subspecies movies deserve acclaim for their strong female characters, and Michelle is the toughest, a determinedly human woman who resists becoming a vampire with every fiber of her strength and will. At the same time, we see her grow in undead power and skill, and realize that if she keeps control of the Bloodstone - with which she can resist the need to kill - she'll become an immortal to reckon with. Her scenes with Radu are really something to see, as the two vampires match wills eye-to-eye again and again, and she forces Radu to blink every time.

Their story is truly "Beauty and the Beast" without the happy ending, and indeed it's hard not to think of that classic story in the sequence where Michelle begs to see her sister just one last time. Like the Beast, Radu is unwilling to let his "pretty one" go, but gives his permission, hoping to prove his love by a gesture of faith in her; and just as in the fairy tale, his hopeful gesture has sad consequences. The look on his face as she sweeps past him while he pleads for her devotion could bring a tougher fan than me to tears. --These are some of the best characterizations in modern vampire film, and among the very few that I really care about.

Once you see this you will NEED to see #4!

THIS IS NOT A DVD!!! THIS IS A 12" LASERDISC AND WILL NOT PLAY IN A DVD PLAYER

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