Whilst I was unfamiliar with the 'Subspecies' franchise, I found it wasn't an impediment to understanding the straightforward plot of this supernatural vampire trope which unfortunately focusses too much on blood (gallons of it) and severed heads over storyline and logic.
Whilst the Romanian location photography is gothic and eldritch, the familiar bitey behaviour of the voracious undead who populate the city's underworld society isn't enough to hold the attention. Despite their attractiveness, there's only so many half-naked women having their necks (and other anatomy) gnawed which can be borne before it becomes dull and repetitive.
Aesthetically it's accomplished, the sinister set design, ghoulish makeup (check out those Nosferatu-esque talons on Hove's character) and excessive gore effects are all technically first rate, but unless you're a vampire devotee, this is unlikely to keep you entertained.
Gruesome yet elegant, if it were enough to succeed at just the audio-visual elements, then this film would be a minor achievement, but the plot is thin and cliched (e.g. The jerry can and matches which just happen to be laying around the tomb) leaving an overall hollow impression of a picture made exclusively for style over substance.
Whilst the Romanian location photography is gothic and eldritch, the familiar bitey behaviour of the voracious undead who populate the city's underworld society isn't enough to hold the attention. Despite their attractiveness, there's only so many half-naked women having their necks (and other anatomy) gnawed which can be borne before it becomes dull and repetitive.
Aesthetically it's accomplished, the sinister set design, ghoulish makeup (check out those Nosferatu-esque talons on Hove's character) and excessive gore effects are all technically first rate, but unless you're a vampire devotee, this is unlikely to keep you entertained.
Gruesome yet elegant, if it were enough to succeed at just the audio-visual elements, then this film would be a minor achievement, but the plot is thin and cliched (e.g. The jerry can and matches which just happen to be laying around the tomb) leaving an overall hollow impression of a picture made exclusively for style over substance.