Subspecies(1991)

Director: Ted Nicolaou

MPAA Rating: R

An evil vampire named Radu steals a powerful treasure called "The Bloodstone," which has an endless supply of blood, and his father and brother must stop him and his little minions "The Subspecies." Unfortunately, this is a hard task to complete, and the entire town is now at risk of being terrorized by the villains.

The movie stars Anders Hove as Radu, Angus Scrimm as the King, Irina Movilla as Mara, Laura Mae Tate as Michele, Michelle McBride as Lillian, and Michael Watson as Stefan. 

Being a Full Moon direct-to-video film from the 1990's, I did not have the highest standards for the quality of "Subspecies." I just wanted the typical B-Movie fun that I love. Luckily, I got that, and a whole lot more. This underrated gem features one of the coolest and freakiest vampires of all time(Radu), some amazing makeup and gore effects, wonderful stop animation by Dave Allen, and a very interesting story. I felt like the acting was hit or miss, with Hover being out of this world, but the girls being mediocre at times. The overall tone of the movie was outstanding, because it was like an amped up version of gothic classics like "Black Sunday." This was possible because of the beautiful filming location of Romania, the classical score, the mysterious cinematography, and suspenseful pacing. I thought that the ending was magnificent, because I was on the edge of my seat in excitement. There really wasn't anything that bad about the movie, outside of small flaws like acting that don't matter much for this kind of film. 

I totally recommend "Subspecies" to all fans of low budget cinema, because it is one of the finest of its kind. It is a top notch vampire flick, horror film, and movie in general. It will be a very enjoyable watch for all those interested, and I promise it will not disappoint. 

Grade: 9.5/10

Puppet Master(1989)

Director: David Schmoeller

MPAA Rating: R

"Puppet Master" tells the haunting story of a group of psychics that are tormented by murderous puppets, while they are investigating the hotel of their recently deceased colleague. 

The movie stars Paul LeMat as Alex, William Hickey as Andre, Irene Miracle as Dana, Jimmie F. Skaggs as Neil Gallagher, Robin Frates as Meghan, and Matt Roe as Frank. 

This Charles Band classic is a very fun installment of the horror genre. Being the first film of Full Moon Picture, it is cheesy with its low budget stop motion effects, which adds to its charm. There is some shocking scenes of gore and violence, the acting is very well done, and the overall story is creative and neat. Each of the puppets had their own personality, which made their characterization very successful. Their weapons of choice were also very unique. The conclusion was also super suspenseful, and extremely fulfilling for fans of this category of cinema. The only thing that I wish was different is that the first half should've have been paced a little better, because it was dry at times. 

Overall, I highly recommend "Puppet Master" to fans of B-Movies and horror flicks. It is a very enjoyable and well made film, and it will not disappoint. 

Grade: 8/10