Subspecies

The Full Moon production company releases some of the most grotesque, bizarre, and honestly fantastic horror films I have ever seen. They seem to favour classic stop-motion and makeup effects rather than CGI, which is rare and gives a strange sort of realism to the scenes. They like to play with the unusual (with Evil Bong, Puppet Master, and DollMan as prime examples) and often add a dosing of liberal humour with their horror. While not producing large blockbusters, it is obvious that Full Moon loves what they do and have made their company with no rivals.
What other company would have animated puppets fighting Nazis?

Their Subspecies series is one of rare vampire films that actually has a deformed and demonic looking vampire as the antagonist. Often the enemy is handsome and seductive; Radu, the vampire in question, is grotesque and each word is hissed out of bloody lips. The appearance is reminiscent of the original Nosferatu, with elongated spiny fingers and shadow effects as he moves swiftly after is prey, the fangs close together for a more vicious bite. But what truly sets him apart from any other vampire is his ability to create small demonic minions by tearing off the ends of fingers, which then mutate and form into the red horned creatures. The creatures are both incredibly creepy and cute, in a strange sort of way.


The series is a trilogy (with a spin-off) which follows the struggle between Radu and Michelle. Michelle is a survivor, technically, from the first of the three films though she did end up as a vampire at the end. In Subspecies she, and three of her friends, are researching folklore in Transylvania and are pulled into the battle between Radu and his handsome younger brother Stefan. The two fight over the Bloodstone, which drips the blood of saints, and gives the drinker power. Michelle's friends succumb to vampirism and, eventually, so does Michelle even as Stefan manages to kill his brother.
The first film ends with the two, quite in love, together for what is thought to be forever.

This happiness is promptly ended in the second film, Subspecies: Bloodstone, beginning right after the first ends, as their mother revives Radu who kills Stefan. Michelle flees with the Bloodstone, pursued by the others. What follows for her is actually a realistic portrayal of a vampire trying to live in a city of humans, as Michelle waits for her sister to arrive from America and help her. Again a battle takes place. Again Radu is supposedly defeated. And, like the first film, Radu manages to be revived to torment Michelle again.

Needless to say that the formula is apparent at this point. Subspecies: Bloodlust follows a similar pattern, with Michelle and Radu in a power struggle as Michelle tries to fight her vampiric nature, and Michelle's sister gathering help to stop Radu and rescue her sister. At this point the story branches into the spin-off, The Vampire Journals, which feature more beautiful vampires and one who hunts his own kind in search of vengeance and into the final of the series Subspecies: Bloodstorm in which Radu seeks help from one of his bloodline, Ash, who was featured in The Vampire Journals.
  

Any person who would like to see the vampire myth and the vampire treated seriously will enjoy this series. It is not as strong in acting as mainstream films (I'm being honest here) but it make up for this weakness in setting, atmosphere, and horror. Bonus, Full Moon is known for sneaking in a short "Making Of" documentary at the end of all their films.