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IMDbPro

Subspecies

  • Video
  • 19911991
  • RR
  • 1h 23m
IMDb RATING
5.5/10
4K
YOUR RATING
Subspecies (1991)
Three students get caught in the struggle between a good vampire and his evil brother in the Transylvanian mountains.
Play trailer1:13
1 Video
99+ Photos
FantasyHorror
Three students get caught in the struggle between a good vampire and his evil brother in the Transylvanian mountains.Three students get caught in the struggle between a good vampire and his evil brother in the Transylvanian mountains.Three students get caught in the struggle between a good vampire and his evil brother in the Transylvanian mountains.
IMDb RATING
5.5/10
4K
YOUR RATING
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Ted Nicolaou
    • Writers
      • Charles Band(based on an original idea by)
      • Jackson Barr(screenplay by)
      • David Pabian(screenplay by)
    • Stars
      • Angus Scrimm
      • Anders Hove
      • Irina Movila
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Ted Nicolaou
    • Writers
      • Charles Band(based on an original idea by)
      • Jackson Barr(screenplay by)
      • David Pabian(screenplay by)
    • Stars
      • Angus Scrimm
      • Anders Hove
      • Irina Movila
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 66User reviews
    • 49Critic reviews

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:13
    Trailer

    Photos136

    Subspecies (1991)
    Subspecies (1991)
    Michelle McBride, Irina Movila, and Laura Mae Tate in Subspecies (1991)
    Michelle McBride, Irina Movila, and Laura Mae Tate in Subspecies (1991)
    Ivan J. Rado in Subspecies (1991)
    Michelle McBride, Irina Movila, and Laura Mae Tate in Subspecies (1991)
    Michelle McBride, Irina Movila, Ivan J. Rado, and Laura Mae Tate in Subspecies (1991)
    Michelle McBride in Subspecies (1991)
    Michelle McBride and Laura Mae Tate in Subspecies (1991)
    Irina Movila in Subspecies (1991)
    Michelle McBride in Subspecies (1991)
    Laura Mae Tate in Subspecies (1991)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Angus Scrimm
    Angus Scrimm
    • King Vladislav
    Anders Hove
    Anders Hove
    • Radu
    Irina Movila
    Irina Movila
    • Mara
    Laura Mae Tate
    Laura Mae Tate
    • Michelle
    • (as Laura Tate)
    Michelle McBride
    Michelle McBride
    • Lillian
    Ivan J. Rado
    Ivan J. Rado
    • Karl
    • (as Ivan Rado)
    Mara Grigore
    • Rosa
    Adrian Vâlcu
    • Ian
    • (as Adrian Vilcu)
    Michael Watson
    Michael Watson
    • Stefan
    Lili Dumitrescu
    Lili Dumitrescu
    • Old Crone
    Ion Besoiu
    • Doctor
    • Director
      • Ted Nicolaou
    • Writers
      • Charles Band(based on an original idea by)
      • Jackson Barr(screenplay by)
      • David Pabian(screenplay by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This was the first American film to be shot in Romania, particularly in the aftermath of the fall of Communism in Romania.
    • Connections
      Edited into Talisman (1998)

    User reviews66

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    solid for the genre, and that's good enough for me!
    "Subspecies," like many other horror films, gets a raw deal on IMDb. The majority of movie-watchers have a hearty contempt for horror, and when they occasionally rent horror films, they either want to laugh at them or cringe at excessively gory scenes. Unfortunately, "Subspecies" is not particularly laughable, and not that bloody, so it gets a low rating. That's too bad.

    Of course, there's plenty to criticize here. The non-actors are flat, the subspecies are a poor special effect, and the nighttime scenes are too brightly lit. But what do you expect? For a straight-to-video horror film, "Subspecies" boasts decent production values and more integrity than you might anticipate. The film's Romanian setting is virtually unique (I believe it was the first American movie made in that country, post-Communism), and the locations, both interior and exterior, are beautiful. The script has moments of intelligence, especially when it delves into local folklore (all bogus, I'm sure). Somehow, the location filming and smartish script work well together - "Subspecies" has its own very distinctive world. To risk damning with faint praise...it could be a lot dumber.

    Fans of the more gruesome aspects of horror will no doubt get a kick out of the blood-drooling vampire villain, Radu. He's pretty effective in this movie - powerful, with a memorable raspy voice - but I like him better in the sequels, when actor Anders Hove gives a more self-parodying, campy performance. A totally sincere Radu is somewhat silly. Other silly aspects include gratuitous nudity and the subspecies themselves, who are clearly only in the movie because producer Charles Band has a fetish for evil little creatures (see also Puppetmaster and Demonic Toys).

    But I linger too much on the movie's flaws. For what it is - straight-to-video vampire horror - "Subspecies" is perfectly fine. The sequels boast better production values, more violence, and somewhat more thoughtful story lines, so I recommend them even more highly. Still, this isn't a bad start for the series.
    helpful•22
    1
    • dr_foreman
    • Jun 3, 2005

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 8, 1991 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Romania
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Vampyrernas kamp
    • Filming locations
      • Bucharest, Romania
    • Production companies
      • Castel Film Studio
      • Full Moon Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 23 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Ultra Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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