Two weeks ago, we shared the news that filming had begun on the long-awaited Full Moon production Subspecies V: Blood Rise. Now Full Moon founder Charles Band has revealed some footage from Subspecies V in a new YouTube video!
Yesterday, Full Moon posted the first installment in what is intended to be a weekly video series called Full Moon Universe, in which Band will give fans updates on what his company is up to. Since Subspecies V is currently in production, it was discussed during the episode – and Band then revealed over a minute of footage. The episode of Full Moon Universe is embedded at the bottom of this article, and the Subspecies V footage starts at about the 6 minute mark.
Subspecies V: Blood Rise has the following synopsis: Spanning 500 years in the life of the vampire Radu Vladislas, this long-anticipated prequel to the SUBSPECIES series chronicles Radu’s descent from a noble warrior for the Church to a depraved creature of the night. Stolen by crusaders on the night of his birth, he has no knowledge of his bloodline: his mother a demon; father a vampire. Trained and exploited by a brotherhood of mystic monks to slay all enemies of the church, fate brings him back one night to the castle of his father, armed with the monster-slaying Sword of Laertes, to destroy the vampire Vladislas and reclaim a holy relic: the Bloodstone. The events of that night turn Radu from a noble man into a vampire with no master, setting him on a centuries-long quest for sustenance, for companionship, for the treacherous one who stole him from the sun, and for the Bloodstone he hopes will bring him peace.
Subspecies franchise director Ted Nicolaou is at the helm, and the film sees Denice Duff back in the role of Michelle, Kevin Spirtas reprising the role of Mel, and Anders Hove once again playing the iconic vampire Radu.
If you’re not familiar with this franchise, here’s a short synopsis for each one of the previous movies:
SUBSPECIES – Three young students studying the folklore of Transylvania uncover an ancient clan of vampires ruled by the sadistic, monstrous Radu, who becomes obsessed with making them his fledglings.
BLOODSTONE: SUBSPECIES II – Radu s fledgling, Michelle, flees from his castle with the holy relic the Bloodstone and struggles with her emerging bloodlust while hiding in the basement of a theater in Bucharest, waiting for her sister to arrive from the U.S. to help her.
BLOODLUST: SUBSPECIES III – Radu kidnaps Michelle back to the castle he shares with his sorceress mother and teaches her to master her vampire powers, sacrificing everything in his obsession for her, while Michelle s sister mounts an armed assault on his stronghold.
SUBSPECIES 4: BLOODSTORM – The vampire Radu returns to Bucharest in pursuit of his headstrong fledgling Michelle. He reclaims his underground stronghold from Ash, a powerful vampire who mingles with the world of mortals, while he devises a way into the secret clinic where Michelle is being held by the evil Doctor Niculescu.
VAMPIRE JOURNALS – A 19th-century vampire on a quest to destroy the vampires of his bloodline comes to modern-day Bucharest to battle the vampire master Ash the music lover using as his pawn the innocent soul of a beautiful concert pianist.
Are you a fan of the Subspecies series, and are you looking forward to Subspecies V: Blood Rise? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below. Judging by the footage in the Full Moon Universe video, I think the movie is looking great so far.
Band doesn’t know exactly when Subspecies V is going to be released, but right now he’s thinking January 2023.