This is actually a pretty cool movie from the fine folks at Full Moon Entertainment, those great people who brought you such classics as PUPPET MASTER and TRANCERS. Of those, this one is probably my favorite and it's really not all that bad a movie (not all that good of one, either). Anyways, on with the review.

A modern retelling of the Dracula fable, SUBSPECIES begins with an old dude in a castle in Romania or some sort of Eastern European country. This guy is in possession of a thing called the Bloodstone, a gem which perpetually creates blood from which this guy can suck. You mean he's a....vampire?!! That's right, a benevolent vampire who uses the Bloodstone so he doesn't have to kill. Thing is, he's got two sons, one of whom is also a nice guy like himself. The other, however, is a really ugly, evil dude who's got the help of lots of little creatures and he kills his father to get hold of the Bloodstone.

Jump ahead many hundred years to the modern era. Three American women (attractive, of course) come to the country to do some sort of graduate research on folklore or something (they never crack open a book). They get to stay at the castle, although everyone warns them against it (a la Bram Stroker).

Before long, they come into contact with both the good and bad brothers and become involved in their conflict over the Bloodstone. The bad brother kills a few villagers and then turns his attention to the three women, who have to band together to stop him.

Sure, it sounds contrived, but it's really not bad at all. It's got poor special effects (the little dudes shouldn't have been in the movie), granted, but that's about the only real problem. There is a haunting and authentic recreation of a folk dance, the foreign setting is used well, and there is a pretty decent plot going on. Better yet, the guy who plays the evil brother is totally awesome! He looks evil, he talks evil, and he's unforgettable. The movie even ends with a great sword match.