‘Subspecies’ Takes Very Specific Influence from ‘Nosferatu’

Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu has divided many critics and audiences. Some have praised the film, whereas others have seen it as something that pales in comparison to the original by F.W. Murnau and its later adaptation, Nosferatu: The Vampyre, directed by Wener Herzog. The influence of Nosferatu extends well beyond its original release over a century ago, from the images of skeletonized templar knights rising from their coffins in The Ghost Galleon to a character named after Graf Orlok and portrayed by Boris Karloff in the movie Targets. Nosferatu would also have a significant influence on the 1991 film Subspecies.

The first of what would be a series of direct-to-video films released by Full Moon Productions and directed by Ted Nicolaou, Subspecies was shot on location in Romania and makes full use of its setting to establish a gothic atmosphere. Unlike the romanticized portrayals of Dracula by the likes of Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee, Subspecies marked the first appearance of Radu Vladislas (Anders Hove), a vampire whose appearance was more akin to Max Schreck’s portrayal in Nosferatu. Subspecies takes place in a world where vampires are not only real but have played a pivotal role in Romania’s history and survival.

In the Shadows of Transylvania

The Romania that exists in Subspecies is one where the local population still believes in the traditions of antiquity. A common trait in gothic horror pertains to legends being tied to a geographic location, which are adhered to by the local population and dismissed by the skeptical outsider. From Dracula and Black Sunday to Candyman, all of these tales have a character dismissing these tales as nothing more than superstition, only to have them come to life and be proven dreadfully wrong. In Subspecies, the skeptical outsider is Michelle Morgan (Laura Mae Tate), an American student documenting folklore and history in Romania.

The lore of vampires and the enigmatic land of Transylvania have always been closely interwoven with one another. Subspecies makes use of its location in modern-day Romania to tie together the traditional folklore of the region, such as funeral rites and celebrations, and bring them into the present while incorporating historical events into the narrative. The result of these worlds coming together is a world where the balance between vampires and humans is necessary for the preservation of the population.

Subspecies acknowledges the existence of Vlad Tepes, known as Vlad the Impaler and who served as the inspiration for Count Dracula, and incorporates oral tradition within the film to tie his existence to the town in which Subspecies takes place. It’s well known that Vlad Tepes led several successful military campaigns against the Ottoman Empire. The story told in Subspecies establishes that it was vampires who helped save the town during a particular siege, tying aspects of history and folklore together. Small details like this make for exceptional world-building within the film.

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A Unique Take on the Vampire

As the main antagonist of Subspecies, Radu Vladislas is a unique incarnation of the vampire, though his design and portrayal contain influences from other notable actors who have come before. Radu possesses a gaunt appearance with long, bony fingers and a face that bears a notable resemblance to Orlok from Nosferatu. The actor behind the fangs, as it were, Anders Hove, was known to American audiences as Cesar Faison in the daytime soap opera General Hospital.

Hove brings Radu to life in a performance that pays homage to the actors who played the role in both versions of Nosferatu while making it his own. Anders Hove captures the movements of Max Shreck and the raspy voice and line delivery of Klaus Kinski. There are a lot of nuances that Anders Hove brings to the character; every single movement of his body and facial expression elicits a response from the audience.

The insatiable level of malevolence that Radu Vladislas has as a character is portrayed perfectly by Hove, and his performance would be vital in the numerous sequels that followed as more depth was added to Radu. A key aspect in Subspecies and something that would be present in all the sequels that followed also happens to be the film’s McGuffin, the Bloodstone. The Bloodstone, a relic that gives Radu his power, is something of a mystical oracle. The object itself isn’t good or evil but gets defined as such depending on the individual using it. The Bloodstone’s definition changes in different sequels, but its purpose of being the object that drives the plot forward is always consistent.

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Quality in the Direct-To-Video World

There’s a preconception about the direct-to-video market. It’s sometimes assumed that these films include less-than-stellar performances and don’t have the same level of quality as others that get theatrically released. Sometimes, this is so, but how a film gets distributed to the public, its reception, and ticket sales are never a measurement of quality. Subspecies proves this to be true. From the performance of Anders Hove as Radu, the way it blends multiple facets of folklore and horror together, and its sequels that managed to keep a discernable level of consistency with its storytelling, Subspecies is the definitive diamond in the rough.