Bloodstone: Subspecies II is really where the series began the way that I really remember it. This is where Ted Nicolaou took over are writer. Bloodstone is really where the series starts its own lore that was only hinted at in the first movie but is shown and expanded upon. It even starts to catch up to what I remember from my previous watches of the series. The fact that Ted Nicolaou is one of the constants of the series helps it have a consistent look.
Denice Duff took over for Laura Tate in the role of Michelle. The only returning character is Radu who is still portrayed by Anders Hove. The new cast members are Kevin Blair, Melanie Shatner, Michael Denish, and Ion Haiduc. Duff’s performance is really interesting and one of the things I think of when I think of the series. Hove is given more to do in this movie. Radu is much more of an active antagonist going forward, which gives us more of Hove’s performance.
The effects are even better in Bloodstone than in the previous movie. The titular creatures are only shown in the opening, which is some of the most impressive effects of the movie. The effects for both Radu and Mummy are great, Mummy is especially gruesome. The effects for Radu are what I think of especially with his mouth almost constantly dripping blood. The sound design adds a lot to the effects. The music for Bloodstone is fantastic. The costume design is amazing especially for Michelle, who has some iconic looks.
Bloodstone: Subspecies II holds up surprisingly well even if some of the movie feels like set up for the next movie. I really think the next movie is where a lot of my memories of the series are from. I was able to watch Bloodstone on Tubi because it has an impressive amount Full Moon movies. I give Bloodstone: Subspecies II 8 bloodstones out of 10.