After Stephen Norrington directed the first Blade film, the 2002 sequel Blade II was helmed by the genre maestro Guillermo del Toro. The film finds Wesley Snipes’ title character teaming up with his former vampire enemies, the Bloodpack, against a new strain of mutant vampires who are hunting humans and vampires alike. Joining Kris Kristofferson in the supporting cast were Ron Perlman, Norman Reedus and Donnie Yen.
Blade II was the second of three collaborations between del Toro and composer Marco Beltrami, after the New York subway monster thriller Mimic and ahead of the first Hellboy film. Blade II is a tour-de-force for Beltrami’s aggressive action-horror style, with symphonic thrills, scares and chases galore. It also incorporates a strong Asian element, given that del Toro was influenced by anime, with taiko drums and shakuhachi adding to the full orchestra and choir. There’s even an electronica aspect, as Beltrami collaborated with DJ Danny Saber on several cues.
Blade II was released as a 33-minute program by Varèse Sarabande in 2002, which has been nearly tripled in length for this 38-track, 97-minute 2CD Deluxe Edition. Liner notes by Daniel Schweiger incorporate new interview comments by the composer.