Killer Rats
Reviewed By : Sinn

Release Year : 2003

AKA : Rats

Directed By : Tibor Takacs

Written By : Jace Anderson, Adam Gierasch

Starring : Ron Pearlman, Amy Parks, Sarah Downing

Related Links : IMDB

 

Everybody hates rats. With their beady lil eyes, twitching snouts, yellow fangs, and tail like an eyeless snake, the poor critters get a raw deal in the movies. Guess the poor little fellows are up against in when they manage to earn a spot in the top 10 of animals people are scared of. Which, brings me to an interesting question - why the fuck has nobody yet managed to make a decent, scary movie about them?

This rather tepid effort sure isn't going to upset the apple cart and turn out to be the ratty, gnawing gem with real bite. Killer rats - often looking rather dodgy, like a preschoolers first experiments with video editing - who are led by a giant killer rat - who dispenses with the often and instead always looks dodgy - munch on some residents at a loony bin. Of course, said residents are skilled at finding unlocked doors and hidden rooms so that they can wander off on their own and get eaten without anyone else knowing about it.

Ron Pearlman is great as always in the role of the head honcho doctor at the nut hatch, and the rest of the cast aren't too bad, but it's just a rather insipid little film that won't do a lot for you either way. The awkward death scenes rob them of any impact, and the pacing of the entire movie sits awkwardly. Perhaps they planned to make a serial killer in an asylum movie, brainstormed ideas to try and come up with something different, and some bright soul shouted gleefully "Let's make the killer some rats!". It spiralled from there, and eventually giant, clever ratty got added.

It's a clumsy film on many levels, nothing special at all, escaping the 'turd' category by only the narrowest of margins. If you want a rats movie then try the altogether better Rats Night of Terror, and if you fancy seeing the director of this, Tibor Takacs, deliver a much more fun movie then try his more recent Ice Spiders.