THE RATS (1982)
aka Deadly Eyes
Article 3755 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 11-13-2011
Posting Date: 11-25-2011
Directed by Robert Clouse
Featuring Sam Groom, Sara Botsford, Scatman Crothers
Country: Canada
What it is: Giant rat movie

Grain infected by steroids ends up producing a race of giant mutant rats that threaten to overrun a city.

This is one of those that has such a standard-issue plot (nothing happens in the movie that is surprising) that I find it hard to find much of interest to say about it. The most common piece of trivia I know about it is that the giant rats were played by dachshunds, which explains why they run that way and gives it a bit of similarity to THE KILLER SHREWS. Scatman Crothers is fun, but his role amounts to little more than a cameo. It’s decently acted, but uninspired, and some of the characters act with alarming stupidity; I’m particularly appalled by the fact that the first character who discovers the nature of the threat (a museum professor) is the one who most needlessly puts himself at danger. Of course, it borrows from JAWS by having the mayor of the city object to the battle being raged against the rats because it’s “bad for business” and might lose him a reelection. Director Robert Clouse is better known for having directed some Bruce Lee action flicks, and there’s some footage of GAME OF DEATH in the movie to remind us. This one is run-of-the-mill at best.