GL84 Hundreds of years after a nuclear war has ravaged the planet, a biker gang happens upon an abandoned building out in the countryside that's under attack by giant rats and forcing them to put up a fight against the creatures to survive.This is no doubt an incredibly cheesy film, and it reveals in it. From the outlandish dialog that is simply laugh-out-loud to the bad retro- futuristic clothing and post-apocalyptic setting along with the general premise itself, this is one cheesy film. That alone gives it its most powerful plus, as by keeping it light and fun, the edge is taken out and the incredibly goofy tone can be appreciated. The pacing is also a pleasant surprise, as it starts out fast and doesn't really slow down all that much as the gang arrives at the house within the first five minutes and the first attack comes shortly after that. From there on, it's non-stop and does an excellent job of keeping the interest on the screen either through its intense action scenes or the cheese on display as both never fail to entertain. The attacks themselves are quite nice and brutal, and result in some nice scenes down in the basement during the examination of the harvesting conditions on the site, the battle in the bar that features scores of creatures approaching them as well as the numerous scenes where the rats fall from the ceiling or the walls and overwhelm the victims which are some of the most suspenseful attacks being full of spectacle and action. The other sequences in here are just as action-packed, including some flame-thrower use and some grenade attacks, coupled with some bashing and running around, move the film along with the action make it a fully action-packed film. That, though, highlights the fact that this one does manage to feature enough suspense to counterbalance the cheese that it really comes off even better than the initial impression, with sleeping bag death being a prime example as it's enormously cheesy and provides the movie with some gore as well as scenes of the group noticeably trying to get away while down in the basement and must maneuver through a swarm mere inches away or the highlight piece of them trying to force their way into their hideout against the oncoming swarm as the others debate the merits of letting them in or not. These are much better than expected, and along with the cheesy gore and bloody deaths provide this with plenty of positives against the few, non-detrimental flaws. The film's biggest turnoff is the fact that at times this is pretty much a series of rip-offs and imitations from elsewhere, and while the premise is exactly like several other films thrown together there's enough remnants present to give that feel. The second half is exactly like any number of zombie films, the opening evokes many different post-nuclear war road films, and the final five minutes is pretty much like every virus-containment film around and doesn't do much to hide itself under these influences. The other big problem is that the film really doesn't make too much sense, as the explanations are so vague and out-there that it's hard to really get a sense of what's going on. Other than the cheese not being for everyone, this isn't all that bad.Rated UR/R: Graphic Violence, Language, Full Male and Female Nudity, a sex scene and graphic violence against real animals.

Scott LeBrun As cheesy, cruddy Italian post-apocalypse cinema goes, "Rats: Night of Terror" is constantly amusing and certainly NOT ever boring. It has enough uproarious moments to make it quite an acceptable diversion, and some brilliant lines (ex. "I'm gonna warm their whiskers!"). The story (credited to director Bruno Mattei) deals with a roving gang that comes upon an abandoned complex where they get inundated with rats that are more voracious, aggressive, and intelligent than normal. In order to ensure their own survival, they determine to make it an unsafe world for the rodent population. Good fun all the way for its decently paced 97 minutes, it seems to suggest that the best way to survive a post-apocalypse future is to go underground. Luigi Ceccarelli's electronic score is a hoot to listen to, just like much of the dialogue. The dubbing and vocal performances, as is often the case for this sort of thing, are just hysterical, with the on screen performers gamely going with the flow of this material. It's extremely cool to note that leading actor Ottaviano Dell'Acqua, billed as Richard Raymond for English language prints, is the man behind the infamous "worm eye" zombie from Lucio Fulci's "Zombi 2". Besides Dell'Acqua, people will also recognize Geretta Geretta (billed as Janna Ryann) from Lamberto Bava's "Demoni". The funniest performance comes from Henry Luciani as Duke, what with his facial expressions. Wonderful gags include a rat emerging from a victim's mouth. The overall mood and feel of "Rats: Night of Terror" is a great study in decay and despair, and pretty much everybody in this cast of characters is fair game for a hideous demise. And the movie rewards all viewers who stick it out to the end with a priceless final revelation they won't soon forget. Don't listen to the naysayers...at least give this goofy bit of Euro escapism a chance. It may be of the endearingly bad kind of experience, but for this viewer it wasn't so bad it was good. It was so bad it was a RIOT. Eight out of 10.

squeezebox The first half of Bruno Mattei's RATS: NIGHT OF TERROR has a certain energetic wackiness and some genuinely bizarre moments which help to keep the movie entertaining despite the fact that it's completely awful. Unfortunately, that energy burns out after about forty minutes, and the remaining hour or so drags like an extermination infomercial.In the distant future, a band of punk Mad Max-like bikers seek refuge in a boarded up building in a deserted urban area. They notice a lot of rats creeping around, but don't seem too concerned about them. After finding some non-perishable rations and some comfy beds to rest in, the group decides to hold up for a while and catch their breath before moving on. Unfortunately for them the rats have other ideas and pick off the gang members one by one.There is a surprising amount of restraint gore-wise in the depiction of the rats' victims. Other than a few chewed-beyond-recognition corpses, the blood and guts are pretty much kept to a minimum. There is a bit of nudity provided by two apparently uninhibited cast members who seem all too happy to show off every inch of their male and female anatomy, but otherwise it's all very tame for a Italian exploitation movie. With just a little more editing, it probably could have been released with a PG rating (along with YOR - THE HUNTER FROM THE FUTURE and STARCRASH).Overall, the first half or so will hold bad movie buffs' attention. The second half is pretty much endless scenes of the group wandering around the building, turning on each other or being attacked by the rats (sometimes real rats, sometimes guinea pigs made up to look like rats and sometimes plastic rats being dragged along the floor on a sheet). The "Twilight Zone"-ish ending will leave those who bother to sit through the whole thing underwhelmed.If nothing else, it gives Spaghetti Splatter fans a rare glimpse of Ottaviano Dell'Acqua without his iconic ZOMBIE make-up.

louis-price This has to be the most unintentionally funny film ever made. What's so brilliant is the sheer seriousness of all the actors as they mug their way through. This also has to go down in history as having the least threatening adversary ever; the rats themselves are cute little things that simply hang about on the floor in groups of ten or twenty, occasionally being thrown about, or dropped onto the actors heads. The film consists of the characters going inexplicably hysterical, and screaming their heads off at a bunch of rodents looking confused and trying to scuttle off in the other direction. There is a hilarious bit where one of the characters lists all the diseases that rats carry, as if that is meant to add to their nonexistent threat, all it does is make the guy sound like a moany hypochondriac. Other amazing scenes include a girl stuck in a sleeping bag (!), the characters discovering boxes full of food (they have been starving for days), and throwing most of it all over the floor (and onto each other's hair), wasting it, as they rejoice in happiness. The best is saved for last though with one of the most stupid twists in film history. It looks like it was filmed in a disused spaghetti western set, complete with saloon etc.Other contenders for the worst Italian horror include: Zombie 4- After death, fatal Frames, Zombie Creeping flesh, porno Holocaust, Demonia, The Bloodsucker leads the dance (All terrible in their own special ways), but Simply put, this one takes the biscuit, and holds the crown for utter relentless gibberish. If you appreciated 'Garth marenghi's Dark place', then you'll love this. A timeless, Oscar-worthy classic.