MartinHafer The crazy title of this film would seem to indicate that it's a bad movie, but that doesn't even come close to describing this film and just how bad it is. The film reaches levels of amateurism that are hard to believe and you just have to see it to believe it. I'll try to describe its wretchedness as best I can. The acting appears about the same quality as local community theater. Not a big community and not a good theater mind you. The actors(?) over-emote wildly but that is not the big problem. The big problem is that they deliver their lines so rapidly that it makes your head spin and the director (Andy Milligan) SHOULD have told them all to slow down. The costumes and sets are just odd. But the oddest thing is the strange and disjoint plot. At times, it is enjoyable as a guilty pleasure (much like "Spider Baby") but much of the time it just seems like everyone is winging it!The film begins with some nonsense involving some maniac lighting someone on fire. Exactly what's going on is vague and you hear from the demented family that the youngest son has once again run amok. Soon the youngest daughter who has been away at college arrives home with a new husband. Her father is not happy—apparently there are weird genetics abounding in the family and her duty is to work on some formula to correct it. At this point, it is obvious the youngest son is some sort of primordial weirdo—not really a werewolf. However, you soon see that one of the three sisters is just plain nuts and delights in tormenting and tearing apart animals. This is the part that angered me because they really did torment animals for the picture—and I think the animal that was literally ripped apart on the camera might have been a real animal. Normally I am not a big supporter of PETA, but here they really have reason to be angry! There's also a deformed guy who loves rats and sells them to this crazy sister—but none of it really made sense. It was more like watching a freak show as the actors hammed it up and tried to shock the viewer. The biggest shock for me, however, is that the film just rambled and seemed to have no point or direction. The only reason I am giving this one a 2 and not a 1 is that it did keep my attention—at least for a while. All the nutty antics were mildly interesting. But artistically, this film is just awful and pointless.If you care (and really, you shouldn't), the nuttiest sister refers to her new pet rats by name—one of which is Ben and the other Willard—and are taken from the movie "Willard".

gortry The tedious condescension of the other reviews notwithstanding, this film passes a number of screen tests that many a more mainstream big budget flick fails: does it have a horror film's one essential, i.e., atmosphere? In spades, although an original score would have helped sustain it better; do the characters dispatch their difficult roles convincingly or do they camp it up in a desire to wink at the audience to let us know that they don't take such an over-the-top scenario seriously? Very convincingly indeed. Mad Monica comes across as especially terrifying, and madness is always one of the hardest personas to bring off. (The actor playing the rather subdued character of Gerald is, perhaps an exception here, but the fault may reside with the part itself, which is the only "normal" voice in the action and suffers from some degree of underwriting.) And finally, the trump question of all dramaturgy: do you find yourself wanting to know how "Rats" ends and what becomes of its characters. Emphatically yes!

Jay Pearlman ***POSSIBLE SPOILERS***This "film" was probably the worst piece of garbage I ever wasted video rental money on. I saw it many years ago, and it still leaves a foul taste whenever I think about it. I could barely get through this swill. Someone else referred to this as "cinematic feces" and I agree wholeheartedly. The close-up sequence involving the mouse clinched it for me that Milligan was one sick b*****d who should have been arrested for animal cruelty.There is nothing whatsoever worthwhile or redeeming about this pile of junk. What a waste of film stock. I couldn't believe there could actually be something worse than BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS, but here it is, folks. When I want a film that's "so bad it's good", I'll haul out something by Ed Wood or Larry Buchanan.

reptilicus I first met Andy Milligan in 1985 and told him how much I enjoyed his movies. I remember how he actually blushed when I asked for his autograph. This 1972 movie is his best . . .but I am the first to admit that is small compliment. The Mooney family has no end of problems. Pa Mooney claims to be 199 years old, daughter Monica (Hope Stansbury) is a sadist, son Malcolm is a halfwit and the whole family are werewolves! There is enough plot here for two movies! The eldest daughter in the family (Jackie Skarvellis) returns home from medical school with a new husband, which Pa Mooney heartily disapproves of, but she is the last hope that they can overcome the ancient curse. Will she succeed? Remember, this is an Andy Milligan film we are talking about! Clearly Hope Stansbury is the best actress in the picture. A Milligan perennial, she turns up in several of his pictures. Andy always denied it but I suspect it is he playing Mr. Macawber, the one armed, disfigured shopowner who sells Ms. Stansbury the rats which serve to pad out the picture by 11 minutes (11 l-o-n-g minutes!). Notice during one scene in Mr. Macawber's shop if you look at the background you will see several cardboard boxes labeled "Hires Root Beer". A great movie? No. A fun movie? Yes, definitely. I miss you Andy.