Night of the Lepus (1972)

When bunnies go bad!, 14 October 2005

The local ranchers are up in arms over the rabbits that have taken over their fields and destroyed the land they use for grazing their herds. A scientist comes up with the idea of using experimental gene therapy to wipe out the rabbits. But when one of his test rabbits escapes, the consequences prove deadly. The gene experiments have created a bunch of giant, blood-thirsty bunnies.

KILLER RABBITS! Is there any reason to say much more? How in the world did Night of the Lepus get the green-light? It's got to be one of the most ridiculous premises ever for a horror movie. I don't care how hard you try, you simply cannot make a rabbit look vicious. Most of the "special" effects consist either of filming rabbits from a low vantage point to try to make them look huge or of rabbits jumping around miniature sets of barns and houses. I'll admit that the sight of a rabbit with blood covering its mouth is a bit unsettling. But scary? Not in the least.

There must have been some actors hard-up for work in Hollywood in 1972. For a movie about killer rabbits, Night of the Lepus boasts a cast far beyond what you would expect. I'm assuming that the good movie offers weren't rolling-in for Janet Leigh when this movie was made. The rest of the cast includes Stuart Whitman, Rory Calhoun, and DeForest Kelley. Each does an adequate job considering the embarrassing material they were working with.

I realize that my rating (3/10) is probably too high. Night of the Lepus really isn't even that good. But it does possess a certain camp appeal that I find some entertainment in. The cheese-factor alone is worth a point or two.

3/10