DEADLY EYES (1982)

 CHOMPITY CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP!!!!  RATS MUNCH TORONTO!!! 

I'm sorry but how can you not love this Canadian co-production horror animal attack flick made in conjunction with Golden Harvest (yes, the Chinese company which made the Bruce Lee films) directed by Robert Clouse (director of ENTER THE DRAGON)?!?!?  That's right, you CAN'T help loving it!  Based on the mega-influential James Herbert novel "THE RATS", DEADLY EYES is a helluva lot of fun.  Killer rats grow to enormous size after eating a lot of steroid-infused grain and decide that Toronto looks pretty tasty to them! 

So they head on over through the subway tunnels and sewers to chomp on some juicy Canucks!  Yes, these blood-thirsty rats are the size of small dogs -- and there's a reason for that -- because they're played by small dogs apparently draped in bathroom rugs.  The rats are also portrayed by the most awesomest puppets; I swear they gave off a Muppet vibe for this viewer and I loved them.  I mean they're adorable in a gore and blood-spilling kinda way. 

American everyman actor Sam Groom plays school coach Paul Harris who is drawn into the proceedings because -- well, he just is.  He becomes romantically involved with a health inspector named Kelly Leonard (oddly played at some points by Sara Botsford as if her character is an habitual valium-taker) and, I guess, that's probably why he's involved in the munchy massacre going on.  Oh yes, and Scatman Crothers has a brief role as George Faskins who -- well, go watch the movie and see. 

Because Golden Harvest and director Robert Clouse are involved, the movie theatre where the rats stage an all-out attack is showing the apres-vie Bruce Lee's GAME OF DEATH.  There's isn't wall-to-wall action but the 'relationship' scenes played by Groom and Botsford are totally watchable; really down to the charm and commitment of the two actors.  Also, the constant efforts of randy student Trudy White (Lisa Langlois -- vet of HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME and THE NEST) to seduce her teacher Mr. Harris are silly and entertaining as she constantly seems to catch him when he's wearing nothing but a towel! 

Poor Lisa Langlois . . .she's gonna be short one boyfriend!

As for the rat attacks, they're wonderful and not one iota convincing as about 75% of the time they're played by aforementioned puppets in close-up shots and don't look real in the slightest.  But that's what makes this movie so much fun.  Obviously Clouse KNOWS the rat puppets don't look like real rats but he's giving them star-making close-ups anyway and they deserve it because, after all, they're the REAL stars here!  A goofy good time!