A terror in the dark ravaging all who cross its path! Can you survive the Night of the Lepus? The 1972 creature feature Night of the Lepus is a movie you cannot forget. With the star-studded cast of Janet Leigh, Rory Calhoun, and Stuart Whitman this film does a great job of building up the horror, just to have it crash into the ground. The film managed to gather a whopping 9% on rotten tomatoes and has been dubbed one of the worst movies of all time. But before you decide to dismiss this film, Night of the Lepus does have its own set of redeeming qualities, that is if you look at it from a comedic perspective.
The story takes place in a dreary Arizona town overrun by hordes of vicious rabbits. Yes, rabbits are running wild and drying up all the rich fertile farmland. Things could not seem to get any worse when suddenly the town’s only farmer gets bitten by one of these horrid beasts and receives the terrifying “Bite of the Lepus.” Disclaimer: the Latin word “Lepus” is not even the correct name for the type of rabbits even shown in the film. In hopes to remedy the town’s infestation, our hero, a local zoologist attempts to put a stop to the rabbits, only to make an even bigger problem by creating even bigger rabbits!
Though to some, the plot may seem a bit lacking, the film makes up with its incredibly realistic depictions of giant rabbits by filming regular rabbits in slow motion, running on miniature replicas of the set, which are surprisingly good. As far as the rest of the special effects, they certainly are the most unforgettable parts of the film accompanied by its Scooby-Doo-esque soundtrack. At least the film’s costume department knew what they were doing by giving the main character a super hip leather shirt.
All in all, this film, though not its intentions, will put a definite smile on your face. The film makes for a great date night special, as it just celebrated its Blu-ray debut this past June. Though this movie was undoubtedly bad, it was well worth the watch.
