Ratman

Seriously fun little Italian sleazefest by former spaghetti western director Anthony Ascott. His "Sartana" films were filled with nifty little gimmicks, gizmos, devices, contraptions and bizarre cinematic flourishes that set the films apart from the pack. Here his little wind up gimmick is a despicable marvel of exploitation monster mania that must be witnessed to be believed. Watching the poor little rat man claw apart the half naked female supporting players is where the heart of the film lies. It delivers the goods, doesn't apologize about what it is & gets the job over with a bit of style in under 85 minutes. None of it is really scary but a lot will make your flesh crawl, and probably laugh.

One idea that keeps coming to mind is about how the film is a study in applied bad taste right down to the wince inducing use of a real life deformed person in a freakshow role. Such things cannot be enjoyed in good conscience without beer which is used in the presence of friends: It's a howler of a party movie and a guilty pleasure to be enjoyed at times when you just want to marvel at how absurd the human species can be. I don't defend this movie for a minute but I sure am in awe of it, which in some cases will have to do.

7/10

David Warbeck was a likable, energetic screen personality, but he deserves the John Carradine Lifetime Achievement Award for his sanguine eagerness to appear in ANY project thrown at him with a promise of fifty bucks. Case in point would be THE RATMAN, a vagrant little Eurochiller which inexpertly illustrates the bloody rampage of death and destruction brought forth by a two-foot tall poisonous were-rodent.

The midget actor in the titular role is actually quite frightening looking. He's EXTREMELY small, and costumed with claws and razor-sharp incisor teeth. Regrettably, he's the only point of substantial interest this film offers(besides the presence of David Warbeck, of course).

THE RATMAN is scantly agreeable fodder, and does manage to bring on the creeps once or twice...still, it's ultimately just another bump-and-grind monster mash scored with lousy synth music.

4/10

Somewhere in the Dominican Republic, a scientist creates a cross between rat and ape, which is poisonous and feeds on human flesh. Of course, the creature escapes and starts to kill everywhere. The sister of a missing model and an author of television crime stories start to investigate on their own and follow the monster's bloody route...

This was one of the last "big" Italian gore shockers and has all the ingredients we've come to expect from such films as it is sleazy, sexist, gory and stupid as hell (heck, the scientist even wants to win the Nobel price for his monster!). The creature itself is, and that's a bit of a surprise, astoundingly scary (and ugly, too). However, as we can see the monster before it escapes and starts its killing spree and the director seems more interested in showing tits and gore than anything else, there's not much of suspense in the film. However it was nice to see the return of Italian horror film veterans David Warbeck and Janet Agren. A movie for fans.

I though that Ratman was quite a good film to watch. It is about a maniac who butchers a fashion model on a Caribbean island and leaves the body to be eaten by rats. The model's sister suspects something isn't quite right with the police investigation and decides to go to find out by herself. With her friend, Fred, their investigation's lead them to an unknown part of the island where they discover a rat like man. The creature is killed by Fred, but the true horror of the rats nature is just about to start. This ended up being a good film to watch. There is quite a lot of strong gory violence and nudity in the film for viewers which may be a bit to much for some people.

Nelson De La Rosa is absolutely horrifying in his portrayal of a half human / half rat beast that preys on showering women with nice Italian boobs. This movie is a must-have for any true cultivist.

Imagine your flesh ripped by sharp claws on the end of little crazy straw arms, teeth gnawing at your face, blood pouring while your unsuspecting girlfriend showers in the adjacent room, unknowingly flashing bits of flesh... just enough to be torn to shreds.

Any fan of Nelson's should see this movie! You may know Nelson from some of his other popular characters such as The Little Dancing Man, Mahow Mahow, his role in The Island of Dr. Moreau, and various Dominican television shows... and more recently as the Red Sox good luck charm that broke the Bambino's Curse... for real.

See this movie.