Rats: Night of Terror (1984) - Should have been a parody

Oh, no, the apocalypse has happened and now gangs maraud through the wastelands dressed like extras from that 1979 film, 'The Warriors.' But, if searching for supplies and trying to maintain a social hierarchy isn't hard enough, just when you think your tribe has caught a break by finding a building full of supplies like sugar, they find that they aren't the only residents there.  The four-legged kind are also staking a claim to the building.

So a groups of about ten hard-as-nails biker-type apocalyptic road warriors have to survive a night against swarms of - rather confused-looking - vermin who sort of floor in, courtesy of unseen stage hands breaking various animal rights laws by chucking them at the actors.

And, weirdly, the rats seem to hold their own.  Yes, our human heroes start dropping like flies and panicking as their numbers dwindle.

Now, sort of scenario may be common in horror films.  I can't help but liken the situation to (my all time favourite film 'Aliens') only the xenomorphs are huge, deadly and much stronger than the humans trying to survive.  Even if rats were all over your living room floor, assuming you were able-bodied you could just jump over most of them and clear the room in a few strides.  Yet this never seems to happen.

The whole film is very serious, like the threat of rats is like none the human race has ever encountered before.  In fact, the more serious the actors sell the situation, the funnier it gets.

I don't know whether this is a 'so-bad-it's-good' film or not, but it certainly held my attention right until the end.  And I'm so glad I stuck with it.  No matter how crazy unrealistic and daft the film was all the way through, nothing could have prepared me for the end.  I won't spoil it, but if you try watching this and find you hate it so much you actually want to switch it off, I implore you to at least skip ahead to literally the last couple of minutes of the film.  It will make it all worthwhile - I promise you.

6/10 Should probably keep you awake if Freddy Krueger was haunting your nights