Review of Ratman

Introduction

Hoping to win a Nobel Prize, a scientist introduces the sperm of a rat into the ovum of a monkey to create a hybrid - the result: Ratman. This creature is has poison in his teeth and claws that kills within seconds and was played by Nelson De La Rosa, an actor who was in The Guinness Book of World Records as The Smallest Man on Earth standing, as he did, at only 2 feet 4 inches.

When he escapes from his cage and kills a swimsuit model, her sister (Janet Agren) flies out to investigate and meets a journalist (David Warbeck) in a cab who, spying a good story, tags along.

That's pretty much all Ratman offers in terms of plot with the rest of the film fleshed out by gruesome murders, photo shoots and Eva Grimaldi in the shower.

Video and Audio

The DVD starts with a disclaimer of sorts:

Shameless is proud to present the most complete version Ratman ever deserved.
In order to present it with Mr Warbeck's English intact, we have used a variety of source materials - some good, some not so good...
Thanks for your understanding ...

Visually the film is lacking in clarity, especially in the dark scenes of which there are many. The source material was obviously not great and there is a lot of hiss and crackle on the soundtrack but I guess the guys at Shameless have done the best they can without ILM-like resources.

Extra Features

The theatrical trailer and trailers for other 'Shameless Treats':
- The Frightened Woman
- My Dear Killer
- Baba Yaga: The Devil Witch
- The Black Cat
- The New York Ripper
- Manhattan Baby

Conclusion

Anyone buying this and expecting a well written, well directed and well acted film is going to be very disappointed because this isn't classic by any means. The rear cover tells you that Ratman is a "glorious exploitation fest of bad taste, worse acting, needless nudity and tense wince-inducing slaughter" and that's as good a description as any. Some of the film defies explanation and the make-up on De La Rosa leaves a lot to be desired but his diminutive stature is perfect for the role.

I was reminded of Basket Case - a similarly low budget horror/comedy with dodgy effects for the mutant killer. Ratman may not have the charm of Frank Henenlotter's shocker, but it's nice to see such an obscure title given a DVD release; if Italian Giallo and low budget horror films are your cup of tea, then this is one to check out - I quite enjoyed it!