''The Rats'' (working title: ''The Colony'') is a 2002 American

made-for-TV A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

horror film written by Frank Deasy and directed by

John Lafia John Lafia (April 2, 1957 – April 29, 2020) was an American film and television writer, director, producer and musician. He is best known for co-writing the 1988 film '' Child's Play'' and directing its 1990 sequel ''Child's Play 2''. Career ...

. The plot follows a clan of

rats Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include ''Neotoma'' ( pack rats), ''Bandicota'' (bandicoot ...

transformed, as part of a DNA research trial, into man-eating killers who take over a Manhattan department store and threaten to overrun

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. Originally intended to be air on September 17, 2001, its release was delayed until after the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

to remove shots of the

World Trade Center towers World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may refer to: Buildings * List of World Trade Centers * World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...

Plot

In Manhattan, when a client is bitten by a rat in the dressing room of Garsons Department Store and contracts Weil's disease, the manager Susan Costello is assigned to hire and help the best exterminator in New York, Jack Carver. Jack and his assistant Ty find a colony of mutant rats in New York City and try to convince the health department administrator and former partner of Jack, Ray Jarrett, how serious the infestation is. But the politician Ray is interested only in covering up the problem to protect the economic interests of powerful groups.

Cast

Mädchen Amick Mädchen Elaina Amick ( ; born December 12, 1970) is an American actress and television director. She is known for her starring role as Shelly Johnson on the television series ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991), its prequel film '' Twin Peaks: Fire ...

as Susan Costello *

Vincent Spano Vincent M. Spano Jr. (born October 18, 1962) is an American film, stage and television actor; he is also a film director and producer. Early life Spano was born in Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with King ...

as Jack Carver * Shawn Michael Howard as Ty *

Daveigh Chase Daveigh Elizabeth Chase ( ; née Chase-Schwallier; born July 24, 1990) is an American actress, singer, and model. She began her career appearing in minor television roles before being cast as Samantha Darko in Richard Kelly's cult film '' Donni ...

as Amy Costello * David Wolos-Fonteno as Ray Jarrett *

Sheila McCarthy Sheila McCarthy (born January 1, 1956) is a Canadian actress and singer. She has worked in film, television, and on stage. McCarthy is one of Canada's most honoured actors, having won two Genie Awards (film), two Gemini Awards (television), an A ...

as Miss Paige *

Kim Poirier Kim Jacinthe Poirier (born February 6, 1980) is a Canadian actress, singer, film producer, and television host. Biography Personal life Born in Drummondville, Quebec, the daughter of actress/model Carol Laquerre who was Miss Toronto in 1976, sh ...

as Jay * Elisa Moolecherry as Nyla *

Joe Pingue Joe Pingue is a Canadian actor and film maker. Early life Pingue was born and raised in St. Catharines, Ontario. He attended Ridley College for both elementary and high school, and studied theatre at York University. While attending Ridley Col ...

as Karl

Reception

Andy Webb from "The Movie Scene" gave the film three out of five stars, stating: "What this all boils down to is that "The Rats" is some old fashioned horror fun which plays on people's own fears of rats. Of course if you think rats are cute and adorable then this isn't going to work and you might even be offended at the portrayal of rats or the ridiculous climax. But if you do have a fear of the furry icrodents this movie is not one to watch before you go to sleep." Rod Lott from "Flick Attack", wrote: "Come up with a cliché, and sooner or later, The Rats gets to it, right down to the ever-predictable it-ain’t-really-over final shot. Child’s Play 2 and Man’s Best Friend director John Lafia does a decent job, having experience with all sorts of beasts, like killer dolls, robot dogs and Ally Sheedy." Florita A. from "Hell Horror", scored the film 4 out of 10, writing: "The Rats was made simple, and that was not an ideal thing as the movie flopped although it was a TV movie. I like the idea of rats playing on someone’s fear, but it came down to the film not being executed in the right manner to send frights across to its audience amongst other things."

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rats 2002 television films 2002 horror films American natural horror films Films about mice and rats Films directed by John Lafia Films postponed due to the September 11 attacks 2002 films Films scored by Elia Cmíral American horror television films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films