Review of Night of the Lepus (1972) by Jenny Z — 08 Jun 2012

Only in the 70s (ok, maybe the 50s too) could you have a horror movie about giant carnivorous rabbits. And what makes Lepus so much of a hoot is just how dead serious this flick is. From the direction by William F.

Claxton to the performances by it's veteran cast, including Stuart Whitman, Janet Leigh and a mustache sporting DeForest Kelley, Lepus really tries to present itself as a serious horror flick and that makes it all the more fun.

From the slow motion scenes of real rabbits running through miniature sets to the close-ups of obviously fake, blood-soaked prosthetic rabbit claws and teeth, Lepus goes the whole way in trying to convinces us to be scared of the giant bunnies.

Epic fail! There's even a guy in a rabbit suit jumping on the helpless victims. Seriously, how can you not love that! Whether they're growling like mountain lions or chewing up the locals, Lepus is a deliriously fun 'so bad it's good' treat.

And there are a few bits of decent gore to boot. And if that's not enough to convince you, hold on to your hats for the military v.s. monster rabbit army at the climax. A sheer camp delight. Watched in the right mind set and with the right beverage this is a great bit of schlocky 70s entertainment.

Rated purely as delightfully schlocky cheese!