‘They’re everywhere!’
Altered Species – aka Rodentz – is a 2001 American horror film written and directed by Miles Feldman [Serge Rodnunsky] (Black Cat, The Dead of Night, Blade of the Vampire).
The film stars Allen Lee Haff (Deep Freeze), Leah Rowan, Guy Veig, Robert Broughton, Richard Peterson, Derek Hofman, Alexandra Townsend and David Bradley.
Plot:
On a moonlit night, in a remote research laboratory, a major medical breakthrough is about to have deadly results. A chemical compound that was created to “hunt and destroy” deadly cancer cells has leaked from the hazardous waste disposal system into the building’s basement.
Now, the rodents involved in the laboratory experiment upstairs are not the only rats in the facility that will become the altered species. Professor Schultz, a leading bio-researcher, has just determined that the addition of a new enzyme now enables his “hunt and destroy” formulation to regenerate for the length of time necessary to neutralize deadly cancer tumors.
When three varying degrees of the new mixture are administered to three different rats and the rest poured down the faulty “Waste Hazard” sink, shocking side-effects result in a night of terror…
Reviews:
“There’s nothing wrong with the concept of killer rats, but the movie falls flat in just about every area of execution. The acting sucks, the directing sucks, the guy in the big rat suit sucks, the effects suck, the music sucks, even the DVD Case art suck.”Hide the cheese” says the front. “Classic creature feature” says the back.” Shameface.com
“If only the filmmakers had followed their own tagline, “Hide the cheese…” The cheese is in full view, and it stinks to boot”. Rob Lineberger, DVD Verdict
“Yawnsville story about a gaggle of cookie-cutter college kiddos who decide to get their party started at an abandoned building where a disgraced professor is trying to cure cancer by juicing lab rats full of glowing green goo a la Re-Animator.” Noel Gross, DVD Talk
“The rats are presented in almost every form available to special effects – there are real rats, CGI rats, plastic rats and even monster suits. None of these effects look in any way, shape or form even the remote bit scary. There are plenty of pathetically-staged rat attacks in which victims just lay on the ground and allow themselves to be swarmed over by the rats…” Andrew Smith, Popcorn Pictures
“It sounds like a set-up for a comedy making fun of bad horror films, but it takes itself rather seriously. For a sub-genre of killer-rat movies such as are usually ultra-stupid, this one is perhaps a half-peg above, competently acted & entertaining, which is not the same as being on any level consequential. It’s beyond trivial.” Wild Realm Reviews
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Filming locations:
Los Angeles, California, USA
Related: Attack of the Rats! – article by David Flint
