Rat Man Blu Ray Review (Cauldron Films)

Rat Man (aKa Quella villa in fondo al parco) is a 1988 horror film directed by Giuliano Carnimeo (Convoy Buddies, The Exterminators of the Year 3000, Two Sons of Ringo, Panic Button, Sartana franchise, They Call Him Cemetery, Find a Place to Die, and Guns for Dollars) under the name “Anthony Ascot”. It was written by Dardano Sacchetti (New York Ripper, The Beyond, The House by the Cemetery, Devil Fish, 1990: The Bronx Warriors, Killer Crocodile franchise, The Ogre, Karate Warrior franchise, Body Count, Demons franchise, Hands of Steel, and A Blade in the Dark). A mysterious maniac is butchering various victims including a fashion model on a Caribbean island. The model’s sister Terry (played by: Janet Agren from Red Sonja, Eaten Alive, Hands of Steel, Night of the Sharks, Karate Warrior, and City of the Living Dead) looks into her death after she’s severely disappointed with the local law enforcement’s lackluster investigation. She is going to track down the blood thirsty killer no matter what with the help of her new friend Fred (played by: David Warbeck from The Beyond, Duck you Sucker!, Karate Warrior franchise, The Black Cat, The Last Hunter, Trog, Fatal Frames, and Twins of Evil). They end up at the unknown and smaller part of the island that leads them to a shocking discovery. The community isn’t safe from this lunatic. Will they make it out alive???? Rat Man is better than it’s reputation. Veteran director Giuliano Carnimeo and seasoned writer Dardano Sacchetti honestly elevate this low budget production. Rat Man knows exactly what it’s doing here, it has plenty of violence and nudity for it’s entertainment. It’s loaded with eye candy, so many beautiful women are in this and they don’t hold back when it comes to the sleaze. The special fx and gore doesn’t disappoint when it comes to the 80’s. I really dig that this slasher actually keeps the main villain a mystery until the finale. The end has a twist that hints at a sequel that obviously never happened. It’s a very unique monster that you won’t forget after seeing this. Italian horror regulars Janet Agren and David Warbeck are the leads in Rat Man. They have good chemistry together and it’s cool to see some familiar faces in this. The supporting cast includes Eva Grimaldi (Intimacy), Werner Pochath (Terror Express), Anna Silvia Grullon (Cross Mission), Nelson de la Rosa (The Island of Dr. Moreau), and Pepito Guerra (Havana). It’s a very fun weird journey and it’s something that stays with you. This probably fits in the so bad that it’s good category but it’s so really worth checking out. It’s one of the more original Italian horror movies from the 80’s!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Cauldron Films! This 1080p (1.66:1) uncut transfer is from a brand new 4K restoration. Rat Man was previously released in the states edited and censored on VHS. This is a huge improvement and it’s the best it’s ever looked on home video. It has an English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track on the disc. The audio is solid here, it’s definitely better than all of the other past versions. All of the dialogue is crystal clear, the slashing is elevated, and the music has a nice boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. It has an “Audio Commentary” with critics Eugenio Ercolani, Troy Howarth, and Nathaniel Thompson. They all joke about being shocked that Rat Man actually got a special edition home video release. They all agree that this would never be made today. They share lots of hilarious stories and great information about the people associated with this low budget horror movie. You get a brief history of the cast and crew previous work before this one including the voice actors that dubbed Rat Man. They go over the Italian film industry and it’s struggles at the moment. This is one of those projects taken because of desperation. It was mainly released direct to video in most markets. They have good chemistry together and the critics have a blast revisiting this 80’s horror flick. It has the “Lighting the Rat Man”. It’s a little over 16 minute interview with cinematographer Roberto Girometti. He chats about his start and origins in the business. He talks about some of his earlier projects and the film makers that he worked with back in the day. He shares his experiences on Rat Man and he said that he even directed a few scenes in it. He brings up the cast and crew from it. It has the “Framing the Rat Man”. It’s a little over 17 minute interview with camera operator Federico Del Zoppo. He shows his appreciation and love for cinema. He goes over some of his earlier work when he first started out. He goes into great detail about some of the different jobs and responsibilities he performed in the beginning. He tells some honest and blunt stories from those experiences. He chats about the producer, director, and cast for Rat Man. I just enjoy that he’s always real here and he doesn’t hold back about anything. It has the “Just a Fin”. It’s a little over 6 minute audio interview with post-production consultant Alberto De Martino. He talks about what did on the production for Rat Man. He discusses the script for it. He made some changes to it that fixed his issues with the original concept. He says he wasn’t a big fan of the horror genre but he goes over some of his other films that he worked on at the time. All the conversations are in Italian word English subtitles. It has a “Trailer” for the Rat Man. It comes with reversible artwork. It’s available everywhere on August 13th, CHECK IT OUT!!!!