Deadly Eyes: Dogs in Rats Clothing (2014) User Reviews

Great for fans of this low-budget classic

[SusieSalmonLikeTheFish · 8/10 · 17 September 2014]

I've long been a fan of Deadly Eyes; growing up in Canada I always got excited when a Canadian horror film popped up for sale in Sydney and I found Deadly Eyes on VHS one day. While it doesn't have the qualities of most horror movies, Deadly Eyes is a hilarious and thrilling little movie. The plot follows the city of Toronto, mainly high school students and their teacher, along with a health inspector, all of whom become victims to killer rats.

This great short documentary explains and discusses the effects and props, etc. for Deadly Eyes. Its title comes from the strange fact that to show killer rats as larger than usual the "rats" were wiener dogs dressed in rat suits.

It's great to hear the POV of the makers of Deadly Eyes, and other facts involving the novel it was based upon, the characters, etc. If you're a fan of Deadly Eyes than this is a must-see. I also hope that someday the song 'Lolita' by Chuck McDermott, which was played in Deadly Eyes, will be released someday because it's the catchiest song I've ever heard.

Nifty retrospective documentary

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 20 August 2014]

This 24-minute retrospective documentary offers some fun information on the making of the enjoyable low-budget killer rat horror opus "Deadly Eyes." Screenwriter Charles H. Eglee reveals that he had never read James Herbert's novel "The Rats" when he was approached to pen the script -- he patterned the story after the 1978 film "Piranha" which he had worked as an assistant director on -- and admits that he thinks the picture is silly. Make-up effects man Alec Gillis relates a great anecdote about how the use of dachshunds in rat costumes inspired an all-advised attempt to make up a dog to play a chest-burster for "Alien3." Production designer Ninkey Dalton discusses building sets that were smaller in scale in order to mate the rats look bigger. Moreover, Eglee brags about buying marijuana for Scatman Crothers and notes that director Robert Clouse had trouble dealing with the freezing cold weather in Toronto. Best of all, Eglee and Dalton met each other during the making of this movie and wound up getting married. Featuring a few neat behind-the-scenes photos and loads of choice clips, it's recommended viewing for fans of the flick.

The Making of Deadly Eyes

[Michael_Elliott · 25 May 2015]

Deadly Eyes: Dogs in Rats Clothing (2014)

*** (out of 4)

Nice 24-minute featurette from Shout Factory! takes a look at the making of DEADLY EYES, the 1982 Canadian movie. Interviewed here are art director Ninkey Dalton, writer Charles H. Eglee and special effects artist Tom Woodruff, Jr.. The majority of the screen time is giving to the writer who talks about how this project came to be and the various problems that came up during production. Woodruff tells a lot of great stories about being brought onto the picture and talking about the differences between this and a couple Roger Corman films he worked on. He also shares a story about the making of ALIEN 3, which at the time reminded him of this picture. Fans of DEADLY EYES are going to enjoy hearing these stories and as the title suggests, a lot of talk goes towards the dogs that were dressed up as the killer rats. There are certainly some nice stories being told including one where Scatman Crothers needed pot delivered to him daily.