There exists in the film world a long list of notoriously bad movies, movies so bad that they have been established as reference points when talking about crappy movies, movies that break boundaries of quality in ways no one thought possible. When you’re talking about terrible monster movies someone will eventually bring up Night of The Lepus as an example of the ‘Worst of the worst’. Is it? Probably not, but it’s certainly in the running. If you’ve never heard of Night of the Lepus, it boasts a star studded cast playing scientists and ranchers trying to control a very real problem, a massive overpopulation of rabbits picking ranch lands clean after ranchers foolishly kill all their predators. In an attempt to stop these rabbits from reproducing, scientists inject a rabbit with an experimental formula, then the rabbit is released into the wild. Then the rabbits get big. Yes, the monster in this movie is ‘giant’ rabbits. I put giant in quotes because really they’re just regular sized rabbits but filmed in close up.

Those of you who haven’t seen this movie might be saying, ‘hey you love bad movies, isn’t a bad movie with a silly monster a good thing?’ Bad movies are great. Silly monsters are great. You know what’s not great? Boring movies. Movies where characters shuffle from scene to scene reading dull lines like they’re trying to avoid falling asleep. Movies where the ‘horrible dismembered bodies’ are just 1 second shots of actors covered in red paint. Movies that tell you exactly what is going to happen and then show that with no style or flair. Movies that just end with no exciting climax. Night of the Lepus is that movie. I could barely keep my eyes open watching this, that’s how boring it was. The only enjoyment I got was from the cute miniatures that show up and the score that is admirably trying to make rabbits with ketchup on their faces seem frightening. Night of the Lepus isn’t a ‘so bad it’s good’ movie, Night of the Lepus is an argument against cinema as an art form. And I’m not gonna name names but someone requested I watch this movie. Someone who is now dead to me

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