If you’ve seen remake of The Island of Dr. Moreau from 1996, you might have forgotten most of the movie except for the really little guy who dressed in the same outfits as Marlon Brando. He wasn’t an optical effect or even a special effect puppet. Brando’s assistant was Nelson de la Rosa, a man from the Dominican Republic who was only two feet and four inches tall. While most of the viewers of the movie thought this was his cinematic debut; turns out Nelson de la Rosa had done a previous film where he played the title character. Rat Man is an Italian horror film from 1988 that was shot on a Carribean island. Nelson de la Rosa shines in the dark role of a creature who is part human and rat.
Dr. Olman (Havana‘s Pepito Guerra) has been collecting rare rat species around a Carribean Island. This includes a rather large critter (Nelson de la Rosa) with teeth and claws that seems part human. Before he can do his next scientific step, the rat man escapes his rather ratty cage and heads into the resort community. While a model is being photographed on the beach, a peeper is in the foliage sneaking a view. He’s attacked by the Rat Man and torn up. The model spots the bloody body. This brings her shoot to an end. The photographer thinks he spots the murdering culprit while examining his prints in the dark room. He doesn’t crack the case. The rat man stalks the night looking for more victims as this tropical town gets turned into one scary neighborhood. In case you’re wondering why people just don’t stomp the rat man; his spit is dangerous venom. Fred Williams (The Beyond‘s David Warbeck) shares a cab with Terry (Eaten Alive‘s Janet Agren) from the airport. He’s there for pleasure at the resort while she’s in town to identify her sister’s body at the morgue. Since he’s a writer, Williams gets involved in Terry’s plight. Williams and Terry do their best to track down the rat man since the local cops are proving inept. Are they going to cage the rat man or be his next slices of human cheese?
Guliano Carnimeo is best know for directing The Case of the Bloody Iris and four of the Spaghetti Westerns featuring Sartana including Sartana’s Here…Trade Your Pistol for A Coffin. He wasn’t a name you mention for Euro frights although Rat Man has him part of the last wave of Italian horror. He keeps up the suspense when potential victims fear they’re being stalked. The tight 82-minute running time keeps it from getting dull. The person that really makes Rat Man so unforgettable is Nelson de la Rosa. His character isn’t played for laughs when he gets vicious. The scene where he jumps out of a refrigerator is a scare instead of a goofy comic prank. If Nelson had been replaced by a special effect, the film would lose its effectiveness. Nelson De La Rose steals the show as he gnaws on scenery and the cast.
Rat Man wasn’t a big hit in Italy. What was wrong with audiences back in 1988. The film got a bit of a following on VHS. In the wake of his performance in The Island of Dr. Moreau, I don’t get how Rat Man wasn’t re-issued in America. I have no memory of it being on display at West End Video which is a shame. Rat Man is a fantastic horror film that will make anyone on Wheel of Fortune scream in terror when they solve a puzzle to win a vacation trip to a Carribean Island.
One of the greatest aspects of Nelson De La Rosa’s life was his friendship with Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez. During the 2004 playoffs, Pedro brought Nelson to the Redsox games as good luck. After 86 years, Boston Redsox won the World Series. Nelson was in the locker room enjoying the champagne with his fellow Dominicans. Nelson helped break the Curse. If you’re a Redsox fan, you need to pick up the Blu-ray of Rat Man for a Halloween treat.
The Video is 1.66:1 anamorphic so there’s black bars on the sides. The 4K restoration will let you see how Nelson de la Rosa looked part rat in the film. The Audio is DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono. This is the English dub and sounds realistic for a bunch of people being chased by a Rat Man on their Caribbean vacation. The movie is subtitled in English.
Lighting the Rat Man (16:24) is an interview with cinematographer Roberto Girometti. He got his professional start shooting newsreels and learned all the parts of making a movie including optical effects and lab work. His first feature film was camera operator on Barbarella for Claude Renoi. He gets into how director Giuliano Carnimeo lined up the shoot in Santo Domingo. He describes Nelson as cheerful during the shoot. He wasn’t a fan of horror, but wanted to shoot one. He had the Technicolor Lab in Rome show him a few. He figured out his lighting scheme while watching An American Werewolf In London.
Framing the Rat Man (17:21) sits down with camera operator Federico Del Zoppo. Has him talk about wanting to work in film after seeing Walt Disney films. Seems appropriate that he would work on Rat Man. He worked with quite a few major names in Italian cinema. He was camera operator on movies such as Death in Venice and Caligula. He describes how before video monitors, the camera operator was the only one who knew if they got the shot before the film was printed. He remember Giuliano Carnimeo as more of a craftsman than a director. While his memories of the shoot are vague, he mostly remembers Nelson.
Just a Fin (6:35) is an audio interview with post-production consultant Alberto De Martino that is illustrated. He talks about reworking films after they were shot. In the case of Rat Man, he figured out a way to make the Rat Man something his victims couldn’t squish.
Audio Commentary by film historians Eugenio Ercolani, Troy Howarth, and Nathaniel Thompson has them all thrilled that Rat Man is coming out on Blu-ray. They give the biography of Nelson De La Rosa and his pop culture lineage. They agree he does a terrifying job. There’s plenty of talk about producer Fabrizio De Angelis who was the last great indie exploitation in Italian cinema.
Trailer (2:08) has Rat Man crawl out of a toilet. You won’t poop alone after this film.
Cauldron Films presents Rat Man. Directed by Giuliano Carnimeo. Screenplay by Dardano Sacchetti. Starring Nelson de la Rosa, David Warbeck, Eva Grimaldi, Janet Agren, Laura Gianoli, Luisa Menon and Pepito Guerra. Running Time: 82 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: August 13, 2024.
