Rats (film)

"Rats NYC" redirects here. For New York City's rat population, see Rats in New York City.

2016 American film

Rats

Promotional release poster

Directed by| Morgan Spurlock
Written by| Jeremy Chilnick
Morgan Spurlock
Based on| Rats: Observations on the History & Habitat of the City’s Most Unwanted Inhabitants by Robert Sullivan
Starring| Dr. Michael Blum
Bobby Corrigan
Ed Sheehan

Production
companies

Dakota Group
Discovery Channel

Release date

* September 13, 2016 (2016-09-13) (TIFF)

Running time

| 84 minutes
Country| United States
Language| English

Rats, also known as Rats NYC, is a 2016 American documentary horror film directed by Morgan Spurlock.[1][2] Based on a book by Robert Sullivan and distributed by the Discovery Channel, the film chronicles rat infestations in major cities throughout the world.

## Synopsis

[edit]

The film primarily focuses on rat infestations and exterminations, including methods such as night-patrol teams in Mumbai snapping rats' necks and the practice of ratting in England. Much of the documentary has been considered a detailing of "the 'war' against rats", featuring "bashing, slicing, dissecting and poisoning".[3] The director also journeys to the Karni Mata Temple in Rajasthan, India, where over 35,000 black rats are revered by devotees who believe them to be reincarnated human beings.

## Release and reception

[edit]

The documentary premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 13, 2016.[4] The film premiered on television on October 22, 2016, airing on the Discovery Channel.[5]

The Daily Telegraph reported on the film's trailer for its "stomach-churning footage" and "disturbing scenes", with writer Rebecca Hawkes noting that the trailer's footage, which includes rats being killed by terriers, "will likely provoke a strong response from viewers".[3] The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the documentary "plays much like a horror film", and in reference to the terrier scene, called it "an absolute bloodbath ... with filters appropriate for a zombie apocalypse".[6] Wendy Ide of The Guardian wrote that the film is "gleefully exploitative in its approach, and as such, it is horribly entertaining".[7] Peter Debruge of Variety called the film "super-disgusting" and "[un]fair to the animals in question, who would surely view this as a grisly, “Faces of Death”-style marathon of murder", writing that "rarely has a filmmaker more blatantly manipulated the material he has collected to game his audience".[8]

### Accolades

[edit]

Award  | Category  | Recipients  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

Saturn Awards | Best Television Presentation | Rats | Nominated  | [9]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Amy Kaufman (17 September 2016). "With 'Rats,' Morgan Spurlock delivers the rare doc that also functions like a shock-horror movie". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
2. ^ Chloe Melas (21 October 2016). "Morgan Spurlock on horror documentary 'Rats': 'We all have a rat story'". CNN.com. Archived from the original on 1 January 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
3. ^ a b Rebecca Hawkes (26 September 2016). "Rats: is Morgan Spurlock's new horror doc the most disgusting film of the year?". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 26 December 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
4. ^ Peter Sciretta (15 September 2016). "Rats Trailer: Morgan Spurlock's Doc Will Make You Scared To Sit On A NYC Toilet". /Film. Archived from the original on 1 January 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
5. ^ Charlinda Robinson (21 October 2016). "Morgan Spurlock's Horror Documentary 'Rats' To Premiere On Discovery". Inquisitr. Archived from the original on 1 January 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
6. ^ John DeFore (14 September 2016). "'Rats': Film Review - TIFF 2016". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 1 January 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
7. ^ Wendy Ide (18 December 2016). "Rats review – Spurlock down the sewer". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
8. ^ Peter Debruge (21 September 2016). "Film Review: 'Rats'". Variety. Archived from the original on 1 January 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
9. ^ McNary, Dave (March 15, 2018). "'Black Panther,' 'Walking Dead' Rule Saturn Awards Nominations". Variety. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2018.

## External links

[edit]

* Rats at IMDb
* Rats at Rotten Tomatoes

* v
* t
* e

Morgan Spurlock

Films|

* Super Size Me
* Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?
* Freakonomics
* POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
* Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope
* Mansome
* One Direction: This Is Us
* Rats
* Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!

Television|

* I Bet You Will
* 30 Days
* The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice!
* A Day in the Life
* Morgan Spurlock's New Britannia
* Morgan Spurlock Inside Man

Related|

* What Would Jesus Buy?
* Don't Eat This Book: Fast Food and the Supersizing of America

*[Ref.]: Reference
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template