Rattlers (1976)

After watching Snowbeast, it was time to dive into another 1970s animal’s gone wild movie. This time I chose, Rattlers, where killer rattlesnakes of the American Southwest gather up in large numbers and start unprovoked attacks on people, and it is up to a male expert on reptiles and a female photographer to find out why and stop them. It was available in the same Drive-In Movie Classics 50 Movie Pack.

Released amongst the backdrop of a run of nature-on-a-rampage movies, this one has found itself lost in the abyss, unlike Kingdom Of The Spiders that recently got some love with a rerelease. Actually, after watching the flick, it is very understandable why that has happened. While the idea of toxic waste influencing the future genetic make-up of an animal is believable. This modification giving a rattlesnake the ability to puncture a tire on moving jeep, not so much!

From that last sentence you can probably tell that these are not regular snakes living in the desert, these are mutated because of the military dumping waste in an abandoned mine; and man are they hungry. These babies can leap, bite, puncture, rip and even plan their attacks as they ravage the area near the mine. They even show good taste by joining a young vixen in the pleasure of a bubble bath (so they at least get a good visual before they dine).

If you have not had the pleasure of witnessing this movie, I will leave the choice up to you. All I will say is that it is definitely as “B” as a B-Movie can get. It does have some funny parts that come across as being very unplanned and ridiculous (moving army jeep is only one example). One thing is sure though, it will not help you get over any fears of snakes. In fact, it may even create your phobia and make you think twice before entering your crawlspace.

 

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