NIGHT OF THE LEPUS'
aka 'Attack Of The Giant Angry Killer Rabbits'
Warner Brothers Studio
Directed By; William Claxton
Starring; Janet Leigh, Rory Calhoun, Stuart Whitman & DeForest Kelley.
1972
Now Streaming on Amazon-Prime to Rent or Buy.
Hi Kids,
Yes, DITA DIRT NAP's back and I brought my giant Chocolate Bunny with me!
Just in time to see a 50' Foot; Peter Cotton-Tail stomping down the Bunny Trail!
Hipp-ity-hop-hop Easter's on it's way............along with a lot of blood,
carnage and uh.......carrots, with some 'PEEPS' & jelly beans thrown in for good
measure!
So
this week I bring you a Cult-y DrIve-In movie about GIANT, Killer Rabbits on the
war path! It’s called ‘NIGHT OF THE LEPUS!'
To see that campy Trailer click here, kids>
https://youtu.be/AA910vCNRe4?si=IUyKsvtBSnDH2Woq
The movie asks; 'How many eyes does horror have? DITA doesn't know, but I bet
they have 20/20 vision........and uh, an active sex life! Cuz rabbits multiply
silly! Believe it or not this horror screen play came from a Novel called,
'Attack Of The Giant Angry Rabbits' which I think would have made a more fitting
title. You see Lepus is Latin for rabbit. By the way this Cult movie was aired
on one of DITA's favorite programs on cable called 'TCM UNDERGROUND' on Turner
Classic Movies channel.
Any-Boo, this is a guilty pleasure flick that must have been fun at the Drive-In
back in 1972 upon it's release from Warner Brothers. This is a silly, fun film
that you can laugh at when the scenes turn from horror to ludicrous, which is
whenever the rabbits come onscreen in their giant close-ups of their teeth
smeared with fake blood, squealing, killing, hopping, chasing and killing cows &
horses and last but not least......... people! The sound effects put in for the
rabbits when they kill, sound like lions! Lions, really, hmmmm? Lions, tigers
and bunnies, oh my!
Oh, DITA almost forgot the Story line. It's fun/silly of course. It starts out
with Janet Leigh and her husband and child being brought in to humanely down
size the rabbit population by using hormones. Are these transsexual bunnies
perhaps? Hmmm?
After injecting on of the rabbits that Miss Leigh's daughter was fond of, the
little girl switches the injected rabbit with a non-injected rabbit. She keeps
it for a pet but her friend sets it free and it runs down a hole and mates with
the other bunnies. The rabbits of course are now Super-sized and travel in
packs. The family and town’s people and sheriffs try dynamite-ing their rabbit
cave. It doesn't work and by night fall the Killer, giant, angry rabbits are on
the move. They terrorize a ranch, a general store, attack horses and cows and
get shot at as well as lit on fire. Nothing stops them!
What to do, what to do? Well, I'll tell you my little rotten Easter eggs. The
Sheriff recruits Drive-In Movie Patrons, I kid you not, by having them line up
their cars with their lights on to drive the Killer Bunnies out to the nearby
rail road tracks. They have of course rigged the train tracks to electrocute the
giant rabbits dead in their tracks. Rabbit Stew for the whole town! End
scene.
By the way, the Drive-In Patrons from earlier seem not at all fazed that the
Sheriff has zoomed in the Drive- In (while a classic 'TOM & JERRY' Cartoon plays
on the screen.) and announces on a Bull Horn that a herd of Giant Killer Rabbits
are headed their way! Uh, okay!
There are unintentionally funny lines of dialogue through out
this Killer Bunny Flick that make you think of 'Mystery Science Theater 3000'!
Love that show! Also look for the scene where Janet Leigh's character and her
young daughter are trapped and surrounded by the Giant KILLER Rabbits in a
camper truck. Miss Leigh throws her daughter in the camper and fights them off
with only a road flare! “Atta, Girl!'
Remember she wasn't so lucky in her earlier 1960 flick fighting off Norman in
the shower. Oh, well you can't win them all, hon!
DITA gives this Killer Rabbit/B-Movie 2½ SKULLS out of 3.
Enjoy Streaming 'NIGHT OF THE LEPUS', A Cult Flick if their ever was one, To buy
or rent on 'Amazon-Prime' this Happy, Haunted Easter, my little Stale Easter
Peeps!
BTW; DITA likes the Pink Ones.
To see 'Night Of The Lepus' lampooned on 'RIFF-TRAX', Click here, my little
'Night Creatures>
https://youtu.be/QuYSFvhBMEo?si=LXYlfZTYYOUKXr8T
P.S. DITA hopes they show this Holiday CULT-Flick this month at the 'NEW BEVERLY
CINEMA' POPCORN, DARKNESS, CULT/HORROR FLICKS, ALL THINGS WE LOVE!
DITA blows you 'Chainsaw-Kisses' till next week,
DITA ('Easter-Beagle') DIRT NAP
(See a 'TV-SPOT' from DITA’s favorite animator’s Easter Special, Charles M.
Schulz's; 'IT'S THE EASTER BEAGLE, CHARLIE BROWN' which DITA & RENFIELD just
watched recently now Streaming on 'APPLE-TV PLUS'>
https://youtu.be/wne-r5knOv4?si=cRHEMClvsSKp_w6d )
Also watch one of DITA DIRT NAP's Favorite Easter-Specials in full, from;
'RANKIN BASS'; 'Here Comes Peter Cottontail', Starring 'DITA-Fave' VINCENT
PRICE>
https://youtu.be/a5QW0dD33s4?si=IR0s8iCFJoXXjauA
Contact me at; DDN1965@LIVE.COM but
Please write; DITA in the Subject-Line.
As usual please check out these fDITA-Suggested sites as follows;
www.fangoria.com
www.legendfilms.com
www.mymoviemonsters.com
(Scary Monsters Magazine.)
www.somethingweird.com
www.halloweenuniversity.com
www.shockcinemamagazine.com
www.peanuts.com
www.CultFictionDrive-In.com
www.electricduskdrivein.com
(DITA LIKE-Y!)
www.radiohalloween.com
www.facebook.com/DJDugGraves
(Listen to DUG GRAVES Radio Horror Show Every Friday Nite , Bun-Hon!)
www.shoutfactory.com (Excellent
DVD Choices Especially of 'Vintage TV Shows like the Original; 'ELVIRA'S MOVIE
MACABRE', 'PEE WEE'S PLAYHOUSE' & 'MSTK3000',etc.)
www.elvira.com
(Check out ELVIRA's New Easter-Merch.!!!)
P.P.S. Happy Haunted, Easter to all my 'Easter-Peeps!!!'
Creature Feature © D. Dyszel 2026
and by
Dick Dyszel - Voice Actor