Under the Radar DVD of the Week: 'Rat Scratch Fever'
This week, the oddest DVD to appear on release lists is:
“Rat Scratch Fever”
Writer, director, cinematographer, editor, actor, special-effects tech Jeff Leroy is the very epitome of do-it-yourself, micro-budget filmmaking. A veteran of the horror and Z-movie fringes with a dozen or so schlocky credits on his resume, Leroy’s most buzzed-about work of cobbled-together horror, “Rat Scratch Fever,” hits the DVD market on Tuesday.
Employing a cast of low-budget horror veterans that includes Ford Austin, Sean Cain and Phoebe Dollar, Leroy has concocted a story about a failed space mission that results in humongous alien rats being transported back to Los Angeles, developing a taste for human flesh and then causing bloody, rabid chaos in the City of Angels and beyond.
Typical of his everything-but-the-kitchen-sink style, Leroy employs several decidedly homemade techniques to construct his larger-than-life sci-fi adventure. He uses miniature sets, puppets, processed green-screen shots and the kindness of friends to make up for his miniscule budget. Trailers for the cheeky result have been circulating on fan sites for more than a year, so anticipation for this release is running at a fever pitch among horror and camp aficionados.
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