When people takes steroids, they typically turn into raging douchebags. Turns out if rats take them, pretty much the same thing happens. In the 1982 Canuxploitation film Deadly Eyes (aka Night Eyes), loads of rats in Toronto consume corn grain contaminated with steroids, transforming them into rabid creatures the size of small dogs. Most of them are in fact daschunds with rat suits on (as I learned from the special features on Scream Factory’s new Blu-ray release) but in close up they’re gnashing, wicked looking puppets. These old school effects are a part of the film’s charm, along with its decent production and strong leads.

The film is a slow build. Before getting to the bulk of the rat carnage, director Robert Clouse (Enter the Dragon) takes us through a love triangle of Paul Harris (Sam Groom), a divorced school teacher whose student Trudy (Lisa Langlois) is convinced she can seduce him. But Paul only has eyes for a health department inspector named Kelly (Sara Botsford), whose boss scoffs at her work ethic. The great thing about Kelly is that she’s a really strong female character, particularly for a horror film. She’s powerful and sexy, but not overtly sexual or slutty. She doesn’t even wait for Paul to ask her out, she does the courting. Trudy may be a bit forward in her seduction of Paul, but at least she’s given more depth than many female leads of this era.

Anyway, back to the giant rats devouring humans. There’s a few gruesome scenes of rats chomping on faces, hands, arm, you name it. These suckers even have the audacity to eat Scatman Crothers, who has a nice small role in the film. His best part comes during the opening credits when his name appears onscreen over a close-up of his face as he’s inexplicably laughing, watching the mounds of corn burn. It’s super uncomfortable. Why does he think it’s so funny? Some men just want to watch the world burn, I guess, including Scatman.

The best scene of rat mayhem takes place in a movie theater, where a packed house is watching Clouse’s Game of Death. It’s a really fun bit and reminiscent of The Blob‘s classic theater scene. Even if the dogs in rat suits are never very convincing, watching them attack a theater full of people is hugely entertaining. The whole movie is, in fact. Anchored by a strong cast and well-developed characters, Deadly Eyes is definitely worth checking out.

The film gets its Blu-ray debut through Scream Factory with a solid 1080p transfer. It’s a really good image too, with strong detail and colors that pop – especially the blood. The 2.0 Mono soundtrack is perfectly fine.

Scream Factory has loaded the disc with interviews. The main one, “Deadly Eyes: Dogs in Rats’ Clothing,” features screenwriter Charles Eglee (who went on to Dexter and The Walking Dead), special effects assistant Alec Gillis, and production designer Ninkey Dalton. They cover a lot of fun ground in their near-30 minute feature. Eglee notes that he had no idea the film had a cult following until one of the other writers on Dexter clued him in. A lot of time is spent talking about the effects work, with both Gillis and Dalton providing their insight.

The other interviews include actors Lisa Langlois (who still looks amazing), Lesleh Donaldson, and Joseph Kelly. Everyone seems to look back on the film fondly. There’s also a discussion with effects artist Allan Apone, who was in charge of wrangling the weiner dogs. Each interview is light and fun to watch.

The disc also includes a short TV spot and the set contains a DVD of all the exact same material.