Big Freaking Rat is directed by Thomas J. Churchill, and the cast includes Caleb Thomas, Nino Aldi, Dave Sheridan, Felissa Rose, Michael Cervantes, Kelly Lynn Reiter, Cece Kelly, Sheri Davis, Rachel Sterling.
I went into Big Freaking Rat expecting exactly what the title promised: a dumb, loud, late-night creature feature about a big freaking rat, with some cheesy kills, and hopefully a few intentional (or not) laughs.
But what I got instead felt like a fever dream.
The plot, and I use that term very generously, follows a park ranger named Brody who’s just trying to keep his niece and nephew alive at a newly opened campground. Standard stuff. Until a massive, mutated rat shows up and starts turning campers into a buffet. Classic creature feature setup. Should be easy, right? But this thing derails almost immediately.
The rat itself looks as bad as you think it will, and the opening credits feels like a rejected Sega CD cutscene. I genuinely couldn’t tell if I was watching a real film or an elaborate YouTube prank until the 20 minute mark.
The tone is all over the place, veering from slapstick comedy to grim horror to what I think was an attempt at heartfelt family drama? It’s like three different movies mashed together with zero regard for pacing, tone, or logic. There’s no suspense, and the kills are uninspired. The humor feels like it was written during a caffeine crash, and at no point does the film ever seem sure of what it actually wants to be.
By the end, I wasn’t even mad, I was just baffled. Was it supposed to be satire? Parody? A genuine attempt at a monster movie? I still have no clue. But I did laugh. I groaned. I yelled, “What is happening?!” at the screen more times than I can count. So maybe that counts as success? Not the kind the filmmakers were aiming for, probably. but success all the same.
The film does have a few glimmers of self-awareness though. Dave Sheridan (yes, Officer Doofy himself from Scary Movie) shows up and seems fully aware of the cinematic train wreck he’s in. He plays it big, silly, and actually injects some life into the film.
Felissa Rose pops in too, but she’s gone before she can do much beyond reminding us that Sleepaway Camp exists. These moments made me hope the film was trying to be a tongue-in-cheek homage to '80s B-movie monster madness.
But if that was the goal, the execution missed the exit ramp. By miles.
If you find joy in yelling at your TV and making up your own dialogue, Big Freaking Rat might be your jam. Expect a giant rat, some truly unhinged acting choices, and a whole lot of unintentional comedy.
And for that… I kind of respect it. A little. Maybe.
OK, I don't...