Rattlers (1976)

Directed by:

John McCauley

I loved watching this on TV as a kid, but a recent viewing was, how do I put this... Yeah, really boring. Lethal rattlesnakes are killing the citizens of a small desert town, so a college professor specializing in herpetology (Sam Chew, Jr.) and a photographer/reporter (Elizabeth Chauvet) investigate. They discover that an Army chemical experiment is responsible and there's a typically dumb cover-up subplot. Some of the snake attack scenes are pretty good if you're scared of snakes (particularly one where the snakes climb through pipes into a woman's bathtub), but too many dull talky scenes and not enough action sinks this one. The worst part (other than all the sexist vs. feminist banter between the leads) is a love montage in Las Vegas complete with a cheesy soft rock ballad. A staple of late night cable viewing from 70s exploitation giant Box Office International.

Score: 3 out of 10