“The
rat, that cunning and dark being, can overcome the human mind. He controls the secrets of the underworld,
which is his hiding place...Ye shall talk to them, not knowing who they are”
After successfully
adapting playwright Ivo Brešan's Acting
Hamlet in the Village of Mrduša Donja, writer-director Krsto Papić
collaborated again with Brešan on creating probably one of the finest horror
films to be produced in Tito's Yugoslavia if not one of the greatest Croation
films ever made: The Rat Savior. Adapted from the Soviet author Alexander Grin's
novel of the same name, The Rat Savior
is a fantasy horror film about an impoverished author who stumbles upon a race
of super intelligent rats ruled by a singular “leader“ who can disguise
themselves as human.
Something of a
Yugoslav They Live with a hint of Invasion of the Body Snatchers for it's
satirical fantasy horror take on totalitarianism, The Rat Savior remains in world cinema something of a clandestine
gem sporting fine performances and excellent technical merits. Ivica Vidović, for instance, shines as the
down on his luck author Ivan Gajski responsible for discovering the rat race in
an abandoned building. Joining Gajski's
side is Professor Bošković, played superbly by Fabijan Šovagović who channels
the Hammer horror icon Peter Cushing to create a kind of Van Helsing character
who may hold the key to thwarting the rat invasion. Special attention of course must be doted upon
Relja Bašić, exuding Christopher Lee and giving the film the perfect finishing
touch as the titular and mercurial Rat
Savior.
From a technical
standpoint, The Rat Savior is
splendid. Ivica Rajković's nightime
cinematography, for instance, is a marvel drenching the film in atmosphere
while Brane Živković's gothic jazz oriented soundtrack lulls us into a madcap
state of mind. At times the score sounds
akin to Sir Peter Maxwell Davies' avant garde score for The Devils, evoking a strange mixture of absurd lunacy and somber
existential dread. And of course it goes
without saying the makeup design of the hedonistic rat people is both
incredible and frightening, looking vaguely human while still displaying eerie
rodent characteristics such as whiskers and buck toothed fangs.
In conclusion The Rat Savior with its Hammer-esque production
value and rich atmosphere is a must see for anyone who appreciates the art of
the famous British horror film studio offerings as well as proving you can
still make an effective chiller on a limited budget. As a parable, The Rat Savior illustrates no matter what ideological regime ordinary
people are trapped beneath, humans have to work together in order to combat the
bourgeoisie and what we take for granted in our lives might be hiding something
far more sinister than meets the eye.
Score:
- Hrvoje Grahovac
- edited by Andrew Kotwicki