Night of the Lepus (1972)

In the sun-scorched expanses of Arizona, rancher Cole Hillman finds himself waging an unexpected war against a teeming population of 'mongrel' rabbits, desecrating his land. As an act of desperation, Hillman turns to his friend and college president Elgin Clark, seeking an ecologically sound resolution to his rabbit infestation rather than resorting to harmful poisons. Responding swiftly, Clark ropes in the renowned zoologist, Roy Bennett, his wife Gerry, and their young daughter Amanda, to tackle this unique ecological crisis. Bennett, armed with an innovative plan, begins a series of experiments injecting the rabbits with an amalgamation of hormones and genetically mutated blood, aiming to disrupt their reproductive cycle and curtail their growth. However, the tranquil Arizona landscape is about to be shattered when one of these test subjects, taken as a pet by innocent Amanda, manages to escape. The escapee seeks refuge in an abandoned mine and begins to breed, creating a monstrous race of wolf-sized, carnivorous rabbits with an insatiable appetite for man, horse, and cow alike. As night falls, these bloodthirsty bunnies emerge from their subterranean lair, transforming the serene desert into a nightmarish realm of terror. In an escalating panic, the National Guard is summoned to this bizarre battlefield for a final showdown with the mutant rabbits. Night of the Lepus presents an uncanny tale of ecological meddling gone awry, as the quiet Arizona desert becomes the stage for a fight against an unnerving, unnatural enemy. The film serves as an eerie reminder of the unpredictable consequences when man tries to tamper with nature's delicate balance.

Night of the Lepus is a horror movie featuring Stuart Whitman and directed by William F. Claxton.

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