Rare Flix: Wild Beasts (1983)

One more trip to the Zoo won't hurt!  Today's Film is Wild Beasts, an Italian Horror Film that I had literally not heard of as of 2 days ago.  I was looking for stuff online, found it, read the Plot Synopsis and said 'I guess I'm doing this now!'  When you find out what it is, you probably won't blame me.  A bunch of Animals escape from the Zoo after they drink PCP-laced water.  Yes, drink it in.  No, not that water!!!  So yes, this is about drug-crazed Animals on the loose.  Since it is both too early and this Film was too cheap, there is no CG here.  Double yea!  Can a Vet who looks like Rick Rude and a Reporter save an unnamed City from the Animals?  To find out, read on...

Even though this Film was made by some famous Italians, it is set in, well, you'll see...

At a Zoo in...some city in Northern Europe, something is in the Water and the Animals are acting weird.  This Tiger, for example, ate her own young (off-camera).

 That night, a bunch of stuff goes down.  Just to confuse me, this Film clearly set in Germany is attacked by Rats sent by an Italian man.  So is this Rats: Night of Terror of Revenge of the Rats?!?

In something you don't get to see too much (for good reason), here is an Elephant smashing through a wall.  Ow.

While I could talk more about the overall Plot- which is mostly just separate bits of groups being threatened by the Animals-, I'd rather highlight these Elephants.  One of them chokes a guy to death!

The other stomps on the head of the woman in the Car with him, making Kool-Aid come out!

The coup de grace- the Elephants wander onto a runway, causing a plan to crash and kill the power for all of Northern European City!  Lovely stuff.

After some bits with a Polar Bear, a Cheetah and some Horses, Dr. Rick Rude discovers the culprit- drugs!

He doesn't actually discover *how* the stuff got in the Water...but baby steps, I guess.

The Film takes an extra dark turn as the kids previously-threatened by the Polar Bear have turned killer...since they too drank the water.  As the Film seems to be going somewhere dark, it just stops.

This is abrupt...stop this text is all real...stop doing this kind of thing, Movies.  The End.

Weird, dramatic stuff.  The whole Film is treated super-seriously, which I kind of like.  It is all about the Drama of people in peril in various locations.  Mind you, they are in peril from drug-crazed Zoo Animals.  Mind you, the Film's locations include a Subway Line attacked by a Lion, a Cheetah chasing a woman in a VW Bug and a Polar Bear stalking some kids at Ballet Practice.  It is hard to take this stuff 100% seriously, no matter how hard they try.  It still isn't The Happening though.  Since this is my 4th Zoo Film in the last month or so, I might as well compare them.  Murders at the Zoo had some scary, mostly-implied Animal moments, but also an actual villain.  Black Zoo was mostly the same, although with more staged kills and Michael Gough.  Zoombies has alot of the same Animals, only as crappy CG Zombies (or something).  As far as the Story goes, it falls between the good Films and that Asylum one.  As far as fun factor goes, I'd rank it much higher.  The whole thing is a bit melodramatic, but still pretty fun.  As a bonus, the Version I found was Subbed and not Dubbed.  If you like these kinds of Films, Beasts is a hidden gem.  It feels like many of the 1970s Killer Animal Films, only with more blood since it is Italian.  It also features some *iffy* uses of Doubles for this Animal attack Scene...

Next up, I go back to what I was originally intending to do.  Here's hoping I can stop lying.  Stay tuned...