Night of the Lepus, also known as Rabbits, is a 1972 American science fiction horror film based on the 1964 science fiction novel The Year of the Angry Rabbit. Released theatrically on October 4, 1972, it focuses on members of a small Arizona town who battle thousands of mutated, carnivorous killer rabbits. The film was the first science fiction work for producer A.C. Lyles and for director William F. Claxton, both of whom came from Western film backgrounds. Various character actors from Westerns the pair had worked on were brought in to star in the film, including Stuart Whitman, Janet... Leigh, Rory Calhoun, and DeForest Kelley. Shot in Arizona, Night of the Lepus used domestic rabbits filmed against miniature models and actors dressed in rabbit costumes for the various attack scenes. Before its release, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer renamed the film from its original name of Rabbits, and avoided including rabbits in most promotional materials to try to keep the mutant creatures being featured a secret. However, the studio itself broke the secret by issuing rabbit's foot themed promotional materials before the release.
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| Release date: | 1972 |
| Directed by: | William F. Claxton |
| Rated: |  |
| Runtime: | 88 Minutes |
| Producer: | A. C. Lyles |
| Screenplay by: | Don Holliday, Gene R. Kearney |
| Adapted from: | The Year of the Angry Rabbit |
| Genre: | Thriller, Science Fiction |