Yellow Veil Pictures has just unleashed the trailer for Rats!, the latest absurdist comedy from filmmakers Carl Fry and Maxwell Nalevansky that is guaranteed to leave you both sick to your stomach and laughing uncontrollably.
Described by Cube and Splice director Vincenzo Natali as a movie that “will make you terminally sick with laughter,” Rats! takes the audience on a wildly unpredictable ride through the bizarre, the grotesque, and the hilarious. Set in the year 2007 in Pfresno, Texas, the film follows Raphael, a good kid who’s found himself in county jail for a minor crime: graffiti. What should have been a simple mistake turns into a series of bizarre, out-of-control events that spiral into a mess of chaos, criminality, and a seriously weird series of circumstances. And here’s the thing: none of it’s his fault. But it’s definitely his problem.
In addition to graffiti, the film explores things like sting operations, a mixtape by a group called Pflophaus, a delusional officer, a local pig named Larry, a plutonium deal gone wrong, and… well, people dying? Maybe? It’s hard to say. Rats! does not abide by traditional narrative rules, and it’s not afraid to dive headfirst into absurdity.
Starring a talented ensemble cast, including Danielle Evon Ploeger, Luke Wilcox, Darius Autry, Khali Sykes, Ariel Ash, Jacob Wysocki, and John Ennis, Rats! is as wild as it sounds. The film is further amplified by a screamo soundtrack featuring artists from Epitaph Records, including Thursday, The Blood Brothers, From First To Last, I Set My Friends On Fire, Propagandhi, and Ka5sh & Yung Skrrt Ft. Lil B.
Having already made waves on the film festival circuit, Rats! took home the Bronze Audience Award for Best International Feature at last year’s Fantasia Film Festival. It also screened at the Cucalorus Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, Florida Film Festival, Calgary Underground Film Festival, Fantaspoa, and Houston Cinema Arts Festival, confirming its place as one of the year’s most eagerly awaited comedies.
Produced by Carl Fry, Maxwell Nalevansky, Adam Levin, Alison Moses, Harrison Nalevansky, and Danielle Evon Ploeger, Rats! is set to hit theaters on February 28, 2025, before landing on VOD on March 11, 2025. So, if you like your comedies gross, rude, and downright absurd, this one’s for you.
