A predictable nature-runs-amok thriller which feels like it's a television movie, which I later found it was. This is a clichéd outing in which the film-makers try hard to convince us that snakes are terrorising and endangering the inhabitants of a small mining town - the trouble is that snakes are such a cumbersome and limited threat that the characters have to do some really DUMB things in order to be properly terrorised by them. On a technical level the film is sufficiently good enough to be superficially entertaining, with a solid cast going through the paces and some good, sometimes thrilling sequences involving the snakes. The snakes themselves are mostly real creatures with a few animatronics effects thrown in by the Chiodo Brothers, who are so skilled that you won't recognise the difference anyway.Taking the action hero lead is William Katt, a dependable stalwart who had been fighting off killer piranha in a Corman movie just the year previously. Despite never making it as a big-name actor, Katt always manages to be charismatic in his parts and avoids woodenness, so that's enough for me. Merely adequate is Shanna Reed as his screen wife; saddled with an unappealing, cutesy character, Reed is instantly dismissable in her part. The same can be said for brain-dead daughter Michelle, as played by Monica Creel, who doesn't realise that to escape from a snake in her bathroom she must RUN OUT OF THE DOOR.However, the biggest offender is Michael Galeota as Katt's step-son, Adam. An obnoxious little swine who you sincerely hope is going to get bitten, on the jugular preferably. His snivelling cries of "Paul, Paul" at the film's finale are really nerve-grating and his is definitely one of the worst kiddie characters ever - an unwanted and clichéd sentimental aspect which the tale doesn't need. Thankfully, to counter his disgusting part, we have nice supporting roles from Ian Abercrombie as a helpful snake doctor bloke, and Clint Howard, who it is always nice to see in a mainstream movie, even if he does get killed off far too early on in the proceedings.The main problem of this film is that it's so familiar. In many sequences - particularly when they're searching under the bed for Adam's escaped rat - I got a feeling of déjà vu. Take away the snakes and replace them with ants and you have MARABUNTA. Take away the snakes and replace them with bees and you have DEADLY INVASION: THE KILLER BEE NIGHTMARE. These titles are all pretty interchangeable and none stand out from the others to make them any different. I guess we should pin the blame on ARACHNOPHOBIA, which helped to set the template for "nature's invasion" type family-orientated horror flicks and to which all these TV-level films are naturally indebted. Only snake lovers or, in turn, snake haters need apply for this timewaster.

"Rattled" is a well-intended, but painfully boring and derivative TV- drama/thriller about a stepfather trying to get along with a stubborn stepson and preparing for the arrival of another baby, whilst at the same time supervising his ambitious water reservoir construction project. Oh yeah, before I forget, there are also a couple rattle snakes that are becoming aggressive and murderous because of the constant drilling in the mountain. Insignificant and totally forgettable flick with too many soap-opera sub plots and pathetic middle-class characters drawings. I guess that's what you get in TV-horror book adaptations. Same thing went wrong with Peter Benchley's "The Beast", in fact. There are many fruitless attempts to build up suspense, while I count only one remotely worthwhile efficient sequences; namely when the cute teenage girl is home alone. Apparently, flushing the toilet isn't the most effective snake-fighting method! Furthermore there's a professor/expert who never stops giving lectures on bizarre – and often irrelevant – snake trivia facts, a worthless two minute cameo of Clint Howard (traditionally the first person to die) and a truly annoying 8-year-old who sadly survives multiple snake attacks. Throughout nearly the whole the film I kept on wondering where I knew lead actor William Katt from. I totally forgot that he was Carrie's date to the prom! That was in fact the most exciting moment in the film for me! Remember that he played in "Carrie" and "House". Avoid this wannabe tense. If you fancy horror movies with snakes, check out the sillier ones like "Venom", "Sssssss", "Rattlers" and "The Snake Woman". Heck, even the "Anaconca" flicks and "Python" are more fun.

You could call this movie "Arachnophobia" only with, well, snakes. It has a comparable story and even some of the characters shows similarities. "Arachnophobia" is still a more entertaining movie though, while "Rattled" also isn't too bad on its own. It chooses a more serious approach but not without being entertaining.Quite amazing that a movie with such a concept still picks a serious approach. Nevertheless it works out better than you would expect. While "Rattled" isn't exactly an exciting or scary movie to watch it's still an effective one. Maybe it would had been better still if it had picked a more B-movie, over-the-top, type of approach but this also didn't really worked out well for "Eight Legged Freaks", so well who knows, maybe this was still the best possible approach to go with in the long run.It's of course a fairly predictable movie, that because of that, also doesn't ever become an engaging or thrilling one. The characters also aren't interesting enough for that and at times the movie even feels more like a soap-opera than a real horror flick.Also quite disappointing that the snakes get to do so little interesting. Or at least I expected an higher body-count. Only poor Clint Howard gets killed, after he has been in the movie for about 2 minutes. The snakes do attack but they could had given the movie a bigger sense of danger and more horror like if more characters got killed off and also in some more gruesome ways.The movie now remains fairly light and tame to watch, which is also understandable, considering that this is a made for TV movie. In that regard of being a made for TV movie, this is still a rather good one and well made one. It's definitely better than you would expect in advance for it to be and the concept works out better than it looks like on paper.6/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Bite the kids! Bite the kids, dang it! What's an angry rattlesnakes movie without satisfactory bite scenes? Especially when the kids in it are particularly dumb or bratty. But like most creature flicks, this movie stays away from using kids as meals. Why, I wonder. Do the people who make these movies think militant moms would watch them and protest? Chances are, the people who watch such movies, the people like me - couch potatoes and/or B-movie buffs, would want to see kids get mauled/eaten/bitten. If not for the sheer satisfaction, then for the logic: kids aren't as smart or wise as adults (except the Boy Wonder, Wesley Crusher, maybe) , and adults certainly get whacked/devoured/chomped on enough.Otherwise the snakes look pretty real (maybe they are, I can't tell). There are enough suspenseful scenes to carry the movie, though not as many payoffs (read: bitings) for the twisted B-movie aficionado that I am. 6/10