Published 06:02 IST, September 16th 2020
Where was 'Night of the Lepus' filmed? Know the filming locations of the movie
Where was 'Night of the Lepus' filmed? Directed by William F. Claxton, 'Night of the Lepus' is a story set in the south-west of the United States
Night of the Lepus is the movie adaptation of the novel The Year of the Angry Rabbit by Russell Braddon. It's an Australian-American science horror fiction that tells the story set in a small town of Southwest. The town is suddenly attacked by herds of mutated, bloodthirsty rabbits, who have now become the size of humans. These giant mutant rabbits were a result of a failed scientific experiment done to spoil their birthing cycles but ended up turning them large and bloodthirsty instead. The film was shot in Arizona, United States. Read on to know some of the iconic filming locations of the movie shot in Arizona.
Night of the Lepus cast
Rory Calhoun plays the role of rancher Cole Hillman while DeForest Kelley plays Elgin Clark, the college president with whom Cole plans to take care of the rabbits' infestation in the beginning. They seek help from the scientist couple Roy and Gerry Bennet, played by Stuart Whitman and Janet Leigh respectively. Paul Fix essays the role of Sheriff Cody, who helps Cole in fighting off the giant, bloodthirsty rabbits.
Night of the Lepus shooting locations
According to a report by IMDb, parts of the movie were filmed in Old Tucson studio in Tucson, Arizona. Apart from the studio, all other shots were done on live locations throughout Arizona. The drive-in was shot in Miracle Drive-in, Tucson while the scene after it along with the portions showing the evacuation of the town was shot in Ajo. Night of the Lepus filming locations also included the Colossal Cave Mountain Park in Vail and the University of Arizona. Another Night of the Lepus shooting location in Arizona is the Empire ranch in Sonoita.
Night of the Lepus movie plot
It's a fantasy-horror movie that starts off in a simple south-west town. Due to less number of coyotes in the area, rabbits have become rampant, damaging the crops of the townsfolk. One of the ranchers, Cole Hillman decides to put an end to this with the help of a scientist couple. They bring in a rabbit and try an experiment on it, however, Cole's daughter who favours this particular rabbit, exchanges it with another. She also ends up losing the rabbit and it goes back to its herd. Through mating after the experiment, rabbits grow large in size. Herds of mutant rabbits start attacking the people, killing them viciously.
The scientists, Cole's family and the sheriff try out different ways to tackle the issue. As several mutant rabbits run and create havoc all over the town, its people start hiding in their houses to save their family and themselves. The movie then goes to show the people's struggle as a team to deal with the giant, bloodthirsty rabbits before they kill everyone.
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Updated 06:02 IST, September 16th 2020