It is good going into these films 'blind' if at all possible. It's a risk, of course - sometimes you are met with something distinctly not to your tastes; other times you are met with fascinating gems like this. Mulberry Street in Lower Manhattan is in the grip of developers determined to tear down the ghettos, destroy the urban communities and make everything clean and new. The squalidity is expertly conveyed, with Director Jim Mickle (also well known for 2010's 'Stake Land') teasing out details of rubbish-strewn walkways, cramped and flaking run-down apartment blocks and most pertinent of all, angry mutant rats. So angry at the developments to their homes, in fact, that they begin to infect the locals, creating a race, not of zombies, but of rat-faced killers.It is an unglamorous setting, but there are moments laced with humour. A scrawled 'F*** you' on the bottom of a tenancy agreement pinned to a reception wall; the first infected local is discussed in a bar: "I'd be more concerned for the guy who bit him." This adds a warmth and humour that really sells the idea of this close community, and therefore we care about what happens to them.Casey (Kim Blair) is out on the streets when things become nasty. Kay is a pretty blond woman, resourceful and real, as unlike a screaming bimbo as it is likely to be. She's played by Bo Corre, possibly best-known for her role as Ingrid in short-lived BBC soap 'Eldorado.' Strong, shy Clutch (Nick Damici) is the object of her affection, with Coco (Ron Brice) a jealous rival for his attention. A heady, likeable bunch, and all firmly established by the time the mass infection takes effect. Like impossibly fast-moving Nosferatu-types, these creatures' stuttering attacks are very much in the style of those from '28 Days Later (2002)' and every bit as effective.Gloomy, cruel and hard-hitting: I loved every minute of this.

"Mulberry Street" is perhaps the only movie I have enjoyed in the "8 Films To Die For" Series. Maybe this sounds like it is winning admiration by default, but no: really, it is entertaining.Think zombie movie only with rat people instead of zombies. Do I really need to say more? The picture is a little too fuzzy dark, but it does not kill the tension, though I would not say it adds to it. I appreciated the movie for being more of a "throw people into a crazy scenario" type of event as opposed to a trying to explain everything that is going on concept. This makes the characters more interesting than the plot, which is exactly what is needed in a horror movie that is not trying to turn the basics of the genre trappings on end. Casting leans more towards adults in a fight for their lives than the general teens in peril route and this was refreshing as well. The acting overall is good stuff with no one trying to out do themselves or the others, one nice melded together group. The musical score was pretty cool too.The special FX get better as the movie goes along and I was very impressed with the scope of what they were able to pull off. I really got the sense that Manhattan was being overrun by killer rat creature people things."Mulberry Street" is a bloody street worth visiting. I thought it was an entertaining romp, even though the ending was lacking the final punch I was hoping for. Perhaps I would not "die for" this movie, but I would check out a sequel, or be more open to giving other movies in this series of releases a chance if they employed the same filmmakers.

A mutant strain of rats cause folks who get bitten by the vile vermin to transform into vicious and bloodthirsty rodent-like humanoid beasts. A handful of people residing in a shabby and crumbling New York City apartment complex find themselves in a dire situation when the creatures take over Manhattan. Director/co-writer Jim Mickle relates the gripping story at a brisk pace, does an ace job of creating and sustaining a mounting sense of gloomy flesh-crawling dread, builds a considerable amount of nerve-shredding claustrophobic tension, presents well drawn and credible characters, stages the ferocious attack sequences with real skill and aplomb, makes vivid and flavorsome use of the blighted urban Big Apple setting, and concludes the whole picture on a chillingly bleak note. The fine acting from the able non-star cast rates as another major asset, with stand-out work by Nick Damici as tough former boxer Clutch (Damici also co-wrote the tight and engrossing script), Kim Blair as Clutch's scrappy and resilient Gulf War veteran daughter Casey, Ron Brice as amiable gay Coco, Tim House as grumpy infected superintendent Ross, Bo Corre as no-nonsense barmaid Kay, Larry Fleischman as the cranky, excitable Charlie, Larry Medich as feisty, but ailing old geezer Frank, and John Hoyt as burly, rugged bar owner Big Vic. Popping up in nifty bits are Debbie Rochon as a TV newscaster and Larry Fessenden as some cowardly jerk. The rat people are genuinely gross, creepy, and scary while the startling outbursts of brutal and grisly violence pack a pretty nasty punch. Best of all, the resolutely serious and gritty tone and welcome absence of any needless campy humor ensure that the severity of the horror is served straight up in a pleasingly harsh and uncompromising manner. Ryan Samul's lively hand-held cinematography adds an extra thrilling kinetic buzz. Andreas Kapsalis' shivery score likewise hits the spine-tingling spot. A real sleeper.

I enjoyed this.The camera work and editing were excellent - didn't feel low budget - and the dialogue in the first half was pretty skillful, setting up plot and character at the same time without being obvious.It turns into a standard last-man-standing horror flick, and you end up wondering why some of the characters were there in the first place. They could have done more with the father-daughter-lover angle, maybe given a bit of moral structure where the daughter avenges the father's infidelity by killing the zombie lover.Anyway, I watched this straight after Will Smith's take on the Omega Man - I Am Legend. Mulberry St is a better film.