Deadly Eyes

Giant steroid-fed rats living in mountains of grain are rendered homeless when Kelly Leonard orders the grain burned down. The heat drives the rodents into the city, setting the stage for a widespread infestation. This opening sequence establishes the unusual threat that will terrorize the population.

The rats migrate to a suburban home where unsupervised high school students reside. They begin to kill, including a toddler left unattended in a high chair. The danger spreads from urban centers to civilian households.

Senior citizen Henry Younger is attacked by the rats while walking alone on the snowy streets at night. The attack demonstrates the rats' growing boldness and reach beyond indoor spaces. The town begins to fear the escalating threat.

George Foskins, a health department field inspector, ventures into the sewers and encounters a pack of rats. He initiates the 'running of the rats' in the sewer, a doomed attempt to control the outbreak, and is killed by the pursuing rodents. The sewer encounter marks a turning point in the crisis.

Paul Harris phones his friend Louis, a professor and rat expert, who concludes that steroid feed has spawned a new breed of 'super-rat' migrating into the sewers. Louis's assessment prompts the health authorities to rethink their response. The discovery heightens the perceived severity of the threat.

Following Louis's warning, the Health Inspector orders fumigation of the entire sewer system. The effort is promptly shown to be futile as the rat onslaught continues unimpeded. The rat expert, Dr. Louis Spenser, is killed during the escalation, underscoring the danger the city faces.

The rats move into public spaces, staging a mass attack at a bowling alley and then a movie theater. Patrons flee in panic as the rodents overwhelm the venues. The attack claims many lives, including Trudy White, the high school cheerleader.

Mayor Rizetti prepares to inaugurate a new subway section amidst the spreading terror. In the ensuing chaos, he escapes the crowd and stows away on the empty subway train, becoming a potential target for the advancing rats. The situation escalates into a desperate race for survival.

Paul tries to stop the dangerous subway festivities and, after a confrontation, is forced to assault a police officer to take his revolver. He descends into the tunnel where he encounters a disabled subway train with passengers emerging from their cars. The crisis deepens as the rats threaten those inside.

Paul discovers Kelly and his son as the rats attack the passengers on the train. Mayor Rizetti is killed by the rats off-screen during the mayhem. The trio's survival hinges on their ability to navigate the collapsing tunnel and train ordeal.

The three survivors escape into a fenced-in maintenance area that doubles as the rats' nest. They find cutting torches and drums of flammable liquids, then ignite the materials to create a blaze. The explosion decimates many of the pursuing rats and provides a path to escape.

The survivors reboard the subway train to seek safety as the platform looms. It is revealed they shared the train with Mayor Rizetti, and a few rats still survive, feasting on the mayor's body. The final shot shows a bloody rat hissing at the train window, leaving the fate of the city unresolved.