Of Unknown Origin 🐀

RoboCop, Man-Eating Rats, and Shannon Tweed

Adam Frazier

May 07, 2020

Of Unknown Origin

Genre: Horror / Thriller
Release Date: November 24, 1983
Running Time: 88 Minutes
Rated: R

Behind the Scenes

Directed by George P. Cosmatos
Written by Brian Taggert
Cinematography by Rene Verzier
Music by Kenneth Wannberg
Distributed by Warner Bros.

In Front of the Camera

Peter Weller (ROBOCOP, SHAKEDOWN)
Shannon Tweed (MEATBALLS III: SUMMER JOB)
Maury Chaykin (MY COUSIN VINNIE, WARGAMES)
Keith Knight (MY BLOOD VALENTINE, MEATBALLS)

What’s It About?

Bart Hughes (Peter Weller of THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI ACROSS THE 8TH DIMENSION) is a Wall Street executive caught up in the rat race of corporate America. When his wife (Shannon Tweed of HOT DOG… THE MOVIE) and young son (Leif Anderson) leave for a vacation, Bart stays behind to work on a project that should earn him a promotion. Alone in his newly renovated Manhattan brownstone, the mild-mannered executive discovers that he isn't alone at all, but rather an unwilling host to an unwanted houseguest.

Why You Should Check It Out

Man, what a wild ride OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN is. Previously, I only knew of Cosmatos' intense thriller by name. I had no idea it was a killer rat movie, ala WILLARD, DEADLY EYES, RATS: NIGHT OF TERROR, and everyone's favorite, RATATOUILLE.

Directed by George P. Cosmatos (RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II, COBRA, and TOMBSTONE) and written by Brian Taggert (V: THE FINAL BATTLE, POLTERGEIST III), 1983's OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN has everything you could want from a motion picture. It’s an incredibly satisfying mix of JAWS, ALIENS, and PREDATOR, with RoboCop himself going all Ripley on a big-ass, super-smart rodent. In this, the ultimate battle of man vs. beast, it’s the audience that is the decisive winner.

As the giant rat begins to do its own unique form of renovating by chewing and clawing its way through every wire and wall in the place, Bart descends into madness while trying to kill the creature. But as Ash, the android from ALIEN would say, "Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility." The rat lures the family man on an unwitting path to self-destruction, leading to a foundation-shaking showdown with Bart's sanity and survival at stake.

Thank God for Scream Factory, who resurrects hidden gems and forgotten genre films and gives them new life. Without their Blu-ray release of Cosmatos' movie, I may have never experienced the joy - dare I say, the jubilation - of watching Buckaroo Bonzai don a miner's headlamp, cleats, and protective gear while fighting a Schnauzer-sized rat with a homemade morning star. It's the stuff dreams are made of.

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