Written by the usually reliable Dardano Sacchetti and directed by Giuliano Carnimeo (billed as Anthony Ascot), "Quella Villa in Fondo al Parco" (also known as “Terror House” as well as “Rat Man”) is a queasy piece of absurd low budget Italian trash starring the diminutive Nelson de la Rosa as the titular rat man. In a dirty laboratory somewhere in the Caribbean jungles Dr. Olman (Pepito Guerra) has created a mutated monkey / rat hybrid which secretes a deadly venom with no known antidote. Quite what Olman hopes to achieve with this pointless "scientific breakthrough" is unclear but he's deluded enough to think his work will earn him a Nobel Prize. His creature has other ideas, however, breaks free and begins murdering local villagers and visiting American models. When her model sister goes missing, Terry (Janet Agren) travels to the island to find out what happened. She meets mystery writer Fred (David Warbeck) at the airport and given the incompetence of the local police the pair team up to try and discover her sister's fate. Their investigation soon leads them to Olman's lab and the terrifying rat man. "Quella Villa in Fondo al Parco" is a fairly weak effort with a totally ludicrous nonsensical plot, equally ludicrous nonsensical set pieces and a bizarrely ludicrous final scene that seems to suggest a sequel. Giuliano Carnimeo occasionally manages to build up some suspense, but he's unable to maintain things long enough to make for worthwhile situations. The gore effects are weak and possibly knowing this Carnimeo is smart enough to throw in some gratuitous nude shores scenes – Eva Grimaldi appears in one such. The acting performances are weak throughout with even the normally interesting Agren and Warbeck appearing dull and uninterested. Nelson de la Rosa, one of the smallest men in the world, made for a creepy creature, his small stature and competent make up effects making for a genuinely odd and menacing monster. Unfortunately he's given far too little screen time to be fully effective. Stefano Mainetti provides quite a nice soundtrack, which is unfortunately jarringly at odds with the movie for most of the time. Although it is probably worth seeing “Quella Villa in Fondo al Parco” is a lacklustre affair with stagnant direction, ludicrous plotline and ham-fisted dialogue. ( )