Night of the Lepus - Analysis
Amidst the complete chaos, Night of the Lepus does in fact touch upon a few ecohorror themes. Ecohorror uses ecology as a technology of fear, often taking something natural and transforming it into an unknown and altered power. The most prominent theme throughout the film is the idea of humans tampering with nature and the consequences it has. The film warns against the tampering of the natural balance in the world, especially when there are underlying capitalist motives. Right away, the humans in the film have already killed off the coyote population. This action directly throws off the natural food chain which allows for the rabbits to become overpopulated. Had the humans not tampered and thrown off the natural chain, the problems would have never occurred nor snowballed into the extremity that it became. Beyond killing off the coyote population, the actions that the researchers and ranchers took directly displayed the idea of tampering with the natural world. The researchers attempted to throw off a reproduction cycle, something that only nature itself can control. Behind this, the motive was to ensure that the ranchers could make profit this harvest season. Not only did the actions result in mutated rabbits, but also, they ended up jeopardizing both their crops and cattle.
The ranchers were also trying to resolve a problem that they created. MK Pinder addresses the rabbits in Night of the Lepus in her sixth chapter of Animals in Narrative Film and Television: Strange and Familiar Creatures, stating these rabbits “appear to be a mindless plague, made monstrously large by scientific hubris,” (Beeler 119). The Bennetts tried to tackle a problem much greater than any human, becoming overly confident in their abilities. The rabbits then fight back, representing the natural forces here fighting against the humans. Once the humans come together to combat the man-made problem, we see that the ecosystem begins to reset itself. Not only have the animals returned back to normal, but there is an aerial shot of a field that is green, representing a successful harvesting season and evoking a sense of optimism. Although a rabbit is not typically the antagonist in a horror film, “the rabbit as an opportunistic herbivore does not pose a direct physical threat to humans, thus making their positioning as monstrous all the uncannier and unsettling,” (Beeler 121). This unusual choice of antagonists further plays into the ecohorror goal, preying on our fears and anxieties about the nonhuman and the uncanny.
Within the film, many of the characters are symbolic of different roles within society. Amanda, the daughter, embodies all ideas of purity and innocence within society. She first fights for the rabbits and is the only character to demonstrate any type of sympathy or remorse for the rabbits when they are first being rounded up and killed by citizens. Amanda then tries to “save” Romeo by setting him free, not wanting to see him possibly get hurt. Due to this innocence along with her connection to nature, Amanda is never harmed by the rabbits even when she enters their tunnel. She is stunned to discover them, but never hurt by the rabbits. Nature is protecting and rewarding her because she tried to protect nature. Roy and Gerry Bennett are used to represent ignorance and carelessness. Throughout the film, the two make a set of irrational decisions that ultimately lead to severe consequences. When the two are first called to help with the rabbit overpopulation, rather than turn down the offer, they accept it. The problem with this is that the two had never worked with rabbits or mammals before, and only worked with insect populations. In addition to the lack of experience in their field, Roy also uses a brand-new hormone on a test bunny, one that has no scientific data or known side effects. This new and untested usage is extremely dangerous and unprofessional. Directly following, the couple turn their back, allowing for their daughter to successfully switch this test bunny with one from the control group. With this scene, Amanada never should have been allowed inside of the lab in the first place, let alone unsupervised. This act of negligence and irresponsibility causes a newly injected rabbit to escape back into the wild, leading to the destruction of the town.
Connecting back to our main theme of genetic engineering, Night of the Lepus speaks to humanity's growing fear of scientists’ ability to genetically modify animals. The researchers in this film are playing the role of God when they try to control natural life processes. The consequences of the film are a direct result of numerous occurrences of carelessness and selfishness. Even though Cole wanted to avoid the use of poison, the Bennetts should not have turned to the use of brand-new hormones, ones they had no data on. Following this injection, the Bennetts’ lack of responsibility in monitoring the rabbit led to its escape. Romeo’s escape is a direct warning against the unintended effects of modified animals returning to the environment. The townspeople and the ranches are “punished” as a result of their actions, as the fields are all dried up and yellow, their cattle are eaten off, and no place is safe anymore in the town. The genetic engineering of rabbits, which goes horribly wrong, represents society’s outlook on scientists during this time, disagreeing with the use of messing with the natural world. Had the rabbits been left alone and the coyotes not been killed off, both the humans’ actions, nature would not have had to fight back against the town.