"The Brookdale Institute" is a mysterious, little-known hospital for the criminally insane (a fact which is kept on a need-to know basis). Brookdale has another, more lucrative facet; a safe harbor for the chronically drug-addicted rich and famous. Brookdale is infested with super-intelligent, supernaturally empowered killer rats, a by-product of forgotten experiments conducted by "Dr. William Winslow" (Ron Perlman), the Chief Psychiatrist at Brookdale. Winslow had abandoned the experiments long ago, however ex-patient/caretaker, "Ernst" (Michael Zelniker) has developed a symbiotic, telepathic relationship with the rodents, and they thrive off of each other. As patients mysteriously disappear, and the body count mounts, even The Exterminators, RatMaster General "Hans" ('John Paul Young') and his assistant, "Jim" (Adam Gierasch) are no contest for the awesome force of this hybrid rodent strain. As a movie, 'Rats' is total toss. As an allegory for the subconscious guilt afflicting the upper middle classes of modern America, it is peerless.