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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Gilbert Ralston (screenplay)
Gilbert Ralston (novel)
Release Date:
19 November 1971 (West Germany) more
Tagline:
Where your nightmares end...WILLARD begins. more
Plot:
A social misfit, Willard is made fun of by his co-workers, and squeezed out of the company started by his deceased father by his boss... more | full synopsis
Awards:
2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
50 Influential Scream Queens: Part 2
(From Fangoria. 27 October 2009, 10:57 PM, PDT)
Cinema Retro Issue #14 Now En Route To All Subscribers
(From CinemaRetro. 11 May 2009, 10:39 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
A man and his rats. more (24 total)
Cast
(Complete credited cast)| Bruce Davison | ... | Willard Stiles | |
| Elsa Lanchester | ... | Henrietta Stiles | |
| Ernest Borgnine | ... | Al Martin | |
| Sondra Locke | ... | Joan | |
| Michael Dante | ... | Brandt | |
| Jody Gilbert | ... | Charlotte Stassen | |
| Joan Shawlee | ... | Alice Rickles | |
| William Hansen | ... | Mr. Barskin | |
| J. Pat O'Malley | ... | Jonathan Farley | |
| John Myhers | ... | Mr. Carlson | |
| Helen Spring | ... | Mrs. Becker | |
| Pauline Drake | ... | Ida Stassen | |
| Almira Sessions | ... | Carrie Smith | |
| Alan Baxter | ... | Walter T. Spencer | |
| Sherry Presnell | ... | Mrs. Spencer |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Ratman's Notebooks (USA) (working title)
more
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
95 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
UK:X | Iceland:16 | West Germany:18 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The film's Spanish title is 'La Revolución de las ratas', meaning 'The Revolution of the Rats'. more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (24 total)
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Recommendations
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| Willard | Psycho | Carrie | The Amityville Horror | Gremlins |
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Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Horror section | IMDb USA section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |

Interesting combination of make-you-squirm-in-your-seat genre fare and affecting character study has gone on to become a classic of sorts. Bruce Davison memorably portrays the title character, a wimpy and downtrodden loser dominated by his mother Henrietta, played by none other than the Bride of Frankenstein herself, Elsa Lanchester. Willard works for Al Martin (Ernest Borgnine), a slimy and self-serving type who actually stole the company away from Willards' father.
Willard finds himself a reason to live when he becomes attached to the rats that are now frequenting his property. He goes so far as to dub a white rat "Socrates" and a brown rat "Ben" ("Ben" would get his own movie when the success of this movie led to a sequel). He finds that he can get them to do his bidding, which comes in handy as the movie progresses.
Good performances by both the human and rodent stars help to carry this low-key but fairly creepy movie. Davison makes for a marvelously quirky and lonely soul, doing a creditable job at creating sympathy for the character. Both Lanchester and Borgnine - both real scene-stealers - sink their teeth into their respective roles. Borgnine in particular is one of those antagonists whom one can love to hate. In one of her earliest parts, an appealing Sondra Locke plays a potential love interest for Willard.
Those expecting more horror, gore, or more of a body count, are going to be disappointed, as the dramatic elements are the ones emphasized the most. I found it interesting that Willards' eventual burst of self-confidence will come at a price; the downbeat nature of the story and message that it's never smart to turn on whatever friends one may have give the movie a certain lasting impact.
It would have been nice if the remake (itself over five years old now) could have generated a DVD release of this movie; as of this date, it still needs one.
7/10