A man becomes destructively obsessed with killing a dangerous rat, which has taken residence in his, recently renovated, house.
Director:
George P. Cosmatos
From metacritic.com
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Title: Of Unknown Origin (1983)
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2 wins.
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Peter Weller | ... | Bart Hughes | |
| Jennifer Dale | ... | Lorrie Wells | |
| Lawrence Dane | ... | Eliot Riverton | |
| Kenneth Welsh | ... | James Hall | |
 |
Louis Del Grande | ... | Clete |
| Shannon Tweed | ... | Meg Hughes | |
| Keith Knight | ... | Hardware Salesman | |
| Maury Chaykin | ... | Dan Errol | |
| Leif Anderson | ... | Peter Hughes | |
|
|
Jimmy Tapp | ... | Meg's Father |
|
|
Gayle Garfinkle | ... | Janis Wycoff |
|
|
Earl Pennington | ... | Mr. Thompson |
|
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Jacklin Webb | ... | Newspaper Vendor |
|
|
Bronwen Mantel | ... | Florence Riverton |
|
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Monik Nantel | ... | Secretary |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
Storyline
Bart Hughes has a pretty good life, a beautiful wife, a young son, a good job with promotion prospects, and a renovated brownstone in New York. When wife and kid leave for a vacation, Bart stays behind to work on a project that will earn him that promotion, unaware that a certain inhabitant of his basement has other plans for his time. Bart goes a bit bonkers trying to kill this rat, destroying most of his house in the process. Certain allegorical elements tie the household conflict to the "rat race" in his office, but the main event is certainly the night-and-day contest of wills between man and rodent. Written by Chris Holland <stomptokyo@aol.com>
Taglines:
If it can't scare them to death, it will find another way. See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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Details
Language:
EnglishRelease Date:
24 November 1983 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Origem Desconhecida See more »Filming Locations:
Montréal, Québec, CanadaEdit
Box Office
Budget:
$4,000,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend USA:
$540,446, 27 November 1983Gross USA:
$1,080,470Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$1,080,470Company Credits
Production Co:
Warner Bros., Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC), Famous Players Limited See more »
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?
Trivia
The film was made and released about two years after its source novel "The Visitor" by Chauncey G. Parker III had been first published in 1981. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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Frankly, I was surprised to know that this movie was directed by George Cosmatos, the creator of such action films as Rambo-2 and Cobra. `Of Unknown Origin' is an absolutely different one. I found it interesting and amusing. It has everything that every good horror film should have the spirit of suspense. Of course, Peter Weller acts very convincing. I think the movie wouldn't have its strange and surrealistic atmosphere without his talent of acting. The most remarkable episodes include one with Weller talking about the problem of rats in the US during the dinner with his boss. But as a whole I would say that what makes `Of Unknown Origin' a good movie is humour and irony, which one can easily trace from the beginning till the end. I would recommend this film for those who like horror movies not only because of special effects.