Of Unknown Origin (1983)
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- R
- 1h 29min
- Horror, Thriller
- 23 Nov 1983 (USA)
- Movie
A man becomes destructively obsessed with killing a dangerous rat, which has taken residence in his recently renovated house.
Director:
Writers:
Stars:
Awards:
- 2 wins.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Peter Weller | ... |
Bart Hughes
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| Jennifer Dale | ... |
Lorrie Wells
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| Lawrence Dane | ... |
Eliot Riverton
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| Kenneth Welsh | ... |
James Hall
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Louis Del Grande | ... |
Clete
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| Shannon Tweed | ... |
Meg Hughes
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| Keith Knight | ... |
Hardware Salesman
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| Maury Chaykin | ... |
Dan Errol
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| Leif Anderson | ... |
Peter Hughes
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Jimmy Tapp | ... |
Meg's Father
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Gayle Garfinkle | ... |
Janis Wycoff
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Earl Pennington | ... |
Mr. Thompson
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Jacklin Webb | ... |
Newspaper Vendor
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Bronwen Mantel | ... |
Florence Riverton
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Monik Nantel | ... |
Secretary
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| Aimée Castle | ... |
Birthday Party Child
(as Aimee Castle)
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Jesse Grasis | ... |
Birthday Party Child
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Tara O'Donnell | ... |
Birthday Party Child
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Amber T. Chase | ... |
Dan Errol's Wife (uncredited)
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Directed by
| George P. Cosmatos | ||
Written by
| Brian Taggert | ... | (screenplay by) |
| Chauncey G. Parker III | ... | (based upon the book "The Visitor" by) |
Produced by
| Pierre David | ... | executive producer |
| Claude Héroux | ... | producer (produced by) |
Music by
| Kenneth Wannberg | ... | (as Ken Wannberg) |
Cinematography by
| René Verzier | ||
Editing by
| Roberto Silvi | ||
| Hubert de La Bouillerie | ... | (uncredited) |
Editorial Department
| Chantal Bowen | ... | assistant editor |
| Teresa De Luca | ... | assistant editor |
Casting By
| Deirdre Bowen | ||
| Ginette D'Amico | ||
Production Design by
| Anne Pritchard | ||
Art Direction by
| Rose Marie McSherry | ... | (as Rosemarie McSherry) |
Set Decoration by
| Serge Bureau | ||
Costume Design by
| Paul-André Guérin | ||
Makeup Department
| Michèle Dion | ... | makeup artist |
| Chantal Ethier | ... | makeup artist |
| Martin Ménard | ... | hair stylist |
| Constant Natale | ... | hair stylist |
Production Management
| Roger Héroux | ... | production supervisor |
| François Ouimet | ... | unit manager (as Francois Ouimet) |
| Bill Wiggins | ... | post-production supervisor |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| John Fretz | ... | first assistant director |
| Frank Ruszczynski | ... | assistant director |
| Michael Sarao | ... | assistant director |
Art Department
| Tina Boden | ... | art department coordinator |
| Peter Borowski | ... | sculptor (as Peter Borowsky) |
| Jacques Chamberland | ... | property master |
| Tom Coulter | ... | set dresser |
| Violette Daneau | ... | set dresser |
| Michael Devine | ... | construction crew |
| Frank DiGiacomo | ... | construction crew |
| Peter Dowker | ... | sculptor |
| Jean-Vincent Fournier | ... | assistant set props (as Jean Vincent Fournier) |
| Denis Hamel | ... | set dresser |
| Serge LaForest | ... | construction crew |
| Larry Lamont | ... | construction crew |
| P. Karen Langshaw | ... | sculptor |
| Abraham Lee | ... | set dresser |
| Jak Oliver | ... | construction crew |
| Marc Rainville | ... | construction crew |
| Barbara Shrier | ... | set dresser |
| Jean-Baptiste Tard | ... | set dresser (as Jean Baptiste Tard) |
| Harold Thrasher | ... | construction coordinator |
| Maurice Tremblay | ... | set dresser |
| Kathy Wolf | ... | scenic artist (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Peter Burgess | ... | sound effects editor |
| Terry Burke | ... | foley artist |
| Don Cohen | ... | sound |
| Paul Coombe | ... | re-recording mixer |
| Gary Daprato | ... | assistant sound editor |
| Leslie Hodgson | ... | supervising sound editor |
| Mike Hoogenboom | ... | re-recording mixer (as Michael Hoogenboom) |
| Kerry Kohler | ... | assistant sound editor |
| Dick Lewzey | ... | sound recording engineer |
| Alban Streeter | ... | dialogue editor (as Al Streeter) |
| Haydn Streeter | ... | assistant sound editor |
| Eric Zimmer | ... | boom operator |
Special Effects by
| Louis Craig | ... | special effects |
| Stephan Dupuis | ... | special effects makeup |
| Jacques Godbout | ... | special effects |
Stunts
| Jean Lysight | ... | stunts |
| Marie-Patricia St-Laurent | ... | stunts |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Claude Alarie | ... | best boy |
| Peter Benison | ... | camera operator |
| Claude Brasseur | ... | electrician |
| Marc Charlebois | ... | electrician |
| Jean Courteau | ... | electrician |
| Jean-Maurice de Ernsted | ... | grip |
| Marc de Ernsted | ... | key grip |
| Gilles Fortier | ... | electrician |
| Jacques Fortier | ... | gaffer |
| Denis Gingras | ... | focus puller |
| Paul Gravel | ... | focus puller |
| Serge Ladouceur | ... | camera operator |
| Glen MacPherson | ... | focus puller |
| Piroska Mihalka | ... | still photographer |
| Patti Morein | ... | loader |
| Christine Pelletier | ... | loader |
| Jean-François Pouliot | ... | loader (as Jean Francois Pouliot) |
| Jean Trudeau | ... | electrician |
| René Verzier | ... | camera operator (as Rene Verzier) |
| Normand Viau | ... | electrician |
| Serge Ladouceur | ... | director of photography: second unit (uncredited) |
Casting Department
| Rosina Bucci | ... | casting assistant |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Laura Drew | ... | wardrobe |
| Louise Gagne | ... | wardrobe |
| Hazel Pethig | ... | wardrobe (as Hazel Pethig-Cote) |
Music Department
| David Franco | ... | music supervisor |
| Albert Woodbury | ... | orchestrator |
Script and Continuity Department
| France Boudreau | ... | continuity |
Additional Crew
| Mable Arial | ... | assistant accountant |
| David Bailey | ... | production assistant |
| Geoff Bowie | ... | production assistant |
| Maurice Boyer | ... | production assistant |
| Michel Boyer | ... | production assistant |
| Patricia Cahill | ... | production secretary |
| Brian Campbell | ... | production assistant |
| Richard Carriére | ... | production assistant (as Richard Carriere) |
| Frank D'Amico | ... | production assistant |
| Pierre David | ... | presenter |
| Denise Di Novi | ... | assistant to director |
| Robert Ditchburn | ... | production assistant |
| Bob Dunn | ... | animal trainer (as Robert Dunn) |
| Linda Ekdahl | ... | production assistant |
| Pierre Guevremont | ... | production accountant |
| Paul Hotte | ... | production assistant |
| Nicholas Koppen | ... | production assistant |
| Nathalie Laporte | ... | assistant accountant |
| Gilles Léonard | ... | production accountant (as Gilles Leonard) |
| Marilyn Majerczyk | ... | production assistant |
| Serge Major | ... | administrator |
| Michel Martin | ... | production assistant |
| Monik Nantel | ... | assistant to executive producer |
| Larry Nesis | ... | presenter (as Lawrence Nesis) |
| Pierre Tessier | ... | production assistant |
| Bob Tschanz | ... | animal handling supervisor |
Production Companies
- Warner Bros.
- Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC) (with the participation of)
- Famous Players Limited (with the participation of)
- Les Productions Mutuelles Ltée
Distributors
- Warner Bros. (1983) (United States) (theatrical)
- Warner Bros. Pictures Mexico (1984) (Mexico) (theatrical) (as Warner Bros.)
- Warner Home Video (1984) (United States) (DVD)
- Warner Home Video (1995) (United States) (VHS)
- Warner Home Video (2003) (United States) (DVD)
- Living Colour Entertainment (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
- Scream Factory (2018) (United States) (Blu-ray)
- Varus Video (Russia) (VHS)
- Warner Home Video (Netherlands) (VHS)
- Warner Home Video (1984) (United Kingdom) (VHS)
- Warner Home Video (2003) (Germany) (DVD)
- Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
Special Effects
- Groupe Film Opticals
- Intrigue (special effects)
Other Companies
- Bob Ore International (wardrobe: Ms Shannon Tweed)
- Business Week Magazine (our appreciation to)
- Film House (mixing facilities)
- Film Titles (titles)
- Fortune Magazine (our appreciation to)
- Groupe Film Opticals (opticals)
- John Wiley & Sons (our appreciation to: "A Colour Atlas of the Rats" by R.J. Olds)
- Money Magazine (our appreciation to)
- Montreal Master Furrier (furs)
- Moug (watches)
- National Geographic (our appreciation to)
- Paratel (publicity)
- Pest Control Magazine (our appreciation to)
- T. 'n T. Services (negative cutting)
- The Wall Street Journal (our appreciation to)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
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 |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | The terrifying last word in home invasion from the director of "Tombstone" and "Cobra." See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
| Certification |
Additional Details
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Box Office
| Budget | $4,000,000 (estimated) |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | Debut cinema movie of actress Shannon Tweed. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Trailer Trauma 3: 80s Horrorthon (2017). See more » |
| Quotes |
Bart Hughes:
[Bart is setting traps]
Watch and weep, you furry fucker. See more » |