Willard (1971)

Director:

Daniel Mann

Writers:

Gilbert Ralston (screenplay)
Gilbert Ralston (novel)

Release Date:

19 November 1971 (West Germany)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Where your nightmares end...WILLARD begins.

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...

Plot Keywords:

Rat | One Word Title | Remade | Recluse | Horror Movie Remade

Awards:

2 nominations

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

Also Known As:

Ratman's Notebooks (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:X | Iceland:16 | West Germany:18 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG

Company:

Bing Crosby Productions

Trivia:

The film's Spanish title is 'La Revolución de las ratas', meaning 'The Revolution of the Rats'.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Ben (1972)

A kind of...Psycho meets Frankenstein....with rats!

I saw this film when I was eight years old. My older brothers wanted to see this film so bad and my parents said, "take your little sister". With protest, they took their little sister and this is a neat horror film I remember.

I haven't seen it in decades but when I heard they were "re-making it" I thought I'd write about this one first. My brothers had a bet that when I got older, I'D be the one re-making this film, I couldn't stop talking through it about how I'd change this..and..or...that.

I liked this film. I remembered a very young Bruce Davidson playing Willard who had no real friends, very introverted, just a few rats, and a crappy job. Ernest Borgnine was his fat sloppy boss and a crappy fat sloppy boss he was with a tramp-floosy of a secretary that got everything whereas poor Willard got pushed around and ridiculed.

But when Borgnine wanted Willard's house, Willard struck back with his rats. Rats he trained and were smart as a whip. Especially the rat "Ben". My favorite line for the rest of my life? "Tear him up!!!"

It was a great story and it reminded me of a "Psycho" meets "Frankenstein", the monster created being the TWO rats. A good story, lotsa, lotsa rats (before CGI). I can remember Bruce Davisdon speaking about it on a show once in the 70's since the film became surpisingly popular for that time, he said they were REAL rats and the "rat wranglers" had to smear peanut butter wherever they wanted the rats to chew!

A ground breaker for its time, a must see before you see the new one if for nothing, nostalgia's sake of the 70's.

Good entertainment. Rent it today.