Themes: When Animals Attack, Righting the Wronged, Down on Their Luck
Main Cast: Bruce Davison, Ernest Borgnine, Elsa Lanchester, Sondra Locke, Michael Dante
Release Year: 1971
Country: US
Run Time: 95 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
This film is based on the novel Ratman's Notebooks, by Stephen Gilbert. Bruce Davison is Willard Stiles, a 27-year-old mama's boy whose repressions are bottled up inside and come to the fore in his nervous nail-biting. As one character describes Willard, "Willard is basically an extrovert, but it's all inside." Willard and his possessive invalid mother, Henrietta (Elsa Lanchester), live in thrall to Al Martin (Ernest Borgnine), the man who took over a foundry business after the death of Willard's father. Willard inwardly seethes but mostly stays in his run-down mansion with his mother, making friends with the rats that infest the place -- he even names them, Ben and Socrates. However, when Henrietta dies, things change. Al, in a rage, kills one of Willard's pet rats. Not only that, but Al also fires Willard from his job at the foundry. Losing his patience, Willard meets with his rat friends to exact his revenge for a lifetime of humiliation and neurosis. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
Review
The cycle of "nature's revenge" films started with The Birds, but it was the success of the low-budget Willard that really made the genre a force in 1970s cinema. In its day, Willard was a powerful little horror movie; if time and subsequent horror films have dimmed its power somewhat, it still packs a decent punch. Although the rats are the stars here -- and they are so effective that the animal trainers deserve special praise -- Willard still boasts a very moving and well-modulated performance from Bruce Davison in the title role. Davison makes Willard a sympathetic, likeable character, even as he descends into the madness of his revenge plots, and he gives the film a great deal of its special flavor. Elsa Lanchester also does well, and Ernest Borgnine's wonderfully repugnant performance makes his death-by-devouring a particular treat. While Willard has its share of "gross" scenes, overall it's a subtler, less "in-your-face" kind of horror film. Director Daniel Mann takes advantage of several opportunities to suggest rather than show, and he's quite good at setting up the big moments so that they obtain maximum pay-off. The subplot involving Willard's love interest doesn't really work, and there are a few sections where the screenplay could have been trimmed, but overall Willard is an effective rainy-day chiller. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Jo Gilbert - Charlotte Stassen; Minta Durfee Arbuckle; Alan Baxter - Walter T. Spencer; Pauline Drake - Ida Stassen; William Hansen - Mr. Barskin; Lola Kendrick - Mrs. Martin; J. Pat O'Malley - Jonathan Farley; Sherry Presnell - Mrs. Spencer; Almira Sessions - Carrie Smith; Joan Shawlee - Alice; Helen Spring - Mrs. Becker; John Myhers - Mr. Carlson; Shirley Lawrence; Louise DeCarlo - Guest; Robert Golden - Motorcycle Rider; Arthur Tovey
Credit
Howard Hollander - Art Director, Eric Seelig - Costume Designer, Robert Goodstein - First Assistant Director, Daniel Mann - Director, Warren Low - Editor, Alex North - Composer (Music Score), Alex North - Musical Direction/Supervision, Gus Norin - Makeup, Robert B. Hauser - Cinematographer, Bing Crosby - Producer, Mort Briskin - Producer, Ralph S. Hurst - Set Designer, Harold Lewis - Sound/Sound Designer, Gilbert A. Ralston - Screenwriter, Moe DiSesso - Animal Trainer/Wrangler, Stephen Gilbert - Book Author
Willard is a social misfit with a strange affinity for rats. He lives in a large mansion, accompanied only by his cranky and decrepit mother. His best companion is a white rat he finds and later names Socrates for his wisdom; numerous other rats come to him, one of which is a giant specimen he names Ben. Willard's talking to his rats, however, leads to his mother's death and further pressure from the banks to give up the house. When his boss bludgeons Socrates to death, he trains his rats to follow his commands and kills the man. Ben, however, jealous of his favoritism towards Socrates, eventually turns on Willard.
Awards
Willard was nominated for the Eddie award in Best Edited Feature Film at the 1972 American Cinema Editors Awards.
Willard was also nominated for the Edgar award in Best Motion Picture at the 1972 Edgar Awards.
Legacy
A seven page satire by Mort Drucker and Dick DeBartolo titled "WILLIES" appeared in Mad (magazine) #149, dated March 1972. The cover of the magazine announced "IN THIS ISSUE WE TEAR APART WILLARD" and featured artwork by Jack Rickard. The cover art portrays Alfred E. Neuman as Willard siccing an army of rodents (all dressed in Mickey Mouse pants and shoes with Mouseketeer Ears) on a hapless Ernest Borgnine.
A sequel called Ben (after one of the rats in the original) was released in 1972.
A remake was released in 2003, with Crispin Glover playing Willard. Bruce Davison is also featured in the film as Willard's father, appearing in a portrait.
