User Reviews

When I was about 7, my father dropped me and my brother off at the theater to see Willard. He didn't come in with us because the movie had the well-deserved reputation for being disgusting. He told us that he was dropping us off to teach us a lesson--NEVER ask to see disgusting movies AGAIN!! Unfortunately, my brother and I loved it--and not just the gore (which is very mild by today's standards) but because the story and acting were good.

Bruce Davison carried the role of Willard quite well, though particularly exciting to watch was Ernest Borgnine as the nasty jerk of a boss. Seeing him become rat food 2/3 of the way through the movie felt VERY satisfying.

In addition, I appreciate how the writers helped us to have some empathy for Willard and he was NOT portrayed as some psycho--he really felt torn by his nasty exploits.

So, I would recommend this film to guys. Period. Women just don't seem to have much appreciation for armies of flesh eating rats. Go figure.

SUPER IMPORTANT NOTE: There was a sequel (of sorts) for this movie. BEN stars the lead rat on further adventures. However, instead of devouring people, he meets a talentless child and becomes his "special friend". I'm getting ill just thinking about it. AVOID THE SEQUEL AT ALL COSTS! Don't say I didn't warn you!

This is VERY reminiscent of problem with the original Village of the Damned. It was a great movie in which evil children terrorized a small town, but in the sequel (?) Children of the Damned, the kids just want to be loved and understood. Oooooooo, the PAIN is INTENSE just thinking about that movie!

~Spoiler~

Before viewing the remake, I decided to take a look at the lost original. Willard is an unusual piece of horror from the early 70's. It portrays an interesting character study of Willard Stiles, a Momma's boy who seemingly can't even think for himself. As far as that goes, I think it's a brilliant film. Bruce Davison is fascinating in this role. His character actually grows during the course of the movie and he portrays Willard very well. Ernest Borgnine is at his usual best as well. He plays the villain, and he's good, I just find him too damn likable. Then again, I have never been more p*ssed in my life at someone killing a rat. My only problem with Willard is that it hasn't aged real well. It's unmistakably a film from the 70's and I think that takes away from it a little bit. The thing that surprised me the most was the low body count. This film is more about a young man coming out of his shell than it is about killer rats. That doesn't make it a bad movie, there's just not too much horror in it. I happened to really enjoy it and I'm looking forward to the remake as well. The ending may have been anti-climatic, but it was fitting. You don't turn your back on your friends, even if they are killer rats. Younger audiences will crave more bloodshed but the core story is still very solid and worth watching. Willard could certainly use a DVD transfer.

I remember seeing Willard as a kid - enjoyed the film then. Watching it all these years later I still find it a good film.

It seems that Willard is a 27 year old man without many real friends. He stayed with his sick mother & his father passed away leaving the business to a colleague and Willard works for the man - this man wants Willard out of the office. After Willard's mother passes away there is a large mortgage left on the house and Willard's boss wants it as well. When at home, Willard spends most of his time with the rats he's raised and the two rats he's closest to are Ben and Socrates. Willard brings his rats to work with him, they get loose and his boss kills Socrates - that's when Willard becomes vengeful and Ben is willing to help.

This is a pretty good character & story driven film. Worth watching if you like the older horror films.

7.5/10

Who thought a movie about a troubled young man and his army of rats would've been such a success? Well it happened back in 1971 with this bizarre horror-drama and to be honest the movie is far different than what you would expect. While billed as a horror film, the movie is more like a character study with a horror-style climax once the title character finally snaps.

The plot is pretty easy to follow as we follow young office clerk, Willard Stiles (Bruce Davison in his first lead role), as he befriends a group of rats. However his life goes south with his crooked boss and his overbearing mother leading to Willard descending into madness.

For a low-budget film, the acting is one of the greatest strengths of the movie. especially from star Bruce Davison. Now known as a character actor, at age 19 the young actor harnesses the depths required to go from a mild-mannered and put-upon blue collar man into an unhinged youth who brings about his own downfall by the finale. Davison starts the film as a bullied and molly-coddled boy who is too meek to stand up to his boss or tell his mother to stop interfering in his life. When he happens on the infestation of rats in their yard, it's fascinating to watch Davison starting to demonstrate his inner confidence as he bonds with his group of rats; especially his favorite, Socrates. The finale is where the actor truly shines as he dismantles his boss (the late great Ernest Borgnine) and watch his mental state finally collapse as he unleashes his rat army upon his aggressor and ultimately loses to battle to control his army during the final moments.

As Willard's scummy boss, Ernest Borgnine shines against his normally goofy amiable personality. He struts around like an arrogant peacock and berates any employee he wants, but especially our anti-hero, Willard. We know he is a catalyst for Willard's unraveling as he took away the title character's father's business from Willard and his mother and overworks the poor youth to his twisted content. It's a little hard to feel bad for his death at the climax due to his murder of Socrates and that he wanted to take Willard's home (which Willard overhears in a great tracking shot of Bruce Davison following from inside, but is never seen by his boss). Another nod goes to the late Elsa Lanchester as Willard's overbearing mother, Henrietta, who is essentially a cameo since she passes by the mid-point of the story.

The rats were famously wrangled by Moe Di Sesso and are the heart of the movie with its human lead. There were a few different rats who played the lead rats, Socrates (the pure white rat) and Ben (a larger black rat who was Bruce Davison's off-set lunch buddy) and rats are not easily trainable as production notes make clear. However it isn't too evident thanks to the filming style as Davison becomes the wrangler in the story (he openly acted around the rats when they did their own gigs). If you've got a fear of these rodents, best avoid the movie especially for the demises of two main characters.

Ever since the whole 'Black Death' thing, rats have had a bad rap, but I love the much-maligned rodents: I owned a pair of pink-eyed whites and they were adorable - inquisitive, intelligent and very cute. My affection for the animals made Willard a real treat, the bewhiskered critters putting in winning performances throughout as the obedient furry friends of social misfit Willard Stiles (Bruce Davison).

Rat fans be warned though: it's not all cutesy fun. As Willard slowly loses control of his life following the death of his overbearing mother, and decides to exact revenge on his bullying boss Martin (Ernest Borgnine), the rat action gets more disturbing. Numerous rats are beaten by a chair when they crash Martin's dinner party, loveable white rat Socrates is poked to death in a stock cupboard, and, following the death of his boss (who leaps out of a window when he is attacked by the rodents), Willard is forced to dispose of his little accomplices by drowning them.

Of course, those who find rats about as appealing as I do spiders (aaaargh!) might feel differently: they'll be squirming in their seats as the rats go about their business and cheering when they get killed. Either way - love 'em or loathe 'em - the rats make this film highly entertaining, although solid human support from Davison and Borgnine certainly helps. The film ends with large rat Ben, who escaped a watery death, taking revenge on Willard with the help of some furry pals, paving the way for the following year's sequel, Ben.

6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.