Underplayed Gems
The whole movie catalogue

Films and series, searchable by what they are

← Back to the shop

Willard (1971)

Willard poster
Directed by
Daniel Mann
Genre
horror film, science fiction film
Country
United States
Runtime
1h 31m
Rated
PG
Rating
6.1 of 10 from 137 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb

How it feels

A socially awkward young man is pushed out of his family's company by his cruel boss. He finds companionship in the rats he raises at home, but after one of them is killed, he trains the horde to attack his enemies.

lonelycreepyslow-burnvengefulmelancholicunsettlingtensebleak

What happens

Willard is a 1971 American horror film directed by Daniel Mann and written by Gilbert Ralston, based on Stephen Gilbert's novel Ratman's Notebooks. Bruce Davison stars as social misfit Willard Stiles, who is squeezed out of the company started by his deceased father. His only friends are a few rats raised at home, including Ben and Socrates, and their increasing number of friends. When Socrates is killed by Willard's boss, he goes on a rampage using his rats to attack. Willard was released on February 26, 1971, by Cinerama Releasing Corporation, opening to mixed reviews, but it was successful at the box office, making it the 11th-highest-grossing release of the year. It was also nominated for an Edgar Award for Best Picture. The film was followed by a 1972 sequel, Ben, and a 2003 remake, also titled Willard, with Crispin Glover portraying Willard, and Davison making a cameo as Willard's father. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

More like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? Tell the Catbot what you feel like watching and it picks from the whole catalogue, or browse by genre, country and year.

Lists: Korean thrillers worth the evening · Anime films beyond Studio Ghibli · Slow films for a rainy night · Horror that unsettles instead of startling · Series you can finish in a weekend · Nordic crime worth the subtitles · Good films that end in under 90 minutes · Documentaries that play like thrillers

Loading movies…

What should I watch?