Willard (1971)
Directed by Daniel Mann
There are lots of horror movies, that I’ve heard about as a young kid and tracked down to watch. Willard is one that my dad used to always talk about, especially with the scene where Willard yells “TEAR HIM UP!” I found this streaming on tubi, so I had to check it out.
Willard is about an awkward guy, that lives with his overbearing mom. At work Willard is belittled by his boss (Ernest Borgnine, a classic Simpsons guest) constantly, and reminded that Willard’s dad owned the company and Willard is basically a failure. Soon Willard starts taking care of rats in his backyard and treating them like pets. His fondness of the rats escalates into an obsession. The rats begin to multiply, and all hell breaks loose.
The acting in this movie is really good. Burce Davison plays Willard and he puts in a good performance. You feel for him because he’s trying his best to navigate life and everyone shits on him. Ernest Borgnine plays his boss and man, Borgnine is such an asshole that you can’t wait for him to get his comeuppance. Willard’s mom is played by Elsa Lanchester, probably best known for playing the Bride of Frankenstein. She does a good job playing a needy and controlling elderly mother. Rounding out the main cast is Sandra Locke, Willard’s coworker Joan, whom has taken a liking to him.
The rats in this are great. Willard becomes especially close with two rats, Socrates and Ben. Ben is by far the most intelligent of the bunch and Willard teaches him commands. After Socrates is killed by Borgnine’s character, Willard goes into a downward spiral, and plans vengeance. He has his horde of rats, now up to the hundreds, attack and kill him. Soon, Willard realizes it has gone too far, and he can’t keep all the rats, so he tries to take out Ben, since he’s the leader. Ben realizes what is happening and starts a revolt, all attacking and killing Willard at the end.
Willard was a pretty good movie. I knew the general basis of it, having heard of the movie, and its sequel, Ben many times. The acting is good, the rats are cool and the story moves at a good pace. You feel sorry for Willard, and then he becomes a monster towards the end. I give Willard a B+.
