1 / 8
RUNTIME
Did you know
88 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
Of Unknown Origin
"Two forces have claimed the house. Only one will survive."
1983 1h 28m EN
😐
5.8
MID
★5.8TMDB · 116
Horror
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
A man who recently completed rebuilding a townhouse becomes obsessed with a rat infestation until it becomes an interspecies duel.
“Two forces have claimed the house. Only one will survive.”
Cast
Peter Weller
Bart Hughes
Jennifer Dale
Lorrie Wells
Lawrence Dane
Eliot Riverton
Kenneth Welsh
James Hall
Louis Del Grande
Clete
Shannon Tweed
Meg Hughes
Keith Knight
Hardware Salesman
Maury Chaykin
Dan Errol
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- George P. Cosmatos
- Writers
- Brian Taggert
- Languages
- English
- Countries
- Canada, United States of America
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
2 / 8
MONEY
Did you know
Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
MoodPlayr · trivia#02
3 / 8
ERA
Did you know
43 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
MoodPlayr · trivia#03
4 / 8
WORLD
Did you know
International production across 2 countries: Canada, United States of America.
MoodPlayr · trivia#04
5 / 8
WORLD
Did you know
Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
MoodPlayr · trivia#05
6 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by George P. Cosmatos, shot by René Verzier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr · trivia#06
7 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by Kenneth Wannberg. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr · trivia#07
8 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Roberto Silvi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr · trivia#08
Cinephile deep dive
The take
George P. Cosmatos directs. René Verzier behind the camera. Kenneth Wannberg scores. Roberto Silvi cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Canada, United States of America. Dialogue in English.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
- 2Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
- 343 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
- 4International production across 2 countries: Canada, United States of America.
- 5Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
- 6Directed by George P. Cosmatos, shot by René Verzier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 7Original score by Kenneth Wannberg. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 8Editor Roberto Silvi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 9Peter Weller and Jennifer Dale and Lawrence Dane carry the top of the cast.
- 10Marketing tagline: "Two forces have claimed the house. Only one will survive.".
- 11IMDB entry: tt0086036 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 12Classified under 11 themes, including "new york city", "based on novel or book", "poison", "animal attack".
The technical file
- Cinematography
- René Verzier
- Original score
- Kenneth Wannberg
- Editing
- Roberto Silvi
- Production design
- Anne Pritchard
- Runtime
- 88 min · 1h 28m
- Aspect ratio (typical)
- 1.37:1 (Academy)
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $4,000,000
- Original language
- EN
- Certification (US)
- R
Also by
George P. Cosmatos
Stills · wallpapers
Selected frames
Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.
Trailers & featurettes
Watch the pieces
Community reviews
What people are saying
- Wuchak★ 5/10
The Rat from Hell A Manhattan executive (Peter Weller) deals with the rats on Wall Street while defending his brownstone ‘castle’ against a literal vermin. Jennifer Dale plays his secretary while Lawrence Dane and Kenneth Welsh are on hand as colleagues. "Of Unknown Origin" (1983) strikes me as a Stephen King yarn, which makes sense when you figure that this is one of the horror author’s favorite flicks. While the compare/contrast of the protagonist’s life in his home-castle with the rat maze at work is interesting, the premise is too light IMHO to carry a feature film: a man vs. a rat alone in his gothic abode. Weller works well as the resolute hero but, for me, the best thing about it is winsome Jennifer Dale (Cynthia Dale's older sister). Gene Simmon’s wife, Shannon Tweed, makes her feature film debut in a small role. The film runs 1 hour, 28 minutes, and was shot in Montreal. GRADE: C
Production companies
Who made it
- CA
Canadian Film Development Corporation
CA
- LE
Les Productions Mutuelles Ltée
Famous Players
CA
Key crew
- NovelChauncey G. Parker III
- Executive ProducerPierre David
- ProducerClaude Héroux
- EditorRoberto Silvi
- Production DesignAnne Pritchard
- Production AssistantDavid Bailey
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- new york city
- based on novel or book
- poison
- animal attack
- house
- rampage
- rat
- canuxploitation
- animals gone wild
- giant rat
- mousetrap
Release history · US
When it landed
- Premiere1983-09-30R· Fresno, California
- Theatrical1983-11-23R
Also known as
International titles
- Eredete IsmeretlenHU
- D'origine inconnue : terreur à domicileCA
- Terreur à domicileFR
