Willard

"This is Willard and his friend Ben. Ben will do anything for Willard."

1971 1h 35m EN

😐

6.1

MID

🥫

50%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.2

IMDB

★6.1TMDB · 141🥫50%Rotten Tomatoes●49Metacritic★6.2IMDB · 6,081

HorrorScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A social misfit, Willard is made fun of by his co-workers, and squeezed out of the company started by his deceased father by his boss. His only friends are a couple of rats he raised at home, Ben and Socrates. However, when one of them is killed at work, he goes on a rampage using his rats to attack those who have been tormenting him.

“This is Willard and his friend Ben. Ben will do anything for Willard.”

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Cast

Bruce Davison
Willard Stiles
Ernest Borgnine
Al Martin
Sondra Locke
Joan Simms
Elsa Lanchester
Henrietta Stiles
Michael Dante
Brandt
Jody Gilbert
Charlotte Stassen
William Hansen
Barskin
John Myhers
Carlson

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Daniel Mann
Writers: Gilbert Ralston
Languages: English
Countries: 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 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

55 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Willard Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Daniel Mann, shot by Robert B. Hauser. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alex North. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Warren Low shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Bruce Davison and Ernest Borgnine and Sondra Locke carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "This is Willard and his friend Ben. Ben will do anything for Willard.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0067991 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Daniel Mann directs. Robert B. Hauser behind the camera. Alex North scores. Warren Low cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

155 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Part of the "Willard Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Directed by Daniel Mann, shot by Robert B. Hauser. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Alex North. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Warren Low shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Bruce Davison and Ernest Borgnine and Sondra Locke carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "This is Willard and his friend Ben. Ben will do anything for Willard.".
8IMDB entry: tt0067991 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 10 themes, including "based on novel or book", "animal attack", "revenge", "murder".

The technical file

Cinematography: Robert B. Hauser
Original score: Alex North
Editing: Warren Low
Costume design: Dorothy Barkley
Makeup / hair: Gustaf Norin
Runtime: 95 min · 1h 35m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Willard (1971)
Rotten Tomatoes: 50% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 49/100
IMDB rating: 6.2/10 · 6,081 votes
MPAA: PG
US box office: $19,216,000

Awards

2 nominations total

Part of

Willard Collection

This collection delves into narratives centered on rats, showcasing themes of loneliness, social isolation, and revenge. One film highlights a lonely boy befriending a remarkable rat, leading to a series of tragic events. Another film follows a social misfit who, tormented by co-workers, turns to his pet rats for comfort and revenge. These films explore the complexities of human-animal relationships and the dark side of human behavior through captivating storylines.

Also by

Daniel Mann

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2019-11-08
★ 6/10
A young loner finds that he connects with… rats A mama’s boy and meek misfit (Bruce Davison) befriends the rats that live behind his mother old manor and decides to use them to get back at his domineering boss (Ernest Borgnine) who usurped the business from his father. Sondra Locke is on hand as a coworker in one of her earliest roles. "Willard" (1971) is an odd mundane character study of a timid loner with low key horror and a bit o’ black humor; it has a curious vibe that hints at the insanity of life. Incredibly, it was a minor hit at the box office, the 12th top-grossing movie of 1971, beating out notables like “Escape from the Planet of the Apes,” “Shaft,” “Play Misty for Me,” “McCabe & Mrs. Miller” and “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” I say “incredibly” because this is a small, absurd, melancholy movie of little consequence, yet not without some interest. The main rats are cute, for instance. Plus it’s nice to see Locke in her young, pre-Eastwood years. She dated star Davison while filming “Willard,” but not publicly since she was married to her soul mate from high school. The husband didn’t mind, however, since he was homosexual. The movie runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot in Los Angeles. GRADE: B-

Production companies