Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Playlists
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Movies»Movies by Decade»Movies - 1970s
    Movies - 1970s Movies - W 2 Mins Read

    Willard (1971)

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    27-year-old Willard Stiles (Bruce Davison) works in the offices of a business that he should have, by rights, inherited from his late father, but his boss, friend of the family Mr Martin (Ernest Borgnine), stole it away from him and now treats him like a slave around the building, hectoring him and ordering him about.

    At home, things aren’t much better, as Willard’s mother (Elsa Lanchester) has him at her beck and call, as she’s not getting any younger and relies on him to look after her.

    Willard turns the tables on his tormentors by training his two pet rats – Socrates (the white one who is loyal and friendly) and Ben (who does what he is told but has a rebellious streak) – and their sewer pals to attack on command. But when he neglects them after falling in love with Joan (Sondra Locke), hell hath no fury like rodents scorned.

    Solid direction by Daniel Mann and Davison’s creepily introverted performance turned this horror revenge tale into a huge box-office hit.

    Everybody cheers when bullying boss Mr Martin (Ernest Borgnine) gets it, although the movie’s overall success depends on one’s squeamishness towards the creatures themselves. The sequel Ben (1972) followed.

    A 2003 ‘reinterpretation’ starred Crispin Glover and R Lee Ermey.

    Willard Stiles
    Bruce Davison
    Al Martin
    Ernest Borgnine
    Henrietta Stiles
    Elsa Lanchester
    Joan
    Sondra Locke
    Brandt
    Michael Dante
    Charlotte Stassen
    Jody Gilbert

    Director
    Daniel Mann

    Video

    Related Posts

    • Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
      Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
      Sean Connery returned for the seventh movie in the Bond series with James matching wits with his nemesis, Blofeld, here…
    • Ben (1972)
      Ben (1972)
      Just your typical "8-year-old-boy-with-heart-condition meets highly-intelligent-killer-rat and wreaks havoc on a small California town" story. This sequel to Willard (1971) is…
    • Murder by Death (1976)
      Murder by Death (1976)
      "You are cordially invited to dinner and a murder" - so read the invitation sent to five world-famous detectives by…
    • Man Who Loved Cat Dancing, The (1973)
      Man Who Loved Cat Dancing, The (1973)
      When Catherine Crocker (Sarah Miles) leaves the mining executive husband she married for money (George Hamilton) and rides off into…
    • Terror in the Wax Museum (1973)
      Terror in the Wax Museum (1973)
      This very standard but serviceable film features a lot of old actors going over a lot of old ground. John…
    • Female Trouble (1974)
      Female Trouble (1974)
      Along with Pink Flamingos (1972), this is the film that gained cult director John Waters his trophy for spectacularly redefining melodrama.…
    • Frogs (1972)
      Frogs (1972)
      Jason Crockett (Ray Milland) is an ageing, grumpy, physically disabled millionaire who invites his family to his private island estate…
    • Wall, The (1982)
      Wall, The (1982)
      Directed by Alan Parker and starring Bob Geldof from The Boomtown Rats, this movie version of the 1979 Pink Floyd album was described…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleVengeance of She, The (1968)
    Next Article Man Alive

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    You May Also Like
    • Theatre Of Blood (1973)
      In a part he was born to play, Vincent Price is classically […]
    • All Clued Up
      1 9 8 7 – 1 9 9 3 (UK) All Clued Up was a Sunday tea-time […]
    • Mad Libs
      Co-creators Roger Price and Leonard Stern came up with the Mad […]
    • Colourfield, The
      Terry Hall had already helped soundtrack the late 70s and early […]
    • Alice (1988)
      Having previously visited Lewis Carroll in Jabberwocky (1977), […]
    • Percy (1971)
      Surgeon Emmanuel Whitbread (Denholm Elliott) believes he has […]
    Twitter Feed
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disco Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2022 Nostalgia Central
    • About
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.