Willard
Short description
Willard Stiles is a shy, isolated young man trapped between a dull office job and a decaying family home he shares with his ailing mother. Bullied by his boss and overlooked by almost everyone around him, he finds an unexpected connection with the rats living in the basement and grounds of the house. He names them, feeds them, and gradually discovers they will follow his commands, giving him a sense of control and companionship he has never had. As the pressure of his daily humiliations builds, that bond turns into something far more dangerous.
Released in 2003, this remake of the 1971 cult film was directed by Glen Morgan, who also wrote the screenplay and produced it with James Wong. It was Morgan's first feature as director; he went on to direct Black Christmas in 2006. Crispin Glover leads the cast as Willard, with R. Lee Ermey as his employer Mr. Martin, Laura Harring as Cathryn, Jackie Burroughs as Mrs. Stiles, Ashlyn Gere as Ms. Leach and Laara Sadiq as Janice Mantis.
Made for around 20 million dollars, the film earned roughly 9 million worldwide, so it did not recover its cost at the box office. Audiences are divided: on IMDb it holds 6.1 out of 10 from about 21,000 votes, similar to its 6.1 out of 10 on TMDB from around 382 votes. A critics' rating of 6.4 out of 10 from 126 reviews places it slightly above those audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- The filmmakers suggested depicting Willard (played by Crispin Glover) to resemble a rat and demanded that the makeup artists make the character as unattractive as possible – emphasizing incorrect facial features with pale skin, dark circles under his eyes, and a large nose.
- Originally, Doug Hutchison was planned for the lead role, and the script was written with him in mind.
- Joaquin Phoenix and Macaulay Culkin turned down the lead role.
- The main female role was intended for Kristen Cloke, the wife of director Glenn Morgan, but she was unable to star in the film due to her pregnancy. Ultimately, Kristen played the role of a psychiatrist, a fragment of which was not included in the final version.
- All the photographs in Willard's father's house feature actor Bruce Davison, who starred in the original 1971 film.
- The film features the song "Ben" performed by Michael Jackson, which he wrote specifically for the sequel of the same name.
- Over 500 rats were used during filming. They were all highly trained and divided into several groups depending on the actions they were to perform on camera.
- The role of Ben was played by a Gambian pouched rat. This species of rat can reach a length of 43 centimeters, not including the tail, and weigh 2.7 kilograms. They are easily trained and are used to detect anti-personnel mines.
- Each rat involved in the filming of the movie was marked with a sequential number on the lower part of its tail for the convenience of the filmmakers.
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