Customer Reviews

Of Unknown Origin

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This movie is one of the most underated horror films that I have ever seen. Beautiful use of the long take and voyeuristic photography. It's very "Roman Polanski esque". Weller is perfect as the upscale New Yorker who becomes obsessed with a rodent invading his beautiful apartment. If you ever lived in a large city, this movie is a must see.

An urban "Moby Dick"! Suspenseful yet humorous with some purposely overblown rat scenes. (ONE rat, not "hordes.") The film is not a scary rat flick, (though it has some fright moments)--it's a psychological thriller about a man being drawn into obsession.

Peter Weller (Robocop) turns his home into a battleground in this fun little b-movie horror film. The film starts of with Peter Weller's character who has a beautiful wife and a son who live in a classy New York apartment as hes ready to go to work, soon both his wife and son leave to visit some relatives during the weekend so he will have some time to get some office work done, unfortunately for him there seems to be a little problem. There seems to be a huge rodent roaming around the apartment and it has really become a nuisance of course he calls the exterminator but that doesn't help infact it seems like things are getting much worse as this disgusting rodent seems to outsmart its opponent and Peter's character can't take it anymore so he has to go to extreme measures in order to get rid of this problem and he becomes totally obsessed it seems to have taken over his life and sanity. Of Unknown Origin was a pretty good horror film even though there were some corny parts I still liked it its sort of like a guilty pleasure movie so I watch it when theres nothing else on T.V..

I saw this on video back in the 80's, mostly because Peter Weller was in it, and he was (and still is) one of my favorite actors. He plays an NYC businessman who becomes obsessed with a really big and mean rat that's invaded the dreamhouse/brownstone he's personally restored. The filmmakers definitely had aspirations beyond just making a rat movie (at one point, Weller pounds on the ceiling with a copy of "Moby Dick"), but just as a rat movie, it succeeds beautifully: Increasingly scary and gory rat action, something the new version of "Willard" pretty much forgot to include. There's also a rat expert onhand, without which no good rat movie can do without - really two, if you count Weller's character, who starts spewing rat facts at inappropriate times at the movie goes on. (One of the great bits of dialogue goes something like this: "You're thinking of [the rat] maybe 10% of the time...but he's thinking of you 100% of the time..." Because he's a RAT, and rats is rats.) What really puts the movie over, aside from some pretty effective direction, is Weller's great performance as the businessman, who slowly starts to lose his grip the more he becomes obsessed with evicting the rat from his home. I'd rank it as one of the best performances in a horror film, up there with Jeff Goldblum in "The Fly." So, if you're into rat movies, it'd be hard to top this one for your viewing pleasure.

Peter Weller is a man on his way up fast in the business world. He has personally renovated a NY brownstone and is up for an important position at work. But then two things happen. First his wife and son go off to Vermont to visit her family. Second, a very large rat moves in. What follows is a sort of modern-day retelling of THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA (complete with clips from the movie).

As Peter becomes aware of the rat and begins to try and deal with it, he slowly becomes obsessed with freeing his home of the unwanted invader. Obsession grows and Weller sinks deeper and deeper. Work begins to suffer and his secretary and boss begin to worry about him. But whatever the hardship, Weller, like the Old Man, will not let up for a moment. I found the ending of the movie to be quite satisfying with the final lines very neatly tying the whole tale up neatly.

Some may think of this as horror, some suspense, and some tragedy. There are definitely elements of all three involved but any such label would bee to simple for what this movie really is. This is not a very well-known film but it deserves more exposure.

the movie had some week points , but the man's obsession with the rat, was very real. a must see ,i am looking to buy it on dvd ,thanks chris

When I was little I had a fear of rats and this movie made it even worse.It terrified me.I still watched it over and over though.Many years later I finally saw it again and it still scared me though I found out is wasn't so much about the rat but about this mans obsession with destroying it.
It starts when his wife and young son go on vacation to visit her parents.Soon after Peter starts encountering the rat.He tries to work and the rat is thumping against the ceiling.He tries setting rat poison and rat traps all to no avail.One night the rat comes out of the toilet while he was peeing.Another night after taking in a stray cat he finds it ripped up and killed.He goes to the basment and finds a nest of little rats only to be attacked.The attack scenes are pretty good and actually kind of chilling.The rat completely took over his life.One of my favorite scenes is at the business dinner when Peter starts to spew off all these random facts about rats.The final scene in which he completely destroys his house trying to kill this rat is awesome and shows just how obsessed he has become.
Overall this is a solid flick.It delivers a few nice scares,the music is eery and the setting is also cool.Peter Weller also gives a great and believable performance.Give this movie a chance and you will enjoy this.

This is a smart, classy little movie that is far better than you'd expect. The acting and script are top-notch for a horror film. It delivers some terrific shocks and suspense (and humour), as well as some very elegant photography that gives the film an almost European flavor.

I AM A TRUE FAN OF HORROR MOVIES. THIS MOVIE TAKES AN UNWANTED PEST TO A NEW LEVEL. EVERYONE WHO HAS WATCH THIS MOVIE WITH ME REALLY ENJOYED IT. NO ONE COULD SIT WITH THEIR FEET ON THE FLOOR!! THERE WAS YELLING AND SCREAMING THROUGH OUT THE MOVIE. THIS IS A FILM THAT SHOULD BE IN ANYONE'S COLLECTION THAT IS SERIOUS ABOUT BEING REAL HORROR MOVIES.GET IT AND " SCARE " IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS.

I'm a big horror buff. Now i have known about this one since it's theatrical release, but this little gem has managed to evade me for a viewing all these years! Thanks to DVD. I finally got to peep it out. I wasn't expecting much. But when the credits rolled I felt all warm and fuzzy for laying out the dough on this title!

Most the other reviewers here applaud Weller's performance. And I must say it's maybe even the strongest one I've seen from him.

He plays the family guy, whose wife (Shannon Tweed in her screen debut) takes the kid and goes off to vacation at her parent's. Weller's character can not go because he's trying to get a deal through at work that could give him a big promotion. Soon after his wife and kid leave, a pretty big damned rat infiltrates Weller's brownstone abode which he has obsessively renovated painstakingly by hand. Basically Weller is a neat freak! And when the rat begins to vandalize the house as rodent's do... He begins to go nutty and obsessive on how to get rid of it... And soon it's a battle of life and death over which one will be king of the castle!

While others associate this film to the likes of Ben and mayhaps even Food of the Gods. I found this film to be rather original! Probably mostly in part to superior characterizations which make the tale work damn good.

The ladies will most likely freak out on this one though. Let's just say the big rat get's quite brazen at times trying to take over the house as his territory! If you think you get it bad enough to keep the seat down! Well then... Don't let 'em see this one!

I think it's a pretty safe bet that well rounded horror afficandos will be pleased with purchasing this one. All others should try to give it the ole' rental first.