Product Details

• Actors: Crispin Glover, R. Lee Ermey, Laura Elena Harring
• Directors: Glen Morgan
• Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: New Line Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: October 7, 2003
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (120 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000AZT78
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #33,120 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Willard" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

As accomplished as it is superfluous, Willard is a stylish horror film with plenty of style and precious little horror. Genre buffs will appreciate it as a visually superior sequel/remake of its popular 1971 predecessor, giving Crispin Glover a title role perfectly suited to his uniquely odd persona, in the same league as Psycho's Norman Bates. This time, Willard's the psychotically lonely son of the original film's now-deceased protagonist; a milquetoast introvert who befriends an army of obedient rats--lethal allies when Willard's pushed to his emotional breaking point by his abusive boss (R. Lee Ermey). In keeping with his memorably macabre episodes of X-Files, writer-director Glen Morgan excels with dreary atmosphere and mischievously morbid humor (including an ill-fated cat named Scully), and Glover gives his best performance since River's Edge. But even the furry villain Ben--an oversized rat with attitude--is more funny than frightful... so really, what's the point? With some justification, Glover's fans will appreciate the open door to a sequel. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

A lonely, awkward misfit tormented by his boss on a daily basis turns to rats for friendship...and revenge.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Director Glen Morgan, producer James Wong, Crispin Glover and R. Lee Ermey
DVD ROM Features
Deleted Scenes:12 Deleted Scenes
Documentaries:"Year of the Rat" - Behind-the-scenes Documentary on the making of Willard "Rat People-Friend or Foe?" Documentary
Full Screen Version
Music Video:Crispin Hellion Glover's "Ben" w/optional commentary
TV Spot:Three TV spots
Theatrical Trailer

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars HE'S BACK... February 8, 2004

By Lawyeraau HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:VHS Tape

It appears that Crispin Glover is carving a niche for himself on the silver screen, playing slightly creepy, social misfits ("Back to the Future", "Bartleby"). In this re-make of the 1971 film of the same name that starred Bruce Davidson, Crispin Glover plays the title role, that of Willard Stiles.

Willard is a lonely young man who lives in a huge mansion from days gone by with his decaying, elderly mother (Jackie Burroughs). He works in the industrial plant that used to belong to his father, before it was stolen out from under him by Mr. Martin (R. Lee Ermey), the man who is now Willard's boss. Cruelly tormented at work by Mr. Martin and beset at home by his overbearing mother whom he loves in an obsessive Norman Bates type of way, Willard is just plain weird.

When he discovers that his home is plagued by rats, instead of exterminating them, he befriends one of them, a white rat whom he names Socrates, who is in command of the horde of rats that reside in the basement. His second in command is a huge brown rat whom Willard names Ben but whom he does not like. The horde of rats seem to live to do Willard's bidding. All that changes when the lovable Socrates meets a cruel and untimely end. That event totally unhinges both Willard and Ben, and therein lies the tale.

Directed by X Files graduate Glen Morgan, with superlative production values, the film has an inside joke that X File fans, such as myself, will appreciate. Look for the orange cat, appropriately named Scully after red head Gillian Anderson, who plays the role of the same name in the X Files series. Moreover, links to the original "Willard" film, upon which this one is predicated, abound in the film.... The portrait and family photographs of Willard's father look surprisingly like those of Bruce Davidson.

It is as if the film were written tongue-in-cheek, as there is really nothing all that horrific about it, other than the demise of Socrates. In fact, as a true horror film, it fails. Even the rats are not scary. They end up being merely funny. This filmed failed at the box-office for this reason, because the powers that be marketed it as a horror genre film. As a portrait of the disintegration of a lonely, social misfit, however, the film fares better, due to the inspired casting of Crispin Glover. It is a film worth seeing, if only for Crispin Glover's performance. Read more ›

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Year's Best Film March 15, 2003

By Lord Maxwell Danger Wolkin

If you were expecting a "cool, killer animal" film, do not see this movie. If you were expecting a carbon copy of the original horror cult classic, do not see this film. The new "Willard" is not a bloody, slasher movie, despite how the trailers make it out to be. "Willard" is an intelligent, psychological thriller/drama about a lonely man (played excellently by my new favorite actor, Crispin Glover [another film he was great in was "Bartleby",...) who befriends a little white rat named Socrates, only to find that not only can he communicate with the rat, but the rat can send his communications off to the hundreds of other rats living in Willard's basement. He soon develops a great friendship with Socrates, and uses the rats for revenge. One of the other rats is a humongus fellow named Ben who desperately wants to be part of Willard's and Socrates' friendship, but Willard shuns Ben, and only uses him when he needs him. Well, I don't want to go into too much detail, but a sort of love triangle evolves with Willard, Socrates, and Ben. There is also a thing going on with Willard's mother, who lives with him, and Willard's horrible boss. Willard's and Socrate's relationship is truly endearing, creating a beautiful film. This film is perfect if you love rats, hate them, or just like Crispin Glover, as he really shines here. It is enhanced with very cool cinematography (with very little CGI- Ben is somewhere around nine pounds and he is a *real* rat), and good music. A must see!

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Ben, the two of us need look no more... March 18, 2003

By Benjamin

"Willard," with Crispin Glover in the title role, was a more creepy, atmospheric film than a general horror film. At no time while watching it did I really ever feel scared, which disappointed me. I wanted, you know, to jump at least once, and you'd figure that'd be par for the course in a film filled with so many rats. But it didn't happen, for it turns out that the "Willard" remake doesn't aspire to be that kind of horror movie. It's more "Edward Scissorhands" and "Psycho" than "Urban Legend," thank God.

The constantly underrated, creepy Crispin Glover is absolutely perfect in the title role, reminiscent of Anthony Perkins, as a browbeaten man who turns to friendship with rats in order to find acceptance and later exact revenge on those who've wronged him. The film, on the whole, is macabre in its costuming, set design and even its opening credits. The production value is noticeably high.

The supporting cast is very strong, including Jackie Burroughs as Willard's half-decomposed, senile mother and Laura Elena Harring as the girl who tries to care for Willard. Still, R. Lee Ermey steals every scene he's in as Willard's belligerent, evil boss. His demise, fittingly, is the visual and emotional climax of the film.

The ending of the movie pays homage to "Psycho," and the original "Willard," which I've not seen, gets its due by featuring Bruce Davison in portraits as Willard's father. Davison, of course, was the original Willard.

"Willard" is creepy fun, and it left me impressed.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Atmospheric thriller with superb acting, but not a horror. November 26, 2003

By veryvery

Format:DVD

I wish I saw this sadly underrated gem in the theater. I think the reason it failed there was because it was marketed as a horror film with killer rats, and to me, it isn't a horror film. The film is primarily about one man's descent into madness; the rats in this film serve more to illustrate this, rather than as a tool for horror and scares. The most important things about this film are the atmosphere, which throughout the film is creepy and gothic, and the acting, which is silmply fantastic. It'll never happen, but I think Glover should get an Oscar nomination for this role.
I believe that this film would have succeeded if it were marketed as an art-house film rather than as a scary horror film.