Shout Factory has finally released the 1971 cult classic, Willard, on a special edition Blu-ray/DVD combo set. The results are marvelous!
Bruce Davison stars in this gleefully morbid and colorful tale of a misfit named Willard Stiles, a loner who lives with his overly possessive mother and is constantly bullied by his boss, Al (played by Ernest Borgnine in a campy performance).
One day, Willard befriends some rats in the garden, and before long, they become his only friends. Willard begins breeding the rodents and training them to do his bidding. When Willard meets a friendly intern at the workplace, his interests briefly shift to her, before his boss finally pushes him to the brink of insanity.
In a moment of maniacal desperation, Willard will ask his furry friends to carry out one final - and fatal - task, leading to a gruesome finale.
For many years, Willard was incredibly hard to find on home video. And now Shout Factory has given the world the chance to properly view this goofy spectacle of a film. The performances are good all around the board, with Davison, Sondra Locke, Borgnine, and the always wonderful Elsa Lanchester, giving their best to the material. For a horror film, Willard is mostly a tame affair, and the tone is all over the place. It never really goes beyond its PG rating. But perhaps this is part of its charm. It's a creepy-crawly film that most everyone can enjoy, and it is a film that any true horror buff should be pleased to own.
Special features include trailers, TV spots, and an interview with Bruce Davison.
Highly recommended!
Bruce Davison stars in this gleefully morbid and colorful tale of a misfit named Willard Stiles, a loner who lives with his overly possessive mother and is constantly bullied by his boss, Al (played by Ernest Borgnine in a campy performance).
One day, Willard befriends some rats in the garden, and before long, they become his only friends. Willard begins breeding the rodents and training them to do his bidding. When Willard meets a friendly intern at the workplace, his interests briefly shift to her, before his boss finally pushes him to the brink of insanity.
In a moment of maniacal desperation, Willard will ask his furry friends to carry out one final - and fatal - task, leading to a gruesome finale.
For many years, Willard was incredibly hard to find on home video. And now Shout Factory has given the world the chance to properly view this goofy spectacle of a film. The performances are good all around the board, with Davison, Sondra Locke, Borgnine, and the always wonderful Elsa Lanchester, giving their best to the material. For a horror film, Willard is mostly a tame affair, and the tone is all over the place. It never really goes beyond its PG rating. But perhaps this is part of its charm. It's a creepy-crawly film that most everyone can enjoy, and it is a film that any true horror buff should be pleased to own.
Special features include trailers, TV spots, and an interview with Bruce Davison.
Highly recommended!