Willard (2003) Horror Movie Review

by Spider
(Salem, Oregon, USA)

Released: March 15, 2003
Directed by: Glen Morgan
Written by: Stephen Gilbert and Glen Morgan
Starring:

Crispin Glover as Willard Stiles
Jackie Burroughs as Henrietta Stiles
R. Lee Ermey as Al Martin

Remakes are plentiful in many film genres but the horror section of any video store is especially plagued by them, with results that vary from wonderful to God awful, the ultimate test being of course is how it stands up to the original film. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the 2003 revision of Willard (1971).

Like its predecessor, Willard (2003) revolves around an unhappy, socially awkward man, Willard, who's life is dominated by his deranged sickly mother and cruel tyrant boss until fate steps in, introducing Willard to a large pack of rats led by a white rat he names Socrates and a large brown rat he names Ben. Willard forms a unique relationship with the rats and begins training them to be the perfect tools for revenge.

In the remake, the torch of Willard is picked up by Crispin Glover. While I enjoy the 1971 film’s star Bruce Davison’s performance, I have to say Crispin Glover was born to play this part, with his pale skin, jerky movements and stuttering speech making for a very believable, sympathetic, social outcast.

Supporting actress Jackie Burrough is also amazing. While Elsa Lanchester does a fine job of playing Willard's mother in the original, Jackie Burrough’s performance as an escapee from the dementia care ward is much more frightening for anyone who's ever had a ailing elderly family member.

The film suffers one of the same problems as the original - how to make little, furry animals scary; but the incredible, dark atmosphere and almost Gothic beauty elevate the odd horror revenge story into a dark twisted fairy tale, with rats more believable and also more frightening than in the original film.

I have to give props to the real stars of the film, the rats, played by an incredible group of rodents. Eight white rats played the part of Socrates, six Gambia rats played the part of Ben, and 550 brown rats made up the rest of the pack.

Overall Willard is a remarkable remake, far surpassing the original, and in my opinion deserves much more love than it gets from the horror community. I give the film 4 out of 5 freak heads and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a dark, humorous, creepy film.