Horror Extreme Movie Catalog

Blood and Rain
Blood for the Masses

Willard (2003)

Starring: Crispin Clover, Laura Elena Herring and R. Lee Ermey

Reviewed by
B.L.Morgan

2 Stars

This movie follows the original pretty closely. you have the same basic story; Willard is a shy introverted guy who gets to cuddling rats for fun. The rats start doing things for him so he uses them for revenge.

There are a few killings in the movie but nothing overly gross. Crispin Glover plays a very weird Willard, a bit too weird for my taste. Laura Elena Harring was just forgettable. R.Lee Ermey as Willard's evil boss was one dimensional and almost a comic book character.

Not scary, not recommended, just weird.

An example of how not to do a remake.

See the original.

A curious remake of the 1971 horror B-movie, in which a born loser who lives in the miserable company of his wretched mother (Burroughs) and under the baton of a cruel boss (Ermey) finds friendship and a means to wage revenge in the company of rats.

Glover is perfectly cast in the titular lead: spineless, seething with resentment and impossibly weird. Most other character actors train for years to fake the kind of bizarre demeanor that the Hellion seems to effortlessly embody; it's hard to imagine somebody else who'd be better suited for this role. Ermey is also excellent as the unbearably vicious manager, the kind of brutal authority figure that he's been typecast as since Kubrick first exploited his natural potential. The supporting cast is just fine, but the performances of these humans are far less interesting than those of their rodent counterparts (live and CGI alike), who are well implemented.

This isn't quite a horror film: there are no outright scares, but the movie is genuinely creepy now and again. More notable is the poignancy of the story; even though this reviewer has a general revulsion for most rodents, the more tender aspects of Willard's relationship with his favorite pet are genuinely moving. It's all quite hokey, to be sure, but very touching nonetheless.

The only serious gripe that could be lodged against this film is that its style is considerably derivative: Glen Morgan's direction bears more than a passing resemblance to that of Tim Burton. Even Shirley Walker's score sounds very much like a Danny Elfman composition. Of course, this film shouldn't be entirely dismissed; it is frequently effective and has a heart. But it's easy to imagine how this could have been a great movie, had it been developed by a filmmaker with a more unique vision.