WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS Willard is a very slow moving character study. It is not, as it is billed, a horror film, unless you have a phobia relating to rats. Yes, scenes with the rats can deliver a gross out, but that's about it. The only really horrifying thing in the film is the way the rest of the cast (excluding Sondra Locke's character) treat Willard. Basically what we have here is the story of a shy man, suppressed by his overbearing mother and without his father who is put upon by everyone. He withdraws so much that his only friends are rats. At various points in the movie he uses the rats to ruin his bosses party, steal money, and finally murder his boss. All of the acting is good, and Borgnine is excellent as Willard's creepy boss. But this can't save the film from its glacier pacing and inappropriate music. Ultimately the film is a let down because nothing really happens. I do not recommend this film unless you really like slow paced character sketches or are afraid of rats.
