Willard

Willard Stiles endures merciless taunting from his ruthless boss, Frank Martin, during office hours at the Stiles Company. Martin overtakes the family firm after Alfred's suicide in 1995 and hints that Willard's job is contingent on Henrietta's fate, which tightens the pressure on him. The scene establishes a power imbalance that isolates Willard from his peers.

Back at the musty mansion, Willard discovers a growing rat colony in the basement and befriends Socrates, a white rat who becomes his confidant. He trains the rats, and their intelligence grows, setting up an obsessive connection that will redefine his world. The rats' presence transforms his loneliness into a dangerous obsession.

Among the rats, Ben, a much larger rival, resents Willard's favored attention to Socrates. Willard's conditioning of the rodents intensifies as the colony expands, and the basement becomes a chaotic, living army under his control. The dynamic between Ben and Socrates foreshadows the violence to come.

Willard takes the rat army to Martin's home and orders them to chew the tires on Martin's new Mercedes, turning a personal vendetta into a calculated act of destruction. Ben sneaks along and helps by chewing a hole in the garage door to let the others in. A dog follows Willard briefly, which he then packs into a bag to silence it.

That evening Henrietta overhears Willard arguing with the rats and fears he's planning to abandon or harm her, revealing the growing despair in the household. The next morning, she is discovered dead on the basement stairs, a tragedy that intensifies Willard's guilt and isolates him further. The revelation also foreshadows the house and family’s collapse.

In Henrietta's bedroom, Willard discovers a coroner's envelope containing the effects found on Alfred's body, including the bloody pocket knife he used to kill himself. Distraught, Willard attempts to take his own life with the knife, but Socrates stops him. Cathryn arrives to offer comfort and shares a personal story that helps him survive the moment.

Cathryn describes her own mother's death to Willard and gives him a pet cat, hoping to help him grieve. Willard reluctantly accepts the cat, with Socrates safely stowed in his pocket, signaling a deeper bond with his animal companions. The scene underscores his increasing reliance on nonhuman friends as human connections fray.

In a scene set to the title music, the rats, now ruling the house, pursue and fatally overpower the family cat. The brutal act marks a turning point, showing how completely Willard's life has become controlled by his rodent army. The household's violence mirrors Willard's inner turmoil.

Desperate for companionship, Willard starts bringing Socrates to the Stiles Company offices. The presence of the rat in the workplace unsettles coworkers and strains professional boundaries. Willard's isolation deepens as his obsession leaks into his job life.

Barbara Leach discovers Socrates in the supply room, triggering Martin to terminate Willard’s employment. Martin brutally bludgeons Socrates to death while Willard watches in helpless shock. The betrayal intensifies Willard's sense of loss and fuels his vendetta.

Fueled by rage, Willard hatches a plan to avenge Socrates by unleashing the rat army on Martin, loading the entire colony into a company van. Ben returns to the fold, and the plan is set in motion with a cold, calculated determination. The boundary between victim and perpetrator has blurred beyond repair.

At Martin's home, the swarm erupts with deadly force, killing Martin as Willard watches the aftermath. The act of revenge seals Willard's transformation from misfit to avenger, yet it also marks the point of no return. He returns home to face the now-overwhelmed household and his own crumbling control.

Police arrive to assess the scene as neighbors whisper of murder or animal attack, and Cathryn is warned away from entering the overwhelmed house. Ben launches a final assault on Willard; in a tense moment, Willard kills Ben with his father's pocket knife while the officers look on, choosing to shield himself from capture. The horrifying scene cements Willard's fate as a man consumed by his own creation.

Willard ends up in a psychiatric hospital, appearing semi-catatonic as he contemplates his future. A white rat appears in his cell and crawls into his sleeve, which he interprets as the reincarnation of Socrates. With a renewed sense of purpose, he begins to plot a desperate escape.