WILLARD (1971) MOVIE POSTER, ORIGINAL DAYBILL, 1970'S HORROR
Size AU Daybill Post-War (13" x 30")
WILLARD (1971) Original Daybill Movie Poster Starring Bruce Davison, Sondra Locke, Ernest Borgnine and Elsa Lanchester, Directed by Daniel Mann, is in Very Fine+ condition. Movie Poster and Condition Condition:...
WILLARD (1971) Original Daybill Movie Poster Starring Bruce Davison, Sondra Locke, Ernest Borgnine and Elsa Lanchester, Directed by Daniel Mann, is in Very Fine+ condition.
Movie Poster and Condition
Condition: This Original Daybill is presented in Very fine+ condition, Folded twice as issued. No flaws to report. This Poster is currently stored folded and will be shipped in an acid free polyprop bag with acid free backing board. This original daybill movie poster represents excellent value for collectors seeking authentic horror movie memorabilia from the golden age of 1970s psychological thriller cinema.
Movie Synopsis
WILLARD is a 1971 American horror film directed by Daniel Mann and written by Gilbert Ralston, based on Stephen Gilbert's novel Ratman's Notebooks. This psychological horror masterpiece tells the disturbing tale of Willard Stiles (Bruce Davison), a social misfit who is squeezed out of the company started by his deceased father. Living in a decaying mansion with his domineering mother Henrietta, played by the incomparable Elsa Lanchester, who brings her usual charm to this dotty, doting character, Willard finds solace in an unlikely friendship with rats.
The film features an outstanding cast including Sondra Locke as Joan Simms, the object of Willard's romantic interest, and Ernest Borgnine as the ruthless boss Mr. Al Martin who torments our protagonist. The film became a surprise box-office smash, launching a successful franchise and spawning the sequel "Ben" in 1972. Bruce Davison delivers a masterful performance, skillfully communicating Willard's despondency with both family life and his oppressive work environment.
When Willard discovers his ability to communicate with and command rats, particularly his favourites Ben and Socrates, the story takes a dark turn towards revenge horror. When Socrates is killed by Willard's boss, he goes on a rampage, using his army of rodents to exact brutal vengeance on those who have made his life miserable. The film explores themes of social alienation, workplace bullying, and the psychological breaking point of an abused individual.
While Alfred Hitchcock may have pioneered the modern animal attack film with The Birds (1963), it was the release of Willard (1971) that turned the "Me Decade" of the 1970s into a nonstop barrage of critters both big and small on the silver screen. This cult classic is particularly significant as it represents one of the first "abused misfit strikes back" films that would later influence movies like Carrie and countless other horror films throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
The production was originally titled "Ratman" during development, staying closer to Gilbert's original novel title. Director Daniel Mann crafted a genuinely unsettling atmosphere that combined creature feature elements with psychological drama, creating a unique horror experience that remains influential today. The film's success led to increased interest in animal horror movies and established Bruce Davison as a respected character actor who would go on to appear in numerous acclaimed films including the X-Men franchise.
To find out more about Willard (1971) click here to go to IMDB.com.
Special Notes
Images may have a small 'MPA' digital watermark and this does not appear on the poster. Posters are being held by magnets in the corners to take photographs, so you may see some magnet and shadows from the magnets in these areas. The magnets are not included in the sale of the item.
Postage, Insurance & Your Country Taxes
Postage costs are quoted for this item, include insurance up to AUD$100, but if you reside outside of Australia, the price does not include any import taxes/fees that you may be required to pay when the item reaches your borders. Please check with your local authorities for any additional taxes or fees. If you would like full insurance coverage for your purchase, please message me and I would be happy to quote the additional cost (estimate is AUD$2.50 p/AUD$100 or 2.5% of the item value, up to a maximum item value of AUD$5,000).
FAQ
At Movie Posters Australia, the love and conservation of movie posters comes first, and we like to share this passion. Our commitment to quality means we will provide high quality memorabilia to our customers. Posters are carefully chosen and authenticated to ensure originality and value. We want our customers to trust MPA, so we always try to be as open and transparent as we can, provide detailed condition information and images, to ensure customers are comfortable and confident in their purchase.
While the industry does have a few condition rating standards, there is no movie poster condition rating system that has become the accepted standard world wide. This unfortunately makes condition terms vary from movie poster dealer to movie poster dealer. Terms like Mint, Near Mint, Very Fine, Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor, seem to be universal to most condition rating standards, but most standards still lack definition about what and how many flaws/defects/damage defines a specific condition level. For more information on how Movie Posters Australia grades the condition of its movie posters, daybills, lobby cards and other ephemera please see out Movie Poster Condition and Grading page.
In the early days of cinema, posters were primarily hand-drawn and printed in various sizes, often tailored to fit the available space in theaters or promotional areas. In the United States, the "One Sheet" size (some times called '1 Sheet' or '1SH' approximately 27" x 41", became the standard during the 1930s. This size was manageable for theater display and suited the needs of a growing film industry.
Different countries developed their own poster sizes and styles, which also changed sometimes over the decades, and were influenced by local preferences and practical considerations, like available paper sheet sizes and how many posters could be printed on one sheet.
In Australia, the most popular size, the Daybill, has evolved over the decades. Australian Daybills sizes in chronological order are:
- Long Daybills (15" x 40"), from 1920's to pre-WW2 or pre-1941, were printed two to a sheet, longer than current Daybill versions. There were size variances in width from 14.5" to 15" and in height from 39.5" to 40".
- War Time Daybill (10" x 30"), during WW2, for a short time to conserve paper during a war time shortage, four Daybills were printed on one sheet. Information from Press Sheets also referred to these War-Time sizes as "New Size Daybills".
- Post-War Daybill (13" x 30"), this 13" x 30" Post-War size carried through until the 1980's, but also varied in size from 13"-14" x 29.75"-30.25".
- Post-80's Daybill (33cm x 66cm, or 13" x 26"), over a few years in the late 80's, the size changed again to a metric 33cm x 66cm, although these have also varied from 32-33cm x 64.5-66cm. New sizes from the late 80's were created, sometimes called a Mini Daybill or Mini Poster, in 9" x 12", 11" x 17" and 13" x 20".
In the UK, the somewhat unique 'Quad' poster, measuring 30" x 40", became popular, offering a larger landscape format that allowed for more elaborate designs.
In Japan, movie poster sizes were smaller, such as the "B2" (20" x 28"), which suited the more compact living environment of larger cities, smaller advertising spaces, and unique aesthetic sensibilities.
The 1970s and 1980s, witnessed the rise of the "six-sheet" (81" x 81") format, reflecting a trend towards larger and more visually impactful advertising.
Overall, the variation in movie poster sizes across different countries and decades highlights the interplay between technological printing advancements, paper resource availability, paper sheet size changes, cultural preferences, and the evolving nature of movie marketing.
At Movie Posters Australia we tag each poster we sell with a 'size' and 'condition' description at the very top of the page for our customers to easily see. There may however be some slight variations to sizes by up one inch due to variations in production and guillotine methods by printers over the decades.