Of Unknown Origin
Two forces have claimed the house. Only one will survive.
1983 | 88m | English
Popularity: 1 (history)
| Director: | George P. Cosmatos |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Chauncey G. Parker III, Brian Taggert |
| Staring: |
| A man who recently completed rebuilding a townhouse becomes obsessed with a rat infestation until it becomes an interspecies duel. | |
| Release Date: | Nov 23, 1983 |
|---|---|
| Director: | George P. Cosmatos |
| Writer: | Chauncey G. Parker III, Brian Taggert |
| Genres: | Horror |
| Keywords | new york city, poison, based on novel or book, animal attack, house, rampage, rat, canuxploitation, animals gone wild, giant rat, mousetrap |
| Production Companies | Warner Bros. Pictures, Les Productions Mutuelles Ltée, Canadian Film Development Corporation, Famous Players Limited |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $4,000,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Feb 01, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Peter Weller | Bart Hughes |
| Jennifer Dale | Lorrie Wells |
| Lawrence Dane | Eliot Riverton |
| Kenneth Welsh | James Hall |
| Louis Del Grande | Clete |
| Shannon Tweed | Meg Hughes |
| Keith Knight | Hardware Salesman |
| Maury Chaykin | Dan Errol |
| Leif Anderson | Peter Hughes |
| Jimmy Tapp | Meg's Father |
| Gayle Garfinkle | Janis Wycoff |
| Earl Pennington | Mr. Thompson |
| Jacklin Webb | Newspaper Vendor |
| Bronwen Mantel | Florence Riverton |
| Aimée Castle | Birthday Party Child |
| Tara O'Donnell | Birthday Party Child |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| George P. Cosmatos | Director |
| David Bailey | Production Assistant |
| Chauncey G. Parker III | Novel |
| Brian Taggert | Screenplay |
| Kenneth Wannberg | Original Music Composer |
| René Verzier | Director of Photography |
| Roberto Silvi | Editor |
| Anne Pritchard | Production Design |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Pierre David | Executive Producer |
| Claude Héroux | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 10 | 15 | 8 |
| 2024 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 8 |
| 2024 | 6 | 15 | 30 | 7 |
| 2024 | 7 | 14 | 28 | 8 |
| 2024 | 8 | 9 | 14 | 5 |
| 2024 | 9 | 9 | 15 | 6 |
| 2024 | 10 | 12 | 26 | 6 |
| 2024 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 6 |
| 2024 | 12 | 9 | 16 | 5 |
| 2025 | 1 | 8 | 12 | 4 |
| 2025 | 2 | 7 | 13 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Trending Position
_**The Rat from Hell**_ A Manhattan executive (Peter Weller) deals with the rats on Wall Street while defending his brownstone ‘castle’ against a literal vermin. Jennifer Dale plays his secretary while Lawrence Dane and Kenneth Welsh are on hand as colleagues. "Of Unknown Origin" (1983) stri ... kes me as a Stephen King yarn, which makes sense when you figure that this is one of the horror author’s favorite flicks. While the compare/contrast of the protagonist’s life in his home-castle with the rat maze at work is interesting, the premise is too light IMHO to carry a feature film: a man vs. a rat alone in his gothic abode. Weller works well as the resolute hero but, for me, the best thing about it is winsome Jennifer Dale (Cynthia Dale's older sister). Gene Simmon’s wife, Shannon Tweed, makes her feature film debut in a small role. The film runs 1 hour, 28 minutes, and was shot in Montreal. GRADE: C