Ben is a 1972 American horror film directed by Phil Karlson and starring Lee Montgomery, Joseph Campanella, and Arthur O'Connell. It is a sequel to the film Willard (1971). The film follows a lonely boy named Danny Garrison befriends Willard's former pet rat named Ben. Ben becomes the boy's best friend, protecting him from bullying and keeping his spirits up in the face of a heart condition. However, Ben forms an army of deadly rodents while the police attempt to control it.
Ben was released on June 23, 1972 by Cinerama Releasing Corporation, and received mixed reviews from the critics.
American singer Michael Jackson performs the theme song of the film, also titled Ben. The song also included on his 1972 album of the same name.
Plot[]
A lonely boy named Danny Garrison befriends Ben, the leader of the colony of rats trained by the late Willard Stiles. Ben becomes the boy's best friend, protecting him from bullying and keeping his spirits up in the face of a severe heart condition.
However, things gradually take a downhill turn as Ben's colony becomes violent in its search for food, resulting in several deaths. Eventually, the police destroy the rat colony with flame throwers after trapping them in the sewers, but Ben somehow survives and makes his way back to Danny. A tearful and overjoyed Danny tends to the injured Ben, determined not to lose his friend.