IMDb RATING
5.3/10
3.8K
YOUR RATING
A lonely boy befriends Ben, the leader of a violent swarm of killer rats.A lonely boy befriends Ben, the leader of a violent swarm of killer rats.A lonely boy befriends Ben, the leader of a violent swarm of killer rats.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 win & 1 nomination total
Lee Montgomery
- Danny Garrison
- (as Lee Harcourt Montgomery)
Ric Drasin
- George
- (as Richard Drasin)
Bruce Davison
- Willard Stiles
- (archive footage)
- (uncredited)
Frank Farmer
- Police Officer
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
This movie was awesome! Really! The main kid (Lee Montgomery) makes the whole "best friends with a rat" story seem believable! And, he does a puppet show! He spins around while playing the harmonica! Cool haircut, too. He's radical!
Worth watching just to see him write the song to Ben at the piano while Elise Keaton looks on.
Rent it!
Worth watching just to see him write the song to Ben at the piano while Elise Keaton looks on.
Rent it!
BEN opens with the ending of WILLARD, setting up this film's premise: Not satisfied with the death of his former human friend, Ben sends his sewer-full of villainous vermin out to cause havoc and death for mankind.
But wait!
A little boy named Danny (Lee Montgomery), who lives right around the corner from Willard's place, is lonely and needs a friend! He's also got a heart condition and plays the harmonica! So, Ben finds the time between marauding attacks, to be Danny's best buddy. Bully's beware! Picking on the Dan-ster will now get you a visit from the hairy horde of doom!
Meanwhile, police are flummoxed by a series of rat-involved crimes against humanity. This all leads to an apocalyptic showdown in the sewers beneath Los Angeles!
While not as intriguing as its predecessor, BEN is a lot of fun to watch! Especially, if you love rats in big numbers! While groan-inducing, the relationship between Ben and Danny is oddly mesmerizing, that is, if you enjoy puppet shows and listening to Danny wheeze.
Not a bad way to spend one's viewing time, as long as cuddly sewer rats don't offend...
But wait!
A little boy named Danny (Lee Montgomery), who lives right around the corner from Willard's place, is lonely and needs a friend! He's also got a heart condition and plays the harmonica! So, Ben finds the time between marauding attacks, to be Danny's best buddy. Bully's beware! Picking on the Dan-ster will now get you a visit from the hairy horde of doom!
Meanwhile, police are flummoxed by a series of rat-involved crimes against humanity. This all leads to an apocalyptic showdown in the sewers beneath Los Angeles!
While not as intriguing as its predecessor, BEN is a lot of fun to watch! Especially, if you love rats in big numbers! While groan-inducing, the relationship between Ben and Danny is oddly mesmerizing, that is, if you enjoy puppet shows and listening to Danny wheeze.
Not a bad way to spend one's viewing time, as long as cuddly sewer rats don't offend...
I am a big fan of 70s B-movies, especially those of the horror genre. Anyone interested in the early 70s will find this movie a real treat! While not that scary, it does have a number of interesting features, most notably the title song sung by a very young Michael Jackson. The storyline is quite good, not at all boring, and fans of Meredith Baxter Birney (Family Ties) will enjoy seeing her playing the sister of David. As always, I love seeing the funky clothing and interior design of 70s movies, and Ben features lots of great shots of rooms and furniture, fashions, toys, and automobiles of that era. One of the best "retro" parts is the supermarket, where very clear shots of early 70s boxes of Kellogg's cereals are plainly seen. If you want to be scared, rent something else. But if you want to see a groovy 70s movie, this is a pretty good pick.
OK I'm a sucker for a good b movie,and i loved this movie,better then the first one;Willard.well this time the fleeing rats led by Ben end up underneath the city storm drains.Ben then befriends a terminally sick boy played by Lee H Montgomery,who helps him.this time the rat army is much bigger.i wont reveal the ending but its a rather good one.the rest of the cast is very good,Meredith Baxter as the boys sister,Joe Campenella is the cop in charge,and Arthur O'Connell is the pushy newspaper reporter.Ben and his fellow rats should've received awards for their performance.and don't forget this features the late Micheal Jackson song called Ben.i call this a friendship between a boy and a rat.i recommend this movie to all fans of the horror genre.8 out of 10
I have pet rats and they are the most sweet and loving creatures. This movie portrayed the love that people can share with rats and it was truly a beautiful movie. Ben was beautiful and Lee was a little cutey too. The lyrics to Ben ring out beautiful and true. This is really a must see for anybody who loves rats or even those who love animals in general. Some people may view this as a horror movie, but it is really soooo much more. A remake of Williard is apparently in the works, so fingers crossed that these wonderful movies will be released on DVD.
Did you know
- TriviaAccording to a September 1972 "Los Angeles Times" news item, the rat portraying Ben won a PATSY Award, which honors animal actors.
- GoofsToward the end of the film when the policemen and the firemen are attacking the rats in the sewers with flamethrowers and the rats are fighting back, it can be seen twice that the scenes of the flamethrower action have been filmed in reverse so that it appears that the rats are advancing - in fact, it can also be seen that the flames are going back into the flamethrowers.
- Quotes
[last lines]
Danny Garrison: [crying as Michael Jackson sings "Ben" in the film's score] You'll get well, Ben, and I'll get well. We'll get well, Ben.
[places Ben on a handkerchief]
Danny Garrison: We'll get well, Ben. No one's gonna hurt one of my friends. No, sir.
[gets out a first aid kit, takes a cotton swab and gently rubs Ben's wounds]
Danny Garrison: It's okay.
[Ben squeaks]
Danny Garrison: You're the only friend I have. I love you, Ben.
[Michael Jackson sings the final verse of "Ben" as the closing credits roll]
- ConnectionsEdited from Willard (1971)
- SoundtracksBen
Lyrics by Don Black
Music by Walter Scharf
Sung and played on piano and harmonica by Danny Garrison (Lee Montgomery (uncredited))
Sung by Michael Jackson during the film's final scene and its closing credits
© 1972 Motown Record Corp.
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Ben: Canavarlar Yuvası
- Filming locations
- Higgins-Verbeck-Hirsch Mansion - 637 South Lucerne Boulevard, Windsor Square, Los Angeles, California, USA(interiors and exteriors of Willard Stiles' house)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $769,986
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