Watch Ben
- PG
- 1972
- 1 hr 34 min
-
5.3 (3,555)
Ben is a 1972 American horror-thriller film directed by Phil Karlson and produced by Mort Briskin. The movie is a sequel to the 1971 film Willard, which featured a young man named Willard Stiles and his pet rats. Ben picks up from where the first movie unexpectedly ended. The film opens with a young boy, Danny Garrison, befriending a friendly rat named Ben. Danny enjoys spending time with his new furry friend and even teaches Ben how to perform fun tricks. But things take a dark turn when Danny's father discovers the rat and orders his son to get rid of it.
Danny is heartbroken by his father's harsh decision and releases Ben into the wild. However, Ben is not like other rats, and instead of fleeing the city, he decides to seek revenge on Danny's father.
Meanwhile, a new arrival in town, David Garrison, takes a job as the social worker, but quickly becomes interested in Ben after Danny tells him about the friendly rat he once owned. David senses there is something more to the story and sets out to investigate.
As David gets closer to the truth, he discovers that Ben is the leader of a pack of highly intelligent and deadly rats. The rats are planning an attack on the city and will stop at nothing to get their revenge on the humans who have mistreated them.
David teams up with a local medical researcher named Eve Garrison to try and stop the rats before they can carry out their plan. But as the rats multiply and gain strength, it becomes clear that this will be no easy task.
The movie has some impressive scenes that showcase the rats' cleverness and cunning. For instance, there is one scene where the rats chew through a phone line to cut off communication in a building, and another where they take over a junkyard and set up secret tunnels under the compound.
One of the standout performances in the movie is by Lee Montgomery, who plays the young Danny Garrison. Montgomery captures the innocence and vulnerability of the character very well, making his scenes with Ben highly emotional and engaging.
Joseph Campanella also gives an excellent performance as David Garrison, displaying a great sense of urgency and intelligence as he tries to unravel the mystery behind Ben and his army of rats. Arthur O'Connell is also notable as the patriarch of the family, who is hard-headed and stubborn in his distrust of rats, but ultimately has a change of heart.
Overall, Ben is a thrilling horror movie that shows viewers a new perspective on the survival traits of rats. The film has a fantastic cast of actors and a fun, engaging story that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats until the very end. The movie is a classic example of the horror genre and is a must-see for fans of the genre.
Ben is a 1972 horror movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 34 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 5.3.