Ben (1972)

A lonely boy becomes good friends with Ben, a rat. This rat is also the leader of a pack of vicious killer rats, killing lots of people.

Director:

Phil Karlson

Writers:

Stephen Gilbert (characters), Gilbert Ralston

Stars:

Lee Montgomery, Joseph Campanella, Arthur O'Connell

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Lee Montgomery	...	Danny
Joseph Campanella	...	Cliff Kirtland
Arthur O'Connell	...	Bill Hatfield
Rosemary Murphy	...	Beth Garrison
Meredith Baxter	...	Eve Garrison
Kaz Garas	...	Joe Greer
Paul Carr	...	Kelly
Richard Van Vleet	...	Reade
Kenneth Tobey	...	Engineer
James Luisi	...	Ed
Lee Paul	...	Careu
Norman Alden	...	Policeman
Scott Garrett	...	Henry Gray
Arlen Stuart	...	Mrs. Gray
Ric Drasin	...	George (as Richard Drasin)

Storyline

A lonely boy becomes good friends with Ben, a rat. This rat is also the leader of a pack of vicious killer rats, killing lots of people.

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Plot Keywords:

rat | sewer | sequel | first aid | animal name in title | 

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Taglines:

Where 'WILLARD' ended... Ben begins. And this time, he's not alone!

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 June 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ben, la rata asesina

Filming Locations:

637 S Lucerne Blvd, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bing Crosby Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of Michael Jackson's favorite songs, featured on his second solo album at age 14, "Ben", was played in the movie over the closing credits. It was written for the movie by Don Black and composed by Walter Scharf.

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Goofs

When Beth and Eve discuss their concern about David, the daughter turns her head towards her mom twice.

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Connections

Referenced in Dexter's Laboratory: Spacecase/The Justice Friends: Ratman/Dexter's Debt (1996)

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Soundtracks

"Start the Day"
Lyrics by Don Black
Music by Walter Scharf

User Reviews

Interesting 70s B-Movie

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.