Willard soon becomes able to get the rats to do his bidding, which comes in handy in such matters as revenge. Hell, I remember seeing this one in theaters and wondering how this lured acting superstar Crispin Glover into a mainstream film. Join Yahoo Answers and get 100 points today. In some countries they are being used to detect land mines. Take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat. Unbeknownst to Danny, Ben has a checkered past of murder and mayhem. Ben as he appears in the original "Willard" (1971), Ben as he appears in the 1972 remake "Ben" (the sequel to the original Willard"). Can you house rats and mice with guinea nigs? Socrates's was killed by Earnest Borgnine, so … Willard is constantly abused by his boss and his beloved mother. Laura Elena Harring , the brunet sex bomb from " Mulholland Drive ," turns up as a worker in Willard's office who worries about him and even comes to his home to see if he's all right. Now, one of the symptoms of this thing o mine, is that sometimes the electrical impulses in my body will go off and I’ll get odd sensations and pain….. A friendless nobody who’s under the … It was also included on his 1972 album of the same title. Ben is arguably the main protagonist of the 1971 horror move Willard as well as its 1972 sequel Ben based on the 1968 short novel by Stephen Gilbert, and he is a large and hyper-intelligent rat who seems to have a vindictive, even evil, personality - quite happy to amass armies of rats to kill those who anger or threaten his owners. The 1971 Willard spawned a 1972 sequel titled Ben. Davison, not his four-legged co-stars, is what makes "Willard" tick. Ben Theatrical release poster Directed byPhil Karlson Produced byMort Briskin Written byGilbert Ralston Based onCharacters created by Stephen Gilbert StarringLee Montgomery … “A film about a lonely boy who becomes good friends with Ben, a rat.” A weird enough plot for a movie I would’ve thought. You can keep them as pets in some places, but unfortunately they aren't avaliable here in Australia. Then I read on….”This rat is also the leader of a pack of vicious killer rats, killing lots of people.” Not only that but the film was a sequel (troubling, I know) to 1971’s Willard (also about killer rats). That’s the type of line that sticks with you. Ben is a 1972 American horror film about a young boy and his pet rat, Ben. Willard (1971) & Ben (1972) ... Danny is a lonely young boy with a heart condition who finds a friend in Ben, a rat once trained by misfit Willard Stiles. He was an African Gambian Pouched Rat- Googled it when I first watched Willard. ***END SPOILER*** One more positive thing I will say about the remake was while it didn’t delve into the training in as good a way as the original, it did play into the power-struggle between Willard with his favorite rat Socrates and Ben. Any chance of these 2 classic 70's RAT Movies, WILLARD and BEN, making it to DVD? Designed for a teenage audience, WILLARD is creepy enough to draw the children, yet probably should be avoided for its violence, foul language and horrible depictions of death by rat … Crispin Glover as Willard Stiles: An antisocial worker for Martin-Stiles Manufacturing, a business that was originally started by his father but was "stolen" by his boss Frank Martin. His only friends are a couple of rats he raised at home, Ben and Socrates. As a pair of films, Willard (1971) and its sequel Ben (1972) stand in stark contrast to each other and I’ve always been fascinated by the differences between the two.Willard offers audiences an unrelentingly tense character study hinging on a revenge narrative that’s elevated by the addition of a horror component in the form of an army of subservient, murderous rats. A lonely boy befriends Ben, the rat leader of the swarm of rats trained by Willard Stiles from the previous film. After seeing Glover’s music video for Ben, I wonder why that kind of style didn’t make it into the feature. The film is a sequel to the film Willard. Willard is based on a … The film was a major hit in 1971, opening to good reviews and high box office returns, and was the 12th highest-grossing release of the year. any of your early forebears pick cotton ? Ben looks for approval but Willard locks the rat in the office and returns home. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmR6F4g4Gok&feature... Will all rats rape/eat mice if we keep them together or it depends on the individual? Danny, like Willard, is an outcast and struggles daily with bullying and a debilitating heart condition. he uses them to seek revenge against his boss and others who deem him inferior. BEN wasn't as big of a hit was WILLARD, though it was just as ubiquitous on late-night TV in the '70s and '80s. Ben saves him by jumping to Mr Martin's arm and biting him. And yes, in case you're wondering, the song "Ben" (by Michael Jackson) is in the mix. A social misfit, Willard is made fun of by his co-workers, and squeezed out of the company started by his deceased father by his boss. Do you let your mouse pump gas into his car by himself. In both incarnations Ben starts off as a friend to his owners and a benefactor of sorts, though he always makes it clear that he is murderous (his owners in turn tend to be murderous, often due to bullying and illness): however after a while Ben soon begins to take control over his owners and murders those that get in his way, including other animals. A smart rat, but a rat nonetheless. After finishing Willard, I was oddly anxious and skittish about watching another Rat movie. Get your answers by asking now. In this horror film, the young, disturbed Willard Stiles befriends a pair of rats and trains them to brutally attack human beings. He takes care of them alright - he feeds, tames, trains and communicates with them. However, when one of them is killed at work, he goes on a rampage using his rats to attack those who have been tormenting him. Glen Morgan and James Wong served as long-time writers/producers on The X-Files (1993). The theme song, "Ben", is performed by singer Michael Jackson. Willard Stiles: [screaming] I was good to you, Ben! Willard is a 1971 American horror film directed by Daniel Mann and starring Bruce Davison, Ernest Borgnine, Sondra Locke and Elsa Lanchester.Based on the novel Ratman's Notebooks by Stephen Gilbert, the film was nominated for an Edgar Award for best picture. Ben is a very big rat (played, according to ominous information I found on the Web, "by an animal that is not a rat"). Ultimately resulting in Ben confronting his former owners when they try to put a stop to his murderous ways. Willard, though, is a pathetic loser. Willard did own Ben but he really did not own him he took care of him and about a thousand other rats, then The first rat he owned . The huge black rat is clearly jealous of Socrates' special relationship with their master. AOC passed over for key committee assignment, Vanessa Bryant addresses mom's 'disgraceful' lawsuit, COVID-affected tenants face eviction despite CDC ban, Politician who stalked Magic Johnson charged, Fla. scientist vows to speak COVID-19 'truth to power', 'GoT' actress reveals she wore mask during childbirth, ‘Jeopardy!’ fans hail 'Alex's last champion', Still no COVID-19 relief bill as Congress faces deadline, A toy expert picks this year's 7 best gifts for kids, Throwback? Willard is the 2003 remake of the cult classic film. Finally, Willard tells the rats to kill Martin up. In the confusion, Mr Martin falls from the window. He befriends a colony of rats, especially a white rat named Socrates and a big rat named Ben. As more rats fill the house, a battle of wills begins between Willard and Ben. Willard's relationship with Ben is well choreographed. In Willard, Ben is a pet rat trained by a human named Willard who has learned how to make rats do his bidding. What’s funny is that I’m now realizing this film is as obscure to young people as the original. Joe Kelly Willard has the rats kill for him, but at the end of the movie they turn against him. Fun games with smart rats is the only source of joy in Willard's life. Ben is arguably the main protagonist of the 1971 horror move Willard as well as its 1972 sequel Ben based on the 1968 short novel by Stephen Gilbert, and he is a large and hyper-intelligent rat who seems to have a vindictive, even evil, personality - quite happy to amass armies of rats to kill those who anger or threaten his owners. Ben becomes the boy's best friend, but things soon take a downward turn as Ben's swarm becomes violent, resulting in several deaths. Picking up where Willard left off with the ending re-purposed into the film’s prologue, Ben follows the title’s leading rat as he leaves Willard and his army of rats behind and befriends a young boy named Danny. Still have questions? https://villains.fandom.com/wiki/Ben_(Willard)?oldid=3883647. Sometimes it feels like something small is chewing on my toes. Ben seems to have ideas of his own and they don't include Willard. When Cathryn brings over her ginger cat to cheer Willard up, the cat is named Scully. You can keep them as pets in some places, but unfortunately they aren't avaliable here in Australia. He even gives the two most dominant characters names: "Socrates" is a gentle white rat, "Ben" a more aggressive brown rat. The movie Willard is the 2003 remake of the 1971 classic by the same name. WILLARD is the remake of a 1971 movie and is about a friendless young man who uses his control over a bunch of rats to get revenge. Willard's faves in the bunch are Socrates, a white rat with red eyes, and Ben, a large, dark, imposing specimen. That said, Willard, a human character, only appeared in the first film whereas ‘Ben’, the Rat leader, is … He was an African Gambian Pouched Rat- Googled it when I first watched Willard. So instead, I just went to bed. But he is the main antagonist of the 2003 remake of the same name. Jon Gruden dons 'Oakland Raiders' hat, Cayman Islands jails U.S. student in COVID case. The two films are absolutely joined at the hip, one picking up where the other left off, though it was not yet fashionable for a film to simply add ‘II’ or ‘2’ to the original title. Socrates is also a rat; he’s as smart as Ben but more loveable. Ben is a rat. Willard is asked to take care of a rat problem in their house - meaning to kill and get rid of them. In the sequel, Ben, a young boy befriends the rat, but the rat turns evil and recruits other rats to attack humans. 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