WILLARD and BEN - Double Feature - Daniel Mann - (1971/72) DVD

Willard
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. His only friends are a couple of rats he raised at home, Ben and Socrates. (And their increasing number of friends) 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.

A little flick that blends elements of psycho-drama and animals-run-amuck, along with a hint of old-dark-house. Willard is a socially-maladjusted young man who lives in a gloomy, Victorian house with his co-dependant mother. Their relationship constitutes the weird part of the movie, nudge, nudge. Willard is tolerantly allowed employment at his late father's business, presided over by passive-aggressive Ernest Borgnine. With no social life and no friends, Willard resorts to training rats with above-average intelligence. Of course, things take a dark turn when Willard's mother dies and Borgnine's bully tendencies come to the fore, prompting the put-upon Willard to use his rodent buddies to even the score. Also on hand is Sondra Locke as caring co-worker who tries to enter into Willard's world and may be his means of salvation. You find yourself rooting for her to win out.

BEN

A lonely boy, played by Lee H. Montgomery, becomes good friends with Ben, a rat. This rat is also the leader of a pack of vicious killer rats, killing lots of people. The authorities succeed in destroying the rats, leaving the boy in desperate tears ... until he discovers his friend Ben to be still alive!

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.



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