Ben (1972)

Ben is a 1972 American horror film about a young boy and his pet rat, Ben. The film is a sequel to the film Willard (1971). The theme song, "Ben", is performed by singer Michael Jackson. It was also included on his 1972 album of the same title.

Plot
A lonely boy named Danny Garrison befriends Ben, the leader of the colony of rats trained by Willard Stiles. Ben becomes the boy's best friend, protecting him from bullying and keeping his spirits up in the face of a heart condition.

However, things gradually take a downward turn as Ben's colony becomes violent, resulting in several deaths. Eventually, the police destroy the rat colony with flame throwers, but Ben survives and makes his way back to Danny. Danny tends to the injured Ben, determined not to lose his friend.

Theme Song
The film's theme song "Ben" is performed by Lee Montgomery in the film and by Michael Jackson during the final scene and ending credits. Jackson's recording of the song became a number one pop hit single. Later included as the title track on Jackson's second solo album, Ben. It won a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song but it lost to "The Morning After" from The Poseidon Adventure.

The song is calm and mellow, which contrasts with the horror content of the film. A live recorded version was released on the album The Jacksons Live! (1981), and eventually appeared on Michael's Number Ones album (2003).

Crispin Glover re-recorded a version of the song for the soundtrack for the 2003 remake of Willard. A music video for this version was produced, which also featured Glover.

Pearl Jam's song "Rats" refers to the film Ben; the last line of the song is an obvious reference to the Michael Jackson song "Ben". The line, "Ben, the two of us need look no more", is repeated multiple times as the song fades out.

Reception
Ben received mixed reviews from critics.