Ben

The sequel to "Willard" lacks the bizarre, comic tone and spirit that made the first rat-infested movie a success. But "Ben", coming out on Blu-ray on the heels of its predecessor, has a few good things that don't make it a total clunker. One of them is the constant and overabundant use of real rats in many scenes...we're talking hordes and armies of them.

Shout Factory's high-definition presentation isn't the best film transfer they've released, a fact stated in a brief statement at the beginning of "Ben." The original camera negative has been lost, so this 1972 sequel comes from the only surviving film source available. It's like watching a slightly washed-out DVD, but fans will be pleased that this horror flick has been released.

"Ben" was young actor Lee Montgomery's ("Burnt Offerings") first gig and his innocence shows, as his character of Danny comes into contact with Ben and his fellow murderous rat friends. This film picks up immediately after the events of "Willard"....in fact, "Ben's" opening scene is the last 5 minutes from "Willard." You'll immeditately notice a shift in tone between the two movies: the character of Danny has a heart condition and gets picked on by his young classmates. He's also a lover of puppets and musicals and in one of "Ben's" oddest moments, Danny puts on a puppet play for his rat friends.

The theme to "Ben" gets sung by none other than the late Michael Jackson, his first big solo hit.

That very song is first sung in the film by actor Lee Montgomery whose featurette "A Boy and His Rat" clocks in at a mere nine minutes. He briefly chats about the actors in the film and his experiences as a child film star. Montgomery also does a separate audio commentary.

Also on Shout Factory's Blu-ray are TV spots and trailers, one that touts a double-billing of "Willard" and "Ben" around the time both films were out in theaters back in the day.

"Ben"
Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack
$29.99
www.shoutfactory.com