Director – Alfredo Zacarias (Demonoid: Messenger of Death)
Starring – John Saxon (A Nightmare on Elm St.), Angel Tompkins (Dangerously Close), and John Carradine (The Howling)
Release Date – 1978
Rating – 3/5
Blu Release – 3.5/5
Tagline – “The prey on human flesh”
When I was in first grade I came home from school to most of my extended family standing around in the yard looking very depressed. I got off the bus and everyone told me something bad happened to my brother. For those of you that don’t know me, my brother was my hero. He was one day shy of being 12 years older than me and I looked up to him a lot. I rushed through the house and found him in his bed covered in bandages and wet towels. He wasn’t really moving much but I could see he would be fine just in a lot of pain. My dad would later tell me that he got into a wasps nest that was as big as a basketball that was inside of one of his garages. My brother had got stung close to 100 times. It would take him weeks to recover from the welps and sores.
Since that day I have had a slight fear of bees. No, I don’t scream and hike my skirt up as I run away when I see them but I do respect them. Not long after this incident I found a poster for the film The Bees starring John Saxon. I was curious to check it out but never could find it on VHS. Over time I forgot about it until Vinegar Syndrome released it on blu. They were kind enough to send a copy my way. Thanks guys!
**Spoiler Alert**America is under attack by killer bees that was smuggled in from South America due to the speed in which they make honey. Two scientists, along with the widow of another scientist, must come up with a solution to stop them from taking over the country. Before they can complete the task, the bees mutate into something more and the scientists conclude that the human race needs to succumb to the bees and live under them or die .**Spoiler Alert**
I’m not a huge fan of the “when nature attacks” sub-genre but there has been a few greats released over the years. The 70s saw several of these films pop up here and there. We hadJaws, Piranha, Day of the Animals, and dozens of more. The Bees fits in with these very well but is still far from perfect.
The acting in this one is great and I may be a little biased. I love John Saxon. He can take on any role and kick the shit out of it. He was brilliant and so was his co-star Angel Tompkins. She is a strong, female role that shows why she was cast in this role. With that being said, I was not happy with horror legend John Carriadine’s performance. He has this weird accent going on that seriously made me gut laugh every time I heard him talking. He also just screams his dialogue out with no volume control. By this point his age was a huge factor and would die in just 10 short years.
The story for this one is a blend of the “when nature attacks” and the “science runs amuk” films. The film starts out with the typical animal or bug attacking mankind while they try to find a way to make them stop. This was fun until the very end of the film when the film turns into the typical “science created something horrible” angle. This completely toppled the first portion of the film and made it feel rushed and tossed together. This ending should have never happened and a more natural ending used.
Finally, the film has several on screen kills. These kills are campy and fun but not hat bloody or gory. Fans of late 50s and 60s horror films will appreciate these kind of kills and enjoy them for the cheese they are. Overall, The Bees is a solid when animals attack film from the late 70s. The kills are cheesy but fun, however, the story should have went with another ending. It did not work well and clashed with the beginning of the film.
Special Features:
Interviews
Trailer
Reversible Cover
