Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973)

User Rating:

4.9/10   

Director:

Denis Sanders

Writer:

Nicholas Meyer (written by)

Release Date:

1 June 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

They'll Love The Very Life Out Of Your Body!

Plot:

A powerful cosmic force is turning Earth women into queen bees who kill men by wearing them out sexually.

Plot Keywords:

Bee | Motel | Small Town | Women | Scientist

Cast

William Smith	...	Neil Agar
Anitra Ford	...	Dr. Susan Harris
Victoria Vetri	...	Julie Zorn
Cliff Osmond	...	Captain Peters
Wright King	...	Dr. Murger
Ben Hammer	...	Herb Kline
Anna Aries	...	Nora Kline
Andre Philippe	...	Aldo Ferrara (as Andre Phillippe)
Sid Kaiser	...	Stan Williams
Katie Saylor	...	Gretchen Grubowsky (as Katie A. Saylor)
Beverly Powers	...	Harriet Williams
Tom Pittman	...	Harv
William Keller	...	Joe
Cliff Emmich	...	Coroner
Al Bordighi	...	Herm (as Al Bordiggi)

Also Known As:

Graveyard Tramps (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Company:

Sequoia Pictures

Trivia:

Is part of the Public Domain.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Bees (1998)

Overrated "trash classic"

Reading the reviews for this film, it seems a lot of other users whose opinions I deeply respect have a particular fondness for this title. Me, I can't seem to share their enthusiasm. "Invasion of the Bee Girls" has its enjoyably trashy moments, but its far from the exploitation classic that many (Roger Ebert included) have made it out to be. Its a very confused film that can't seem to decide how it wants to be taken, as legitimate sci-fi, sleazy trash, or tongue-in-cheek camp. It attempts to juggle those various tones, none to very much avail. I could look past that if it wasn't for the fact it commits the ultimate b-movie sin, being rather boring.

The screenplay itself has several very funny moments (the ugly guy screaming out at a public meeting how he refuses to abstain from sex was a highlight), which is unsurprising because it was written by Nicholas Meyer, a man known for his witty and intelligent scripts. All this is screwed though by an anemic direction and lethargic performances of characters you never once care about. William Smith is great in biker films, but is throughly wooden and uninteresting here. Not much better (if much easier on the eyes) is Anitra Ford as the queen bee bad girl. Also, the film never really gives any explanation for these bee girls and the "climax" (trust me, I tried finding another word) leaves a lot to be desired. Even though there were some funny and kitschy parts, "Invasion of the Bee Girls" is one of those cult films thats a lot more entertaining on paper. (4/10)