The Deadly Bees

This really isn't that bad a movie. I quite enjoyed it, but then I generally do with this kind of film. Suzanna Leigh may not be much of a singer, or an actress come to think of it, but she is beautiful and rescues this film from being a COMPLETE waste of ninety minutes. There are some genuinely horrific moments, particularly the unpleasant death of the farmer's wife. But who is the deadly bee keeper? You'll probably figure it out within the first ten minutes, but try and play along at home anyway.

This is an intellectual version of a killer bee movie. Instead of focusing on bee sting makeup and civilization-ending massive explosions, this film focuses on plot and mystery. Yes, there is a bit of bee sting make up and a couple of small fires, but mystery rules this film. In my opinion, it is the best of all the bee movies.

Trouble strikes when an exhausted pop singer, sent on a vacation to a farm, realizes that the farm's owner raises deadly bees. As far as films featured on "Mystery Science Theater" go, this is one of the better ones. That can be evidenced by the fact it isn't sitting in the "bottom 100" as most of those films are, pushed downward by the fans. Yes, this movie does have its problems. The flashback scene is pretty lame, for example. And among Amicus films, it is probably among the worst. But I still rather enjoyed it. A better editor might have fixed it, possibly. Sticking closer to Robert Bloch's script would have helped. It is not a great film, but there is still enough potential here that it can be admired in some small way.

When I rented this movie I was expecting it to contain more "horror scenes", but was pleasantly surprised that it was more of a mystery with some mild sequences. The Deadly Bees has a decent plot and the music fits in very well. This is certainly not a film that is seen or heard about very much in the United States. However, the directing, cast, and sets are all upper rank. Suzanna Leigh's performance is quite good along with the other cast members. Some of the bee scenes are a bit awkward, but overall the movie was well done and worth renting.