- Film:
- Freddie Francis
Reviewed by: David M. Brown
- Rating:
- 1
Summary:
The Deadly Bees is a killer bee horror film that you will want to forget very quickly.
More DetailsAbout The Deadly Bees (1967)
An ailing starlet is sent to a remote island to recover and little does she know that she is about to stumble into…a Hive of Horror! A diabolical neighbor has discovered the smell of fear and is using it to control a lethal swarm! Featuring over the top performances and very “special” effects, The Deadly Bees is late night drive-in fare at its campy best.
Starring: Suzanna Leigh, Frank Finlay, Guy Doleman, Catherine Finn, John Harvey
Directed by: Freddie Francis
Runtime: 84 minutes
Studio: Legend Films
Amazon USAmazon UKIMDBReview: The Deadly Bees
This isn’t the first time I’ve come across a film with killer bees and as before I will avoid any awful puns if I can help it. Freddie Francis’ film follows the story of a pop singer Vicki Robbins (Suzanna Leigh) who collapses while on television due to severe exhaustion. She is sent to a remote cottage on Seagull Island, owned by Ralph Hargrove (Guy Doleman) and his wife Mary (Catherine Finn). Ralph is a beekeeper along with his neighbour, H.W. Manfred (Frank Finlay), and suffice to say the two men don’t get along. Without warnings bees begin terrorising and killing wherever they go but who is responsible?
Vicki finds Ralph to be a somewhat unpleasant man when she arrives on the island. She becomes more friendly with Manfred who has a limited supply of bees that he keeps contained in his home and away from those of Ralph. When bees begin attacking people Vicki and Manfred suspect Ralph and begin investigating. Rather than random attacks, they soon find that the killer bees are engineered to attack certain targets.
The Deadly Bees is another disastrous killer bee movie. I forget the name of the last one I saw but I’m certain the effects were far superior to this one. I could honestly draw more frightening bees with my eyes closed and my efforts would probably look more realistic than the ones here too. Oh my, they are just laughable. The acting does nothing to minimise the pain of the awful effects and the storyline is equally weak as well.
The Deadly Bees is a killer bee horror film that you will want to forget very quickly. I know special effects in the sixties were not of the standards you get today but I could still name plenty of films with near timeless effects from this decade. The Deadly Bees is certainly not one of them. Let down by poor acting, an uninspiring story and laughable death scenes, there is nothing to redeem this other than I have seen worse films this year.
Verdict: 1/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
About the Author:
I was born in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England and have always been a bookworm and enjoyed creative writing at school. In 1999 I created the Elencheran Chronicles and have been writing ever since. My first novel, Fezariu's Epiphany, was published in May 2011. When not writing I'm a lover of films, games, books and blogging. I now live in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, with my wife, Donna, and our six cats - Kain, Razz, Buggles, Charlie, Bilbo and Frodo.
David M. Brown – who has written 717 posts on Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave.
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