‘They prey on human flesh!’
The Bees is a 1978 Mexican-American science fiction horror film written, produced and directed by Alfredo Zacarías (Demonoid; Capulina vs. The Mummies). Roger Corman was the executive producer because The Bees was distributed in the USA by his New World Pictures.
The movie stars John Saxon, Angel Tompkins, John Carradine and Claudio Brook.
Plot:
Corrupt corporations have smuggled a deadly strain of South American killer bees into the United States and now the entire world may be on the brink of imminent destruction!
As cities tumble, the body counts rise and mass hysteria ensues, scientist John Norman (John Saxon) thinks he might have discovered the secret strategy to stop the bees!
Reviews:
“OK it is cheesy and over the top, but that is the point. It also carries a message which ironically is relevant today. John Carradine has a major part and hams it up magnificently. His arthritic hands are painfully obvious in many shots, but he carried on like the trooper he was. John Saxon is the epitome of the heroic leading man…” Trevor William Douglas
” …dumb as most of these films were, their message wasn’t entirely without merit. The interesting thing, I think, is how much easier that message was to swallow when it was part of a fun little movie like The Bees or Frogs, rather than being served up in indigestible gelatinous lumps in the likes of The Swarm or Prophecy. And this film is fun!” And You Call Yourself a Scientist!
“The centerpiece of the film is an attack sequence set at the Rose Parade, watching the swarm bring the nightmare to floats and bleachers, with panic exploding as people struggle to escape death-by-stingers. Dramatically, the picture isn’t profound, but Zacharias keeps it loaded with threat.” Brian Orndorf, Blu-ray.com
“The attacks are staged as almost comic vignettes with light-hearted music switching to suspenseful strings as opticals of coffee grounds floating in water or swarms that look like wood chips or dry leaves cause extras (and even stock footage extras) to run, scream, and fall in death throws that look more like pratfalls.” Eric Cotenas, DVD Drive-in
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“Just about everything in The Bees is in flux, from the pacing, which is handled without much balance, to the score by Richard Gillis (Schlock, Crime of Crimes), which always results in whiplash be(e)cause of the way it never builds; instead opting to hop straight into overbearing dramatic cues or jovial brass background sound between scenes. The tone is mishandled in the same way, with Zacarias and Hill’s script occasionally recognizing the camp value of the premise, only to revert back to straight-faced science a scene later.” 2 out of 5, Voices from the Balcony
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