The Wasp Woman

It frustrates me when people refer to The Wasp Woman as a good B-movie or, even more condescendingly, as a good Roger Corman movie. The Wasp Woman is simply an excellent film - no caveat required. This film is well acted, logical within its premise and most impressively, still disturbing. The special effects may have dated but the psychological horror which underpins the action remains as brutal as ever.

The beauty of The Wasp Woman is its simplicity. Dr Zinthrop discovers an anti-ageing antidote in wasp jelly and brings it to the attention of Janice, the owner of a cosmetics company. Janice, faced with the prospect of falling sales and her own fading beauty, agrees to fund the scientist's work on the condition that Dr Zinthrop use her as a guinea pig. Unfortunately, this has the unwanted side effect of turning her into a homicidal wasp/woman hybrid. As with all good genre films, The Wasp Woman defines its premise early and the narrative never strays from these clearly defined plot constraints. The developments in the film might be outrageous but taken within their context, they make perfect sense.

The Wasp Woman is without a doubt one of Roger Corman's best films. I am a big fan of the wonderful crap that he has produced since retiring as a director but this film is a poignant reminder of what Roger Corman is capable of when he takes his subject matter seriously. The Wasp Woman also underlines Corman's considerable skill as a director. The film is taut, cohesive and brilliantly paced. From the moment the film begins, there is a sense of tension and desperation about these characters that is almost palpable. This is due to both the excellent script and some impressive acting.

Susan Cabot has never struck me as the most gifted actress but her turn as Janice is extraordinary. Janice could have easily come across as a vain, ruthless woman. However, Susan's performance is so well calibrated that it is hard not to feel sympathetic to her plight. The scene where Janice realises that the company is failing due to her no longer being a "glamour girl" is devastating. The supporting cast is equally good. Michael Mark is particularly impressive as Dr Zinthrop. Dr Zinthrop's dedication to his research is creepy from the very outset. Anthony Eisley and Barboura Morris are solid as Lane and Mary, the voices of reason in the face of Janice's increasingly demented mindset.

The Wasp Woman would basically be nothing more than a well executed museum piece if it no longer had the capacity to be taken seriously as a thriller. The first glance of Janice, elegantly dressed and wearing a wasp mask, is jolting. My first reaction was to laugh but that quickly subsided. There is something psychologically unsettling about Janice's fate. Here is a woman used to being in charge, slowly but surely being taken over by something evil that is well and truly out of her control. The campy wasp effects are all the most disturbing because Janice is still so recognisable. Furthermore, there is something plain creepy about a killer wearing pearls and a twin set - even if the killer is half wasp.

The Wasp Woman steadily builds momentum until the impressive and satisfying conclusion. The film is psychologically violent and brutal, yet beautiful in a way that only these low budget black and white movies can be. The Wasp Woman is a fine achievement. Modern horror directors could learn a thing or two by watching this.

"The Wasp Woman" is a 1959 film directed by Roger Corman, who is known for being prolific in his production and direction of low-budget shlock such as "Teenage Zombies" and "Attack of the Giant Leeches".

Anyway, "The Wasp Woman" is about a woman who develops a youth formula from jelly taken from queen wasps. She overdoses on the stuff and turns into this half-human, half-wasp thing. Hilarity ensues.

I actually enjoyed this one, despite it being a bit on the slow side, but entertaining nonetheless. The acting is decent for a film such as this, and the sheer campiness that is trademark of Roger Corman films is there also.

Sure, the story is silly, yet somehow believable. A woman ODs on wasp jelly and the result is she turns into a wasp woman. TOTALLY BELIEVABLE! Even though it was really just the woman with a wasp-like mask on with some buzzing noise playing in the background while she killed things, it's all good. It's a shame she couldn't have sprouted wings and flew around town with some buzzing noise playing in the background while she killed things. Seriously, that would have been GOLD and would have catapulted this film to such heights of cheesy goodness that nothing else could compare.

My only nitpick is the scene jumping in some points is a bit sloppy and the overall picture quality isn't so great either. But I'm willing to forgive that since neither really effects the fact that I enjoyed the film. I got it one of those 4-in-1 dollar DVDs from Wal-Mart, so I would say it's a quarter well-spent.

With Echoes of The Fly (1958) still Buzzing at the Box Office, Schlockmeister Roger Corman grabbed a couple of People and took a Week to make this Gloomy Monster Movie. The Cast, some Corman Regulars including B-Movie Babe Susan Cabot who was never Credited with an A-Budget Film but a lot of Bees, did a fine Job. The background Music is also quite Appropriately Uncanny.

But the "Star" of the Movie is the Monster and for the few times It/She is on Screen there is some Tension and Gore that looks quite Bizarre. There are some glaring Missteps along the way, the kind that Corman never minded, at least in His Ultra Quickies. Like the Bumble Bees instead of Wasps Iconography, and the Guinea Pigs to Rats Mind Boggler. There are some others but Who cares?

Overall, there is much Talk in this Thing and hardly Anyone moves in the Claustrophobic and Drab Sets, but there is enough Drive-In Movie Madness to make it Worth a Watch.

It's not a bad movie. I found it to be fun and entertaining. It is another low budget B movie production but in my opinion it is slightly under rated and maybe a half step in front of most of it's contemporaries. Being produced and directed by Roger Corman probably has a lot to do with this. The acting isn't bad especially that of the leading lady Susan Cabot, and the plot interesting although in places flawed. The costume for the wasp woman was a big disappointment. I have no doubt that it had a much bigger effect in 1960 but it is pretty poor. When you see the design on the box for the DVD or VCR tape remember, never judge a book by it's cover. The wasp woman's appearance is nothing like the artist's conception. It's still well worth watching and I have done so several times over the years. Just remember not to be too critical. Relax and enjoy it.

THE WASP WOMAN is certainly not a film to be taken very seriously as it details the hideous and unexpected transformation of a woman looking for the fountain of youth into a rather nasty flesh-eating monster instead...an unforeseen side effect of Dr. Zinthrop's wasp enzyme treatments. The common be wary of science theme is certainly in full force here and it does feel comfortable in this low budget environment.

The best thing about this film is it has a great pace as it keeps moving along nicely and is consistently entertaining. The worst is the low budget look of the monster and the awful music.