Abelhas Assassinas

The first five minutes are unintentionally hilarious. The rest is a melodramatic convoluted script with Gloria Swanson doing a terrible impersonation of Marlene Deitrrich.

Me and my third cousin Louis recently had a KILLER BEE movie night! It was amazing! We watched 4 bee movies in one night! It was UN-BEE-LEIVABLE! In all seriousness, Killer Bees should not be laughed at. This movie is a terrifying glimpse into the horrifying reality of the oncoming Killer Bee swarm making it's way here from Africa.

The film show-cases two power-house performances, one by the inimitable Gloria Swanson (who, IMHO out-does her cheesy over-the-top performance in Billy Wilder's over-rated SUNSET BOULEVARD)...and the 2nd by...

...THE BEES! The special effects wizards behind this wondrous vehicle of movie magic should be lauded and made kings of a small third world country for their glorious efforts on this terrifying thrill-ride. I was scared to leave my house for several days after the viewing of this film, I thought the bees were that realistic! The only downside to this is some embarrassing 1974-era haircuts. Thank God I was just a baby back then! 10 out of 10 for this great film. Take it from me, Dan "The Movie Man" Wolfson!!!!!

The quick pitch: Gloria Swanson plays Madame Maria von Bohlen, matriarch of a family of South African winemakers. Madame (as her family calls her) controls almost all aspects of the family, the wine business, and even the bees, so integral to the family's success. But when her black sheep son turns-up with a finance in tow, Madame and the bees don't respond too well.

Overall, Killer Bees is about what you'd expect from a 1974 made-for-TV movie - typical made-for-TV cast, poor (and I mean really poor) special effects, and not nearly enough horror for a horror movie (it needed more bee attacks). But one thing Killer Bees has going for it is that final twist in the last act. I'm not going to spoil it - I'll just say that it belongs in a much better movie. It really was a nice finish to what was otherwise a fairly routine film. Nice enough to get a 6/10 from me.

I suppose there are two other things I enjoyed about Killer Bees. First, I always enjoy seeing my favorite of Charlie's Angels, Kate Jackson. Her acting in the final moments of Killer Bees was never better. Second, watching Gloria Swanson in Killer Bees was a real treat. Several times, I thought she was going into full-on Norma Desmond-mode as she overacted her way through this cheap, TV film. Good stuff!

Kate Jackson is spectacular in this movie about bees. The name of the movie is really misleading because this is not just another killer bee movie. There is method to their madness. The movie opens well enough and holds attention for the most part but it does sort of trudge along at places. Near the conclusion i was struck by how similar this was to a Hammer feature. There are no special effects to speak of, which is good in my opinion. And none are really needed as the movie quickly finds a kind of creepy groove. Yes, this is much different than other killer bee movies, don't be turned off by thinking it is as simplistic as that. There is much more here to enjoy. And Kate Jackson is fantastic especially near the conclusion.

The core concept is outstanding, primed for storytelling in film or TV production. The plot, as written, is pretty great in my opinion. I can honestly say I really like this! It definitely bears the look and feel of a TV movie, however, and in all fairness, I wonder if it wouldn't have been best reserved for a more abbreviated tale in a version of 'The Twilight Zone,' 'The Outer Limits,' or the like. This is true partly on account of the special effects; if made in the 80s onward, with better depiction of the bees, maybe it would have been well suited for such a longer format after all. It's also true that the first scene demonstrates one difficulty of the feature - it's rather difficult to visualize the primary horror element (or at least, it was in the 70s), so much like genre fare of the 1940s, the horror in 'Killer bees' is more thematic than actual. This is no specific major flaw, mind you; plenty of solid pictures have been made of such a tenor. One can readily understand, however, how this may not appeal to all comers, and perhaps hasn't been received well generally.

Make no mistake, the production values have not aged well; in terms of both audio and visual quality, a famous Alka-Seltzer commercial of 1969 ("Mamma mia, that's-a spicy meat-a ball-a!") is the best comparison. Beyond this, some of the dialogue in John William and Joyce Hooper Corrington's screenplay is a little kitschy - geared for Prime Time audiences, maybe, and not best storytelling judiciousness. Yet even recognizing the medium, by and large I think this is written and directed well, including the characters and the plot. By all means this is an example of a genre flick that's "fun-scary" and not "scary-scary," lacking the significant tension, suspense, or atmosphere that would elevate the title to another level. But that's okay if you ask me; not every horror film needs to be chilling or thrilling to succeed. Such as it is, I see plentiful worth in 'Killer bees' as the length progress, and abnormal goings-on accumulate and ramp up.

The cast is solid; Gloria Swanson is unquestionably having a blast as severe Madame Van Bohlen, and Kate Jackson shows swell capability as a lead. Uncomplicated as the whole affair is, I think the contributions of crew behind the scenes are quite fine (again noting the limitations of the special effects in this instance). I find no fault with Curtis Harrington's direction. Truth be told, I don't see any especial weakness here. Are there ways in which the tale could have been made more engaging, compelling, haunting? Yes, absolutely: I love the ending as it is, as delicious as those of some of my favorite horror movies - but to be sure, a longer and more definite character arc would have gone a long way to boosting the picture. All the same, though falling short of its best potential, I had a fantastic time watching 'Killer bees,' and it met my expectations just so. How much favor this finds with other viewers will mostly depend on willingness or ability to engage with TV movies, but if the toned down sensibilities are no obstacle, this is roundly entertaining in my book!