The Deadly Bees (1967)

I always think of bees when I'm looking for relaxation, 29 May 2007

Vicki Robbins (Suzanna Leigh) is a singer in bad need of a rest. Her doctor contacts his friend, Ralph Hargrove (Guy Doleman), with a farm on a remote island that promises to provide Vicki the relaxation she desperately needs. When Vicki arrives, she discovers that Mr. Hargrove raises bees. So when Mr. Hargrove starts acting suspiciously and people begin dying from deadly bee attacks, it's natural for Vicki to suspect her host. But is Mr. Hargrove behind the trouble on Seagull Island?

Given the names behind The Deadly Bees, it's understandable to hope, if not expect, something better than this. Even with Amicus Productions, Freddie Francis, and Robert Bloch involved with the movie, there are far too many problems to call The Deadly Bees "good". Three prime examples of the movie's many faults include:

- Special/Visual Effects – Most people tend to focus on the bee attacks when discussing the effects found in The Deadly Bees. And with good reason – they're bad. But the bee effects practically shine in comparison with the matte painting used as the background for the farm. In a word, it's pitiful. It wouldn't fool anyone.

- Characters – None of the characters involved with the plot are in any way likable. Even the films heroine, Vicki Robbins, hasn't got much going for her. And that makes it almost impossible to root for her or care what happens to her when she comes across as so unlikable.

- Plot – For a movie that throws one red herring after another at the audience, it's too easy to see the outcome of The Deadly Bees from a mile away. None of the many plot twists actually work. Only the incredibly dimwitted characters in the movie like Vicki Robbins would find the outcome mysterious in anyway.

There are more. I haven't even mentioned the unforgivably large plot holes or the ridiculous lapses in logic. But regardless of The Deadly Bees myriad of problems, I can't bring myself to rate the movie any lower than 6/10. Why? Despite itself, The Deadly Bees never fails to provide me with some degree of entertainment. Otherwise, how can I explain why I've now seen the movie at least three times? And, as I've always said, entertainment is the most important thing when it comes to movies and the reason I watch them.

6/10