The deadly bees
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The deadly bees |
| Original title | The Deadly Bees |
| Country of production | Great Britain |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1966 |
| length | 84 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Freddie Francis |
| script |
Robert Bloch , Anthony Marriott |
| production |
Max J. Rosenberg , Milton Subotsky |
| music | Wilfred Josephs |
| camera | John Wilcox |
| cut | Oswald Hafenrichter |
| occupation | |
| |
The Deadly Bees (originally The Deadly Bees ) is a British horror film directed by Freddie Francis from 1966. The screenplay is based on the novel A Taste for Honey by HF Heard.
action
Two ministry officials deal with a flood of letters from a beekeeper claiming to have raised a swarm of killer bees . They consider him insane, as he announces in his letters that he will use his crush as a murder instrument if he is not taken seriously.
At the same time, singer Vicki suffers a collapse while appearing on television. She is admitted to a sanatorium on an island. The other inmates of this home are a depressed couple named Ralph and Mary and HW Manfred, who like Ralph is a beekeeper.
Vicki notices that mysterious incidents are increasing. So Mary and her dog are attacked and killed by bees. Vicki suspects Ralph and starts investigating with Manfred. Vicki searches Ralph's papers and comes across the note that he has isolated the "smell of fear" and processed it into a serum. Manfred believes that Ralph manipulated the bees with this substance.
Vicki is attacked by bees in her room, but she is able to flee to Manfred. She wants to stay with him until the next boat comes and takes her back to the mainland. Now Manfred also begins to behave suspiciously. The curious Vicki discovers that Manfred has a secret laboratory. Manfred discovers her and confesses to her that he is the one who is responsible for everything and now has to kill her. Vicki prevents the attempted murder, the bees turn against Manfred and stab him to death, while Vicki sets the house on fire. She escapes from the burning house and is able to leave the island the next day when a man from the Ministry arrives to investigate the deaths.
Reviews
“The first 'killer bee movie'; an average scary thriller. "
"The promising idea turned into a poor and lengthy horror thriller that you can [...] confidently give yourself."
background
In the scene in the TV studio a band appears, the guitarist of which is played by Ron Wood, who will later be a member of the Rolling Stones .
Screenwriter Robert Bloch was also known as a writer. The literary model for Hitchcock's Psycho comes from him .
As a director, Freddie Francis was known for his horror films. He was also famous as a cameraman. In 1961 and 1990 he won an Oscar for his camera work.
The film is the first in a series of "killer bee films". Further examples of this subgenre are:
- Genocide - The killer bees attack (Konchu daisenso) by James Nihonmatzu (Japan 1968)
- Killer Bees - Nature Strikes Back (The Savage Bees) by Bruce Geller (USA 1976)
- The Swarm (The Swarm) of Irwin Allen (USA 1978)
- Killer Bees II - Terror aus den Wolken (Terror out of the Sky) by Lee H. Katzin (USA 1978)
- The Bees - Operation Todesstachel (The Bees) by Alfredo Zacharias (USA / Mexico 1978)
- Attack of the Killer Bees (Deadly Invasion: The Killer Bees Nightmare) by Rockne S. O'Bannon (USA 1995)
- Murderous Swarm (Killer Bees!) By Penelope Buitenhuis (Canada 2002)
- Swarmed (Swarmed) by Paul Ziller (Canada 2005)
- Bee boy & flower girl , (Germany 2015)
World premieres
- USA: December 23, 1966
- Great Britain: April 1967
- Germany: April 28, 1967
Web links
- The Deadly Bees in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Critique of Variety
- Howard Thompson for the New York Times (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ cf. Lexicon of International Films 2000/2001 (CD-ROM)
- ↑ Evangelical Press Association Munich, Review No. 199/1967.
- ↑ World premieres according to IMDb