The Wasp Woman (1959)

Director:

Roger Corman

Writers:

Leo Gordon (screenplay)
Kinta Zertuche (story)

Release Date:

2 November 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Horror Of The Winged Menace !

Plot:

A cosmetics queen develops a youth formula from jelly taken from queen wasps. She fails to anticipate the typical hoary side- effects.

Plot Keywords:

Cigarettes | Elevator | Skin Care | Killing | Beekeeper

Cast

Susan Cabot	...	Janice Starlin
Anthony Eisley	...	Bill Lane (as Fred Eisley)
Barboura Morris	...	Mary Dennison
William Roerick	...	Arthur Cooper
Michael Mark	...	Eric Zinthrop
Frank Gerstle	...	Les Hellman
Bruno VeSota	...	Night watchman (as Bruno Ve Sota)
Roy Gordon	...	Paul Thompson
Carolyn Hughes	...	Jean Carson
Lynn Cartwright	...	Maureen Reardon
Frank Wolff	...	Man
Lani Mars	...	Secretary
Phillip Barry	...	Man

Also Known As:

Insect Woman
The Bee Girl

Runtime:

73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:G (Quebec) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (DVD rating) | Canada:G (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | USA:Approved | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | UK:PG (re-rating) (2004) | UK:X (original rating)

Company:

Film Group Feature

Trivia:

The role of the Beekeeper played by Aron Kincaid was added after the film's initial release.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When The Wasp Woman attacks Cooper, the sleeve of her black sweater rolls up revealing the rubber monster glove only goes a few inches beyond the actor's wrist.

Quotes:

Bill Lane: You're as bad as she is! Oh, women!
Mary Dennison: Men! Every time you search for an answer, you always come up with women. You're not getting out of this one so easily. I'd like to know why you think Zinthrop really hasn't got something.
Bill Lane: Well, you can call it male intuition if you like... except there's something about this whole business that doesn't smell right... a private laboratory! A secret experiment! Zinthrop himself! The only thing missing is a genie with a lamp!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Horrible Honeys (1988) (V)

Good stuff from Roger Corman

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.