Killer bees don't always make for the best 'monsters' in the horror genre, but this British thriller is an exception.
Pop singer vacations on an island with a local bee keeper, while a mysterious swarm of bees has caused the death of a woman.
The Deadly Bees isn't as dull a film as some make it out to be. It has some nice high-powered shock sequences even though the bee FX aren't always convincing. The makeup FX aren't bad, namely the great work on an ill-fated Catherine Finn. The story is a decent mystery, based upon H.W. Herd's novel A Taste for Honey. The direction of Freddie Francis is pretty good, the sets are well constructed and the art direction is excellent. There's also a great dramatic music score to boot.
The cast is quite good. Suzanna Leigh is a decent heroine, but it's really leading actors Guy Doleman and Frank Finlay that turn in the best performances as some feuding, menacing bee keepers.
All around not bad. Certainly the best killer bee movie around and an underrated work.
*** out of ****
