This was part of a series of Showtime produced remakes of Roger Corman classics. I don't know if the world was clamoring for a remake of WASP WOMAN but we got it. Jennifer Rubin stars as the owner of a cosmetics company who starts to depend on the experimental work of an discredited doctor (Daniel J. Travanti) in order to maintain her youth. Hey, that is the exact same plot as CATWOMAN! Only this cost about $84 million less. Director Jim Wynorski fares well enough with this entry in his extensive filmography. The movie is filled with bad acting (most notably from Rubin), cheesy effects and bad dialogue. But it moves fast enough, contains plenty of nudity (courtesy of Maria Ford) and features some B-acting greats (Gerrit Graham, Jay Richardson). And, at the very least, you get to see Emmy award winner Travanti get attacked by a big wasp that used to be his pet cat.
13 Reviews
Watchable but lacks that "Corman charm"
bernhard_alund23 October 2013
Being a fan of Coman's original creation from 1959 I had a hard time stomaching this remake. Sure the original film has its flaws like most Coman films with its dragged out dialog and quite boring mid-plot but it sure had charm which is something this film lacks. Everything ain't bad though and even if Wynorski fills out the majority of the plot with boring sex scenes there's one thing that this remake does better than the original and that the actual wasp woman. I'm not talking about Jennifer Rubin who just like a wasp couldn't act her way out of a paper bag; I'm talking about the transformed version of her. In the original film it was basically just Susan Cabot running around in a black spandex suit. This time Cormans studio actually put some dollars into creating a monster which is far far from believable but nevertheless quite creepy (almost at least). Sure it's stale and quite weird in some scenes but thinking of the budget and the year it was shot the only alternative would have been CGI-effects and we all know how that went in Dinosaur Island.
The story follows Cormans classic to the book with some exceptions but even so I can't help but asking myself what went wrong along the way. The whole film feels like a dragged out episode from Tales of the crypt. A show that I love but there was a reason why these episodes never went full-length.
Leaving this film behind in my Wynorskivaganza marathon (which never became a marathon because of work and other stuff to do) I am left with an empty feeling since it didn't really deliver where Wynorski often delivers. The sexy parts of the film are far from sexy, it lacks any humor like some of his other work and that creative cord that was still intact in his earlier films is long gone. In many ways it reminded me about his remake of Not of this earth. An movie that somehow survived a complete trashing thanks to its original story, which it copied from a 50's flick.
The story follows Cormans classic to the book with some exceptions but even so I can't help but asking myself what went wrong along the way. The whole film feels like a dragged out episode from Tales of the crypt. A show that I love but there was a reason why these episodes never went full-length.
Leaving this film behind in my Wynorskivaganza marathon (which never became a marathon because of work and other stuff to do) I am left with an empty feeling since it didn't really deliver where Wynorski often delivers. The sexy parts of the film are far from sexy, it lacks any humor like some of his other work and that creative cord that was still intact in his earlier films is long gone. In many ways it reminded me about his remake of Not of this earth. An movie that somehow survived a complete trashing thanks to its original story, which it copied from a 50's flick.
Once again the film-makers have dropped the ball.
Captain_Couth29 June 2004
The Wasp Woman (1995) was a made-for-cable version of the original 1960 classic B-movie. Well, this was made for pay cable but the film-makers didn't focus enough on the adult aspect of the story-line. Instead they tried to make a cheesy sci-fi/horror film with enough glad handing and back slapping to make this one unenjoyable. This remake was a lot better than the one made several years before, but it still is missing something. I mean you have a decent director Jim Wynorski and an attractive lead actress, plus the theme of the film. I don't know. Maybe I was hoping too much for an actual movie that delivers the goods.
Well, it was a decent made-for-cable-t.v. movie. But it could have been so much better. Believe me it could have. Who knows, maybe three times the charm!
Slightly recommended.
Well, it was a decent made-for-cable-t.v. movie. But it could have been so much better. Believe me it could have. Who knows, maybe three times the charm!
Slightly recommended.
Talk about your killer bees!
No Nukes25 September 2001
I saw this film because I like to watch monsters run around and eat people! And there's plenty of rubbersuit-monster stompin n' chompin n' slicin n' dicin! See her turn into a wasp in bed with a man! See her rip a rival model apart right in the photo room! See her morph in broad daylight! See a weird dream sequence that proves, once and for all, that too much sunlight CAN kill you! :) Frightfully silly, but that just adds to its cheese/fun factor. It's one of my favorite killer-bug movies!
Who has the green light?
papafain18 August 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Other commentators are way to lenient with remakes of old, cheap, drive-in movie fare. Why do a remake that is even more cheesy than the original? Jennifer Rubin is not nearly good-looking enough (at any of the ages attempted in this film) for this role, not to mention that I confess that I spoke too soon in my comments on the remake of Not of This Earth regarding ridiculously skinny actresses. Like that movie the sets got worse as the movie progressed until some of the scenes looked like they were filmed inside a big packing box. The idea that drives this story is not very good to begin with and warranted no remake, unless as part of a general spoof of the 50's/60's cheap SF phenomenon. My advice is: if you see this movie on the rental shelf, keep walking. Roger Corman has had a long career and I presume he is very rich but he has pretty much been a synonym for fairly bad, low-budget movies. His real claim to fame is the number of careers he has launched for makers of better movies.
Shoestring Laughs
refinedsugar4 April 2024
A 1950's Roger Corman original 'Wasp Woman' gets the 90's tv remake treatment courtesy of b-movie director Jim Wynorski and a few familiar faces in the cast. You might be interested in where this sci-fi / horror pic is going initially - kill thrills, T&A - but trust me when I say it goes off the rails in cheap fashion. It's never a good thing when special effects are meant to scare, but instead find you wanting to laugh.
Janice Starlin (Jennifer Rubin) is a model who runs her own successful cosmetics company, but she's getting up there in age which has both her and investors worried. They go about looking for younger modelling talent to represent the brand when Janice learns of a new experimental youth serum being invented by Dr. Zinthorp (Daniel J. Travanti) with the use of wasp hormones. She's told it has potentially dangerous side effects, but is desperate enough to be the first human test subject. At first, everything seems great and it does the job making her 10-15 years younger and then the side effects kicks in.
Rubin - a 90's b-movie regular - is joined by a stable of low budget actors particularly Maria Ford, Julie K. Smith, Antonia Dorian. These ladies are used to supplying nudity, but surprisingly only Ford get naked though Rubin has a sex scene with an obvious body double. Where things fall apart is when it comes time for - surprise, surprise - the main lady or a cat to actually transform into a wasp. In either case the results look ridiculous and not at all scary. Plus because they're working with a low budget, the death scenes only supply bad acting & stage blood in equal dose.
You never buy that Rubin is a woman in her 40's neither. The makeup isn't well done and kinda obvious, but telling you that is just beating a dead horse. 'Wasp Woman' is a flick you watch but aren't shocked when you find out the inevitable. I hoped it's silly premise would lead to a good time, but it didn't. Wynorski with another stinker on his resume that sports some typical bad acting and a poor ending.
Janice Starlin (Jennifer Rubin) is a model who runs her own successful cosmetics company, but she's getting up there in age which has both her and investors worried. They go about looking for younger modelling talent to represent the brand when Janice learns of a new experimental youth serum being invented by Dr. Zinthorp (Daniel J. Travanti) with the use of wasp hormones. She's told it has potentially dangerous side effects, but is desperate enough to be the first human test subject. At first, everything seems great and it does the job making her 10-15 years younger and then the side effects kicks in.
Rubin - a 90's b-movie regular - is joined by a stable of low budget actors particularly Maria Ford, Julie K. Smith, Antonia Dorian. These ladies are used to supplying nudity, but surprisingly only Ford get naked though Rubin has a sex scene with an obvious body double. Where things fall apart is when it comes time for - surprise, surprise - the main lady or a cat to actually transform into a wasp. In either case the results look ridiculous and not at all scary. Plus because they're working with a low budget, the death scenes only supply bad acting & stage blood in equal dose.
You never buy that Rubin is a woman in her 40's neither. The makeup isn't well done and kinda obvious, but telling you that is just beating a dead horse. 'Wasp Woman' is a flick you watch but aren't shocked when you find out the inevitable. I hoped it's silly premise would lead to a good time, but it didn't. Wynorski with another stinker on his resume that sports some typical bad acting and a poor ending.
Not-bad entry in the "Roger Corman Presents" cable series.
capkronos30 December 2003
Here's another pretty faithful redo of the 1960 Roger Corman camp classic. The story is still fun but I prefer the original. Jennifer Rubin (who knows she's in a B-movie, and acts accordingly) is Janice Starlin, owner and "the face" of Starlin Cosmetics. She's also approaching middle age and her job modeling her own product is threatened when company execs bring in sexy, blonde Caitlin (Maria Ford) to take her place. An experimental youth serum created using wasp hormones by Dr. Zinthrop (Daniel J. Travanti) is taken by Janice and restores her beauty, but there's a price to pay as she periodically transforms into a giant, murderous wasp (with cleavage!). This never aspires to be more than a cheesy exploitation movie and works in its own realm; if your apt to rent a movie called WASP WOMAN in the first place you shouldn't be too disappointed with this. Plus, whoever designed the wasp/monster costume has a terrific sense of humor. It's hilarious! Same goes for a memorable death scene featuring Gerrit Graham that the makers of the 1960 version wouldn't have even conceived filming! Corman served as executive producer.
Definite cult movie potential .........
merklekranz10 February 2017
In the "so bad it's good" sweepstakes, this "Wasp Woman" remake is a strong contender. First off the acting is all over the map, but Jennifer Rubin and Geritt Graham, are totally acceptable. More good news the movie has some real "eye candy" and nudity, which always helps toward "cult status". The wasp creature with breasts certainly qualifies as one of the most bizarre rubber suit monsters ever. We even have a real cave setting for some added wasp fun. Sure the few C.G.I. images are antiques, but the film has an actual story that holds things together, rather that the C.G.I. extravaganzas trucked out today. As a throwback to the old time monster movies, "Wasp Woman" succeeds. - MERK
So, so bad
pochiquilla16 March 2004
There is a long list of movies that should never have been made. Congo, 200 Cigarettes, Cool World, My Blue Heaven, Eye of the Beholder to name a few, and alas, Wasp Woman. This movie was beyond bad. I could have done better with a ten year old Camcorder, a fifth grade drama class, and a shoebox diorama. I'm all for campy films that appeal to my sense of goofy, but this film tried to pass itself off as legit. My husband and I watched it on late-night cable and scarily enough, found ourselves unable to turn it off. We were just so amazed at the horrible acting, wretched makeup (drawing lines with an eye pencil on Jennifer Rubin's face does not an aging woman make), ridiculous "special" effects, and lack of continuity. In one scene, the receptionist is walking down a hallway. She has straight hair. When she opens the door and sits down outside, she has very curly hair. Bad. But, if you want to watch a complete no-brainer, this is for you!
A Triumph of the Wynorski
hamandcheesecroissant13 October 2023
Wondering what all the buzz is about? Nestle in and adjust your expectations because Wasp Woman is one tv-movie that's bound to appeal to both the wasp and the woman in you. This remake of Roger Corman's 1959 "classic" was developed for Showtime in the mid-nineties, and how. Its all about babes, bugs, and shoulder pads. So if you're into sex with insects, looking to take the sting out of quarantine, or maybe you've just got the horror bug, give this tattered VHS copy a whirl.
The film opens with a prologue: a 1990s blonde woman, jogging in a white one-piece bathing suit, takes a wrong turn and is killed by a swarm of wasps. The mood set, we begin. Janice is a strong, female executive. She has built her cosmetics company from the ground up and always modeled its products. Now in her 40s, crass businessmen are telling her she's no longer the bee's knees. In desperation Janice becomes the first human test subject of an experimental anti-aging drug made from wasp hormone. But is looking 20 years younger worth occasionally transforming into a giant, murderous wasp? You decide.
A triumph of the Wynorski. Second to top-shelf so-bad-its-good. The acting is unintentionally entertaining. The production is like a softcore porn. And the special effects are practical and silly and spectacular. This film's monster could be a representation of the violent impulses otherwise repressed by powerful women striving in a male-dominated society. And spoiler: the wasp woman appears to be wearing a bustier. One thing that might bug you though--the ending is kind of a buzz-kill.
~90 minutes Campy horror 7/10 waspspspspspsps.
The film opens with a prologue: a 1990s blonde woman, jogging in a white one-piece bathing suit, takes a wrong turn and is killed by a swarm of wasps. The mood set, we begin. Janice is a strong, female executive. She has built her cosmetics company from the ground up and always modeled its products. Now in her 40s, crass businessmen are telling her she's no longer the bee's knees. In desperation Janice becomes the first human test subject of an experimental anti-aging drug made from wasp hormone. But is looking 20 years younger worth occasionally transforming into a giant, murderous wasp? You decide.
A triumph of the Wynorski. Second to top-shelf so-bad-its-good. The acting is unintentionally entertaining. The production is like a softcore porn. And the special effects are practical and silly and spectacular. This film's monster could be a representation of the violent impulses otherwise repressed by powerful women striving in a male-dominated society. And spoiler: the wasp woman appears to be wearing a bustier. One thing that might bug you though--the ending is kind of a buzz-kill.
~90 minutes Campy horror 7/10 waspspspspspsps.
A Neat Movie With Cheap Effects But Still Entertaining Nonetheless.
movies2u15 October 2003
The Wasp Woman (1995)
I was up late one night, and The Wasp Woman was on TV. It was from Roger Corman, so I thought why not. It wasn't exactly a waste of time, and was entertaining. It is about a lady who is beginning to get to old to model for her skincare company, so she resorts to Dr. Zinthorp, who has a creation made of wasp DNA that reverses the aging process. She tests it on herself, and it begins to have some crazy side effects. The monster effects are cheesy and cheap, but it isn't too bad of a movie. I give it a 7 out of 10.
I was up late one night, and The Wasp Woman was on TV. It was from Roger Corman, so I thought why not. It wasn't exactly a waste of time, and was entertaining. It is about a lady who is beginning to get to old to model for her skincare company, so she resorts to Dr. Zinthorp, who has a creation made of wasp DNA that reverses the aging process. She tests it on herself, and it begins to have some crazy side effects. The monster effects are cheesy and cheap, but it isn't too bad of a movie. I give it a 7 out of 10.
* * out of 4.
brandonsites198127 May 2002
An aging model/cosmetics executive (Jennifer Rubin) finds a way to reverse the aging process through an experimental wasp drug, but it has deadly consequences as she morphes from time to time into a giant man eating wasp.
Much better then you would expect remake of the original Roger Corman camp classic, though this remake is dead serious. It features a very appealing turn by Jennifer Rubin, and actually focuses more on characterization then cheap scares (even though it does have its share of them). However, the film does feature poor monster effects.
Rated R; Nudity, Violence, Sexual Situations, and Profanity.
Much better then you would expect remake of the original Roger Corman camp classic, though this remake is dead serious. It features a very appealing turn by Jennifer Rubin, and actually focuses more on characterization then cheap scares (even though it does have its share of them). However, the film does feature poor monster effects.
Rated R; Nudity, Violence, Sexual Situations, and Profanity.
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