THE BEES (1978)
Article 4355 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 11-2-2013
Directed by Alfredo Zacarias
Featuring John Saxon, Angel Tompkins, John Carradine
Country: Mexico / USA
What it is: Badly bumbled.

Deadly killer bees are smuggled into the United States. They get loose and wreak havoc. Can the scientists find a way to defeat them before they mutate into something even more powerful?

You’ve no doubt heard of Murphy’s Law, which is “If something can go wrong, it will.” Well, I’d like to offer “THE BEES variation on Murphy’s Law”, which is “If something can go wrong in the most mind-numbingly stupid way possible with the help of stock footage and inappropriate music, it will.” That’s pretty much what happens during most of this movie; characters engage in unbelievably idiotic behavior that only causes things to get worse. Oh, the movie is ambitious in its way; it’s like a bee variation on PHASE IV with government and corporate corruption added to the mix. But bad choices are made at every turn and on every level; a bad script, poor acting (with a few exceptions), unconvincing special effects, terrible music choices, rotten editing… you name it, and it probably happens somewhere in the movie. It all adds up to one of the most hilariously incompetent stinkers I’ve seen for this series. And for anyone who has ever wanted to know how to make John Carradine chew the scenery even more so than is his wont, then this movie will show you how – 1) Give him a big death scene, and 2) give him a German accent.