Review: Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973)

Set in the California town of Peckham, there’s been a bizarre string of murders where it appears the male victims have been…fornicated to the point of death. Federal agent William Smith shows up to aid local law (represented by Cliff Osmond) in their investigation. Anitra Ford plays an entomologist specialising in bees, whilst Victoria Vetri turns up as a librarian at the local scientific research facility.


Nudity and sense of humour in the Nicholas Meyer (director of “Time After Time” and two “Star Trek” films) script make this 1973 B-grade film the cheesy cult classic that it is. Without that humorous touch, I doubt it would be as affectionately received including by at least one well-known, dearly departed critic (and occasional screenwriter) I could name. Directed by Denis Sanders (the concert doco “Elvis: That’s the Way It Is”) it’s played totally deadpan for very silly, comedic effect in what is essentially a non-porno about men being fucked to death by an alien race. It’s very tame today I suppose, but there’s still some kinkiness here and there. The somewhat infamous ritual scene is sexy, funny, and just plain weird. You definitely won’t find anything like it in “Wrath of Khan”, that’s for damn sure.


Some of the acting works, some of it is essentially porno-level. Veteran bad guy William Smith gets to play a good guy here, but rest assured even when playing a Fed he still gets to punch the shit out of some rapists at one point. He’s good value, but Anitra Ford is the real star here. She’s genuinely quite good as the Queen Bee and hotter than hell. When you see her with completely blackened eyes, she’s absolutely terrifying as well.


Is this an especially great film? That’s an irrelevant question. It’s “Invasion of the Bee Girls” and you need to see it at least once in your life. It’s one-of-a-kind, and one of the best B-movies (and bee movies, for that matter) ever made. Cherry on the top is the fun music score by Charles Bernstein (“A Nightmare on Elm Street”, “The Entity”, “Cujo”).


Rating: B

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