The Deadly Bees (film)

The Deadly Bees
Year	1966
Directed by	Freddie Francis
Produced by	Max Rosenberg Milton Subotsky
Written by	Robert Bloch Anthony Marriott
Music by	Wilfred Josephs
Studio	Amicus Productions
Cast	Suzanna Leigh Guy Doleman Frank Finlay
Run time	84 minutes
Riffed in	Experiment #905

For the episode, see MST3K 905 - The Deadly Bees.

“	But why?	”
	- Vicki Robbins

The Deadly Bees is a 1966 thriller movie directed by Freddie Francis.

Plot

Overextended pop singer Vicki Robbins collapses from exhaustion during a music television show. Her doctor suggests that a visit to a farm owned by a friend of his on secluded Seagull Island will soothe her.

Vicki arrives on the island and is quickly embroiled in a murder plot, as she finds herself caught between rival beekeepers. The farmer's wife and her dog are killed by bees. Vicki becomes the next target until she deduces who is responsible.

The Deadly Bees

Cast

• Suzanna Leigh as Vicki Robbins
• Guy Doleman as Ralph Hargrove
• Frank Finlay as Mr. Manfred
• Catherine Finn as Mary Hargrove
• Katy Wild as Doris

Information

• The guitarist on the far right in the band at the beginning of the movie is a pre-Faces, pre-Rolling Stones Ron Wood.
• Co-writer Robert Bloch had originally envisioned the characters of Hargrove and Manfred being portrayed by Christopher Lee and Boris Karloff respectively. However, they were not affordable on the movie's budget.
• The novel A Taste for Honey by Gerald Heard (upon which this film was based) had previously been adapted for an episode of the British TV anthology series The Elgin Hour in 1955. Entitled "Sting of Death", it starred Boris Karloff and Hermione Gingold.
• Vicki's physician is played by actor Michael Gwynn, whom some viewers will recognize as Lord Melbury from one episode of the TV comedy Fawlty Towers.
• The Hargrove farm exteriors were built entirely on a sound stage.
• Was nominated in The Golden Turkey Awards series for Most Badly Bumbled Bee Movie of All Time. It lost to The Swarm.

MST3K Connections

• Michael Ripper (David Hawkins) also portrayed the first card player in Moon Zero Two.
• Producer Max Rosenberg was also executive producer for The Incredible Melting Man and producer for The Land That Time Forgot and At the Earth's Core.
• Producer Milton Subotsky was also producer for The Land That Time Forgot and At the Earth's Core (for which he was also writer).
• Musical director Philip Martell was also musical supervisor for Moon Zero Two.
• Continuity supervisor Pamela Davies was also script supervisor for Gorgo.

Critical Response

• Leonard Maltin wrote: "Two stars. High-powered shock scenes involving swarming bees are only worthwhile attraction in dull horror film."