Killer Bees (1974)

A strong-willed woman not only dominates her family of California winegrowers, but also has a strange hold on a colony of bees in her vineyard.

Director:

Curtis Harrington

Writers:

John William Corrington, Joyce Hooper Corrington (as Joyce Corrington)

Stars:

Edward Albert, Kate Jackson, Roger Davis

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Edward Albert	...	Edward van Bohlen
Kate Jackson	...	Victoria Wells
Roger Davis	...	Dr. Helmut van Bohlen
Don McGovern	...	Mathias van Bohlen
Gloria Swanson	...	Madame Maria von Bohlen
Craig Stevens	...	Rudolf van Bohlen
John S. Ragin	...	Sergeant Jeffreys
Liam Dunn	...	Zeb Tucker
Don Gentry	...	Lineman (as Donald Gentry)
Robert L. Balzer	...	Minister
Jack Perkins	...	Salesman
Dan Woodworth	...	Townsman (as Daniel Woodworth)
John Getz	...	Attendant
Heather Ann Bostain	...	Roseanna / Housekeeper

Storyline

A strong-willed woman not only dominates her family of California winegrowers, but also has a strange hold on a colony of bees in her vineyard.

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Plot Keywords:

bee | vineyard | grande dame guignol | power | matriarch | 

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Taglines:

Gloria Swanson in her television debut. A World Premiere

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 February 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Abejas asesinas

Filming Locations:

Napa, Napa Valley, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Robert Stigwood Organization (RSO)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

74 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to an interview Kate Jackson did with "The Glass Eye" in 2004, the movie was shot in what is now Francis Ford Coppola's house.

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Connections

Featured in Top 10 Shitty Shatner Movies (2010)

User Reviews

I liked it more than I should

The quick pitch: Gloria Swanson plays Madame Maria von Bohlen, matriarch of a family of South African winemakers. Madame (as her family calls her) controls almost all aspects of the family, the wine business, and even the bees, so integral to the family's success. But when her black sheep son turns-up with a finance in tow, Madame and the bees don't respond too well.

Overall, Killer Bees is about what you'd expect from a 1974 made-for-TV movie - typical made-for-TV cast, poor (and I mean really poor) special effects, and not nearly enough horror for a horror movie (it needed more bee attacks). But one thing Killer Bees has going for it is that final twist in the last act. I'm not going to spoil it - I'll just say that it belongs in a much better movie. It really was a nice finish to what was otherwise a fairly routine film. Nice enough to get a 6/10 from me.

I suppose there are two other things I enjoyed about Killer Bees. First, I always enjoy seeing my favorite of Charlie's Angels, Kate Jackson. Her acting in the final moments of Killer Bees was never better. Second, watching Gloria Swanson in Killer Bees was a real treat. Several times, I thought she was going into full-on Norma Desmond-mode as she overacted her way through this cheap, TV film. Good stuff!