Poster Of the Day - The Bees (1978)

This is a bad movie. Is it fun bad or boring bad? I would say the latter; but, then again, I put the Irwin Allen film The Swarm (which The Bees was a quickie rip-off of) into the former category. Many people would probably reverse those, with The Swarm being seen as a bloated, glacially paced movie and The Bees a plucky, to-the-point B-movie )or, is that...wait for it...Bee-movie?). The Bees, in addition to terrible effects, a dumb story and ludicrous conclusion, features a terrible performance by the normally reliable John Saxon. When he is uninterested in what he's doing, you know the film is in trouble. Anyway, killer bees - one of the obsessions of the Seventies - ravage America, in a plot that also involves corporate conspiracies, corrupt politicians and sentient bees telling the UN to make mankind more eco-friendly...or else.

One thing the film did right, however, is have this awesome poster. The thing is beautiful. Well, beautiful as far as exploitation movie posters go. We have, front and center, a scantily clad women fleeing from a giant bee head equipped with fangs. Apparently, correct insect anatomy wasn't the priority here. The blood and viscera leaking out of the mouth is a nice touch, hinting at gruesome horror (something the film does not deliver). In fact, this poster is the single best thing about the movie. I want to see this film, one with giant bees chasing women dressed only in their underwear.

I like the layout; nothing detracts from the central image and the promise of horror and sex. The tag line clearly tells us what we are supposed to get. That the movie really delivers on none of this is beside the point. By the time you've bought the ticket, you're out of luck. One thing; is it me, or does our damsel in distress look a but, well, undernourished? Come on, baby, have a cheese burger. It'll give you strength to run from the giant bee head.

So, great poster, not much of a movie. See it only if you are a "revenge-of-nature" completest or rabid John Saxon fan. Is it wrong for me to be both? Hmmm...

Here's a trailer for The Bees. Enjoy.