It's generally considered that production company Amicus were capable of making some top-notch anthologies, but when they concentrated on single-story horror yarns the results were often - not always, but more often than not - disappointing. THE DEADLY BEES may be notable as the first of the (thankfully irregular) "killer bee" movies but on all accounts it's a crushing bore. A dry script (from the usually reliable Robert Bloch, at that), insanely boring direction from Freddie Francis (this coming from a fan of his usually despised film LEGEND OF THE WEREWOLF) and a total lack of action and thrills on all accounts drag this one down from the start and only people with really high tolerance levels or an affection for British cinema from the period will find this watchable.The cast of characters is an unappealing one and none of the actors or actresses come away looking good in their roles. The identity of the bee-murderer is insanely obvious right from their very introduction and only a very young child would have trouble spotting which of the two bee-keepers is the secret killer. Come on Bloch, Marriott, et al: surely you can do better than this child's play!? The bee-attack sequences are lacking in technical skill, poorly-superimposed over the action and so detracting from any realism the film strives to create. The music is over the top and works against the film and the only good thing you can say is that the shots are composed well and the cinematography is solid.Suzanna Leigh is quite a respected actress from the period but you wouldn't guess it from this turn, which is undoubtedly her worst performance ever. Looking constipated when she strives to look scared and reduced to running around in her underwear at other times, she's totally lacking in believability and is more often than not laughable - a far cry from the fragile beauty she played in LUST FOR A VAMPIRE. Guy Doleman is a wooden jerk and Frank Finlay hams it up so much you'd think he previously worked as a butcher. While it's nice to see some familiar horror faces lower down in the cast - Michael Ripper, typecast again as BOTH a barman and a policeman and former Frankenstein's Monster Michael Gwynn as a doctor, they're uniformly wasted. No wonder this lacklustre film is so often forgotten when in discussion of British horror.

A reasonably exciting Amicus thriller directed by Freddie Francis with a screenplay by Robert Bloch. Pop singer Suzanna Leigh has a breakdown and seeks rest & relaxation on a seemingly idyllic island. She soon finds out that two gentlemen farmers are engaged in a fierce bee-keeping competition. One of them is raising killer bees. It takes a while to get going, but the last quarter of the film is well put together as Leigh realizes that her allegiances have been misplaced. Guy Doleman is one of the farmers and Catherine Finn plays his bitchy wife. Stealing the movie is Frank Finlay as the other farmer, a wolf in sheep's clothing if ever there was one. He's great. The music is by Wilfred Josephs and is awful. The Birds appear briefly during the opening scene.

Dreary horror film. Exhausted pop singer Vicki Robbins (Susanna Leigh) needs a vacation. She goes to a farm on an island where a local keeps bees. For no reason the bees start attacking and killing people and animals. There's more but that's about all you need to know.I caught this on a Saturday afternoon TV back in the 1970s. I thought it might be mildly amusing. It wasn't. It was just deadly dull. All the characters are obnoxious, the special effects are hilariously bad, the outdoor scenes are very obviously shot indoors, it's ridiculously obvious who's doing it and the murders are done so badly I thought it was a joke. Add to that a leaden pace and nothing even remotely scary (unless a bunch of bees buzzing around terrifies you). The actors are OK considering how stupid the story is but there's nothing here worth watching. Amicus (a poor man's version of Hammer) did this. They did some great horror movies like "Asylum", "The House That Dripped Blood" and "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors" BUT this is not one of them. A rightfully forgotten horror film. I give it a 2.

Throughout the mid 60s and early 70s Amicus Productions churned out a series of wonderful little horror anthologies including my favorite, TALES FROM THE CRYPT.But, before launching into the more-profitable horror genre, where low-budgets were more easily forgiven, Amicus produced some full-length features, including THE DEADLY BEES.While watching this movie, you have to realize that this was a time before CGI, before Star Wars special effects and the like. Making a movie about killer bees isn't easy, as they don't necessarily make for the most horrifying "monsters." However, I think Amicus and Freddie Francis did a commendable job; and, really pulled this one off.The script is based on the novel 'A Taste for Honey' by H.F. Heard; and, was well-adapted to the screen by Robert Bloch (unlike other Amicus feature-length films, which were written by Amicus insider, Milton Subotsky). Block turned out quite a few exceptional screenplays (e.g., Psycho), including the Amicus production THE SKULL, among many others.The Deadly Bees isn't a dull film, the plot moves along quite well. The cinematography isn't always pretty; it is quite gritty around the farm, gorgeous around "Seagull Island;" and, quite slick and very "mod" in and around London.I think that it offers some very good shock sequences, despite the fact that the bee effects are not always convincing. This is especially true of the bathroom attack on Vicky Robbins, which was quite well done. Give it a try, with the right attitude; and, you won't be disappointed.