Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Invasion of the Bee Girls Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 26, 2025

Denis Sanders' "Invasion of the Bee Girls" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson, vintage trailers, and radio spots. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The handsome agent Neil Agar (William Smith) is sent to a sleepy desert town in California to find out why all of a sudden its male residents have started dying like flies. Upon arrival, he is offered a few incomplete reports that quickly frustrate him, so he asks government researcher Julie Zorn (Victoria Vetri) to help him connect the dots. While discussing different theories that could explain what might have happened in the town with Julie, Neil meets Dr. Susan Harris (Anitra Ford), who is running some very unusual tests with live bees at Brandt Research. Neil decides to trust his instincts and keep an eye on Dr. Harris, and eventually begins suspecting that there might be a connection between her work and the puzzling death cases he was sent to investigate.

The concept behind Denis Sanders’ film Invasion of the Bee Girls is practically identical to the one that so many European directors used when they shot the popular gialli of the ‘70s and ‘80s. It merges elements of horror, sci-fi and erotica primarily within the conventional structure that thrillers use while promoting some type of exotic ambience. There is a rather big group of Italian directors who were particularly good at this sort of genre blending that went on to create a lot of very interesting films.

Piero Schivazappa directed one such film a couple of years before Invasion of the Bee Girls. It is called The Laughing Woman and it is about a kinky doctor who likes to kill beautiful women while they have intense orgasms. Schivazappa and his production designer did not have a big budget to work with, but the film has a special type of immersive ambience, and viewing it truly is one big head trip. The Invasion of the Bee Girls offers a similar experience, though its ambience has less of the psychedelic qualities that define The Laughing Woman. Sanders emphasizes the sci-fi/suspense angle of the narrative and only occasionally gives the beautiful ladies that were cast decent opportunities to impress. The end result is still a pretty moody film, but with that kitschy personality that seemed perfect for many drive-in theaters during the late '60s and early '70s.

Some years ago, Roger Ebert published a review of Invasion of the Bee Girls, a portion of which was then quoted on an old double-feature DVD release, produced by MGM. (The other film included on the release was the more conventional sci-fi comedy Invasion of the Star Creatures). Ebert claimed that “Invasion of the Bee Girls is the best schlock soft-core science fiction movie since The Vengeance of She”. This description is rather misleading. As mentioned earlier, Invasion of the Bee Girls is quite moody and certainly offers a solid dose of late-night kitschy entertainment, but there is nothing soft-core about it. Indeed, while there are a few prolonged love-making sequences, they introduce much-needed clarity and ultimately help the sci-fi part of the narrative look a tad more credible.

Invasion of the Bee Girls has a unique minimalistic soundtrack that blends interesting psychedelic sounds and music themes. It was created by Charles Bernstein, who would later score one of the very best psychedelic thrillers from the ‘80s, The Entity.

Invasion of the Bee Girls Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Invasion of the Bee Girls arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

Invasion of the Bee Girls made its high-definition debut with this release, which was produced by Shout Factory in 2017. It is the only other release of the film I have in my library.

Both releases are sourced from the same, very strong organic master. I do not know exactly when this master was prepared, but it is every bit as strong and convincing as the many of the latest 2K and 4K masters that are prepared for various smaller cult and genre films. Indeed, it produces visuals with excellent delineation, clarity, and depth, which upscaled to 4K can look rather striking. It is graded wonderfully, too. All primary colors are lush, healthy, and very convincingly balanced. All supporting nuances look very similar. In darker areas, there are particularly good ranges of darker nuances that never crush. Needless to say, on a large screen, there is a lot to see and praise. Image stability is excellent. There is only one area where some additional improvements can be introduced. In a couple of areas, small vertical lines quickly pop and then disappear. They are also present on the previous release, so it is clear that they are inherited. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Invasion of the Bee Girls Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Invasion of the Bee Girls has a unique minimalistic soundtrack that blends interesting psychedelic sounds and music themes. While it does not produce striking dynamic contrasts, it is very effective, and the lossless tracks reproduces its native qualities very well. There are no technical anomalies to report. If there is any room for improvement, I would say that it will be in areas where some small unevenness exist.

Invasion of the Bee Girls Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson.

• Trailer One - presented here is a remastered original trailer for Invasion of the Bee Girls. In English, not subtitled. (1 min, 1080p).

• Trailer Two - presented here is a remastered original trailer for Invasion of the Bee Girls. In English, not subtitled. (1 min, 1080p).

• Radio Spots - two original radio spots for Invasion of the Bee Girls. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

Invasion of the Bee Girls Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Invasion of the Bee Girls is a mish-mash of ideas borrowed from various cult films and wrapped in late-night kitsch that is surprisingly effective. Or perhaps it should not be, because this is the only formula that can make projects like Invasion of the Bee Girls work. While it was conceived and made in America in the early 1970s, Invasion of the Bee Girls very much behaves like an Italian genre films from the same period, so keep this in mind if you are trying to decide whether it deserves a spot in your collection. This new release is sourced from the same solid organic master that the folks at Shout Factory worked with to produce their release of the film in 2017. It only adds a new audio commentary by critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.