"We have a suspect". So says a coroner talking about some nasty insects that sting and kill. They frequently inhabit the small town of Sumas in 2002's Killer Bees.
Watching "Bees", you realize it's a B-movie (pun intended), featuring the perfect casting of C. Thomas Howell who is the king of late night cable endeavors and you guessed it, B-movies (also pun intended). Howell plays Sheriff Lyndon Harris, a good-natured cat who tries to warn the citizens of Washington's honey haven (and their toupee Mayor) from the nectar-feeding danger that's coming. I mean it's like you're watching Jaws on the low, with said Sheriff acting like the leisurely version of chief Brody. "I've been stung once, but it ain't gonna happen again". Yeah you tell 'em Ponyboy.
Made as a TV flick, with probably a shoestring budget and what looks like Syfy Channel special effects, Killer Bees doesn't take itself seriously until it has to. That basically means it's burlesque shenanigans mixed with almost horrific bee-attacking sequences that literally blur the lines of bad taste. One minute you're squirming, the next minute you're chuckling and snorting. Yup, the quirky characters in "Bees" include a deputy Dewey type, a bully, "Buddy" Repperton type, and Doug Abrahams channeling his inner Larry Vaughn, poo-poohing the nastiness of the killer bees and what they'll do to a bunch of harmless denizens at a local fair. "We can't shut down because of one man's craze bee foray". Yeah you keep telling yourself that pal.
So yeah, I can't quite recommend Killer Bees. Why you ask? Because it's one of those, "in the cards" films where the protagonists barely get harmed by the pollen-crazed creatures and the antagonists (and goofy dolts) get killed and/or urticated on a dime. Bottom line: Killer Bees may kind of feel like a pseudo, drive-in classic with a little Velveeta in tote. But hey, this ain't 70s cinema people, and the heralded, "Master of Horror" is surely not behind this wheel. Mixed "bees" kneed.
Written by Jesse Burleson
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