The core concept is outstanding, primed for storytelling in film or TV production. The plot, as written, is pretty great in my opinion. I can honestly say I really like this! It definitely bears the look and feel of a TV movie, however, and in all fairness, I wonder if it wouldn't have been best reserved for a more abbreviated tale in a version of 'The Twilight Zone,' 'The Outer Limits,' or the like. This is true partly on account of the special effects; if made in the 80s onward, with better depiction of the bees, maybe it would have been well suited for such a longer format after all. It's also true that the first scene demonstrates one difficulty of the feature - it's rather difficult to visualize the primary horror element (or at least, it was in the 70s), so much like genre fare of the 1940s, the horror in 'Killer bees' is more thematic than actual. This is no specific major flaw, mind you; plenty of solid pictures have been made of such a tenor. One can readily understand, however, how this may not appeal to all comers, and perhaps hasn't been received well generally.
Make no mistake, the production values have not aged well; in terms of both audio and visual quality, a famous Alka-Seltzer commercial of 1969 ("Mamma mia, that's-a spicy meat-a ball-a!") is the best comparison. Beyond this, some of the dialogue in John William and Joyce Hooper Corrington's screenplay is a little kitschy - geared for Prime Time audiences, maybe, and not best storytelling judiciousness. Yet even recognizing the medium, by and large I think this is written and directed well, including the characters and the plot. By all means this is an example of a genre flick that's "fun-scary" and not "scary-scary," lacking the significant tension, suspense, or atmosphere that would elevate the title to another level. But that's okay if you ask me; not every horror film needs to be chilling or thrilling to succeed. Such as it is, I see plentiful worth in 'Killer bees' as the length progress, and abnormal goings-on accumulate and ramp up.
The cast is solid; Gloria Swanson is unquestionably having a blast as severe Madame Van Bohlen, and Kate Jackson shows swell capability as a lead. Uncomplicated as the whole affair is, I think the contributions of crew behind the scenes are quite fine (again noting the limitations of the special effects in this instance). I find no fault with Curtis Harrington's direction. Truth be told, I don't see any especial weakness here. Are there ways in which the tale could have been made more engaging, compelling, haunting? Yes, absolutely: I love the ending as it is, as delicious as those of some of my favorite horror movies - but to be sure, a longer and more definite character arc would have gone a long way to boosting the picture. All the same, though falling short of its best potential, I had a fantastic time watching 'Killer bees,' and it met my expectations just so. How much favor this finds with other viewers will mostly depend on willingness or ability to engage with TV movies, but if the toned down sensibilities are no obstacle, this is roundly entertaining in my book!
