The Bees Will Soon Be Swarming on Blu-ray Courtesy of Vinegar Syndrome

Either Blu-ray companies are running out of quality genre titles they can license or we’re entering into a golden age of obscure schlock getting the high-definition treatment. Case in point: The Bees will soon be swarming on Blu-ray. 

From Demonoid director Alfredo Zacarias comes Roger Corman’s entry in the killer bee movie boom of the 1970’s, simply entitled The Bees. B-movie stalwarts John Saxon, Angel Tompkins, and John Carradine starred in this loopy movie that – I kid you not (Spoiler Alert!) – climaxes with Saxon addressing the United Nations on behalf of our new insect overlords. 

Synopsis: 
Evil corporations have smuggled a deadly strain of South American killer bees into the United States, and now the entire world may be on the brink of imminent destruction. As cities tumble, body counts rise, and mass hysteria ensues, scientist John Norman (John Saxon) thinks he might have discovered the secret strategy to stop THE BEES! 

The Bees is not a film that anyone would ever confuse with great cinema, but it is highly entertaining for fans of schlocky b-movies like myself. To this day I’ve never been able to fully ascertain if The Bees was meant to be tongue-in-cheek or just turned out ridiculous. We’re talking about a movie that features news reports of killer bee attacks set to actual stock footage of fiery explosions. 

Perhaps those questions will be answered on February 23rd when independent label Vinegar Syndrome unleashes The Bees upon the hi-def world with a special edition Blu-ray. The release will boast a new 2K restoration from the 35mm negative, a video interview with director Alfredo Zacarias, the original theatrical trailer, reversible cover artwork, and even subtitles for the hearing impaired. 

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go pre-order a copy ASAP. While I do that, you can get a load of this scene from the film in which John Saxon takes down a bad guy using the dreaded Africanized Killer Bee Kung Fu Technique.