Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973)

[Archivist]

"What strange erotic force is taking over the women of Peckham County?"

Just over 20 years ago in Australia, one of our tv channels got into a routine of broadcasting some truly awesome 70's movies in the deep hours of the night and early morning.  Invasion of the Bee Girls was one of them.  I enjoyed its campy and surreal feeling back then, but only recently got a copy on DVD.  I watched it last night was even more impressed and wondered why this gem had not been released for such a long time.  It was even better than I remembered!

"What orgasmic ritual unlocked the hidden sexual appetites of these women?"

Victoria Vetri, better known back in the day as Playboy Playmate Angela Dorian, stars as a librarian-chic scientist who is caught up in a series of mysterious deaths.  All victims are men, all are seemingly killed by 'sexual overexertion'.  And an enigmatic scientist in another department, played by former Price Is Right model Anitra Ford, appears to be involved.

"What changed them from ordinary housewives into ravishingly beautiful women?"

Warning: Trailer NSWF! (edited to add this!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-pIYAuDEDE

"What bizarre secrets threaten every man in town?"

This movie is just too cool.  An outlandish plot involving genetic manipulation, the use of obvious villains who are still unsuspected of these unspeakable acts, low budget special effects, a perfect plot excuse for lots of women to get naked on a regular basis, and pseudoscientific dialogue that almost seems plausible but really isn't.  And the soundtrack!  Sheer 70's goodness!

How can you go past a movie populated with sinuously gyrating women with that awesome 70's hair and massive Jackie O sunglasses?  How could you pass up a sexy striptease by Anitra Ford or the disrobing of an entranced Victoria Vetri?

This movie was released on DVD as 'Graveyard Tramps' for some peculiar reason.  Invasion of the Bee Girls is just so much more accurate and evocative of the movie's feel.  Apparently the Graveyard Tramps transfer is terrible, too.  I have the MGM Midnite Movies double feature DVD along with Invasion of the Star Creatures, and the transfer, while not perfect, is decent enough.  The sound is good, and it even has subtitles!  The trailer you see here is the only special feature included with the DVD, but that's cool.

As an aside: Victoria Vetri was recently sentenced to nine years in prison for the attempted shooting murder of her partner!  It seems that they had an argument which ended when she produced a handgun and shot him in the chest!

As another aside: can anyone please recommend more movies like this one???  It's got campy fun factor, sexploitation feel, groovy 70's vibe and is nice and light.  I'd be very grateful for suggestions!

[indianasmith]

Not trying to be  a party pooper, but that trailer needs to be tagged NSFW!

[Archivist]

Oh yeah, sorry about that.  Now edited to add a warning of the gratuitous fondling in the first few seconds of the trailer... 

[The Burgomaster]

I actually have TWO copies of this on DVD.  One in a Midnite Movies double feature DVD with INVASION OF THE STAR CREATURES! and one in a Mill Creek 50 Movie Pack.  I remember this playing at drive-ins in my area several years in a row when I was a kid.

[Trevor]

What always makes me laugh about this film is that Nicholas Meyer wrote the screenplay. 

[Jack]

I've got a couple copies of that too, one under the title Graveyard Tramps, which has terrible video quality (Is that a boob...or an elbow?) and the other in a set with Invasion of the Star Creatures, which is a vastly superior print.  It's a fun movie, full of '70s nonsense.   

[FatFreddysCat]

Just watched this one tonight. I swear it didn't make a lick of sense but I couldn't take my eyes off of it. Hmmm, I wonder why....