This Wild, Campy, and Utterly Engrossing ’70s Sci-Fi Horror Put the Bee in B-Movie

Bugs are a staple of horror, old and new. Nothing creeps people out like creepy crawlies. Hardened fans of gore still get squeamish when they see a spider, or wince at The Mist’s buggy monsters. More popular than the ubiquity of insects is the use of sexuality in horror. Both a common theme and visual language frequently employed for flare, sex in horror goes way back. Rarely, however, have bugs and sex prominently featured in a horror film together. But in 1973, screenwriter Nicholas Meyerand director Denis Sanders found a new method for incorporating bugs into horror to freak out audiences. Invasion of the Bee Girls is about a hive of scientifically mutated women killing through sex. The kooky mad science of the plot puts the “bee” in B-movie. It’s a campy watch, but no one will soon forget.