The Wasp Woman (1959)

User Rating:

3.7/10   

Director:

Roger Corman
(more)

Writers:

Leo Gordon (screenplay)
Kinta Zertuche (story)

Release Date:

2 November 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Horror Of The Winged Menace !

Plot:

A cosmetics queen develops a youth formula from jelly taken from queen wasps. She fails to anticipate the typical hoary side- effects.

Plot Keywords:

Wasp | Enzyme | Cosmetics | Serum | Injection

Cast

Susan Cabot	...	Janice Starlin
Anthony Eisley	...	Bill Lane (as Fred Eisley)
Barboura Morris	...	Mary Dennison
William Roerick	...	Arthur Cooper
Michael Mark	...	Eric Zinthrop
Frank Gerstle	...	Les Hellman
Bruno VeSota	...	Night watchman (as Bruno Ve Sota)
Roy Gordon	...	Paul Thompson
Carolyn Hughes	...	Jean Carson
Lynn Cartwright	...	Maureen Reardon
Frank Wolff	...	Man
Lani Mars	...	Secretary
Phillip Barry	...	Man
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Roger Corman	...	Doctor in the hospital. (uncredited)
Aron Kincaid	...	Beekeeper (uncredited)

Directed by
Roger Corman
Jack Hill		(uncredited)

Writing credits
Leo Gordon		(screenplay)
Kinta Zertuche		(story)

Produced by
Roger Corman	....	producer

Original Music by
Fred Katz

Cinematography by
Harry Neumann		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Carlo Lodato

Art Direction by
Daniel Haller		(as Dan Haller)

Makeup Department
Grant R. Keats	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Jack Bohrer	....	production manager
Paul Rapp	....	production manager (uncredited)

Art Department
Karl Brainard	....	property master (as Carl Brainard)

Sound Department
Philip Mitchell	....	sound (as Philip N. Mitchell)

Production Companies

• Film Group Feature
• Santa Cruz Productions Inc.

Distributors

• Filmgroup, The (1959) (USA) (theatrical)
• Grand National Pictures (1960) (UK) (theatrical)
• Allied Artists Television (1962) (USA) (TV)
• Rhino Home Video (1992) (USA) (VHS)
• SlingShot Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• E-Realbiz.com (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• E-Realbiz.com (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Elite Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Madacy Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Madacy Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Gotham Distribution (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Elite Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (2003) (USA) (VHS) (theatrical version)
• Reel Media International (2004) (worldwide) (VHS)
• GoodTimes Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Rainbow Products Limited (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Digiview Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Mill Creek Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (2007) (USA) (VHS)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media) (non-theatrical)

Other Companies

• Ryder Sound Services  sound
• Screen Time Images  film restoration

Also Known As:

Insect Woman
The Bee Girl
Die Wespenfrau (West Germany) [de]
La donna vespa (Italy) [it]
La mujer avispa (Spain) [es]
La mujer insecto (Venezuela) [es]

Runtime:

73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (DVD rating) | Canada:G (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:G (Quebec) | USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | UK:PG (re-rating) (2004) | UK:X (original rating)

Company:

Film Group Feature

Trivia:

The role of the Beekeeper played by Aron Kincaid was added after the film's initial release.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Despite the use of keys during the whole movie, there is obviously no lock on the lab door.

Quotes:

Bill Lane: You're as bad as she is! Oh, women!
Mary Dennison: Men! Every time you search for an answer, you always come up with women. You're not getting out of this one so easily. I'd like to know why you think Zinthrop really hasn't got something.
Bill Lane: Well, you can call it male intuition if you like... except there's something about this whole business that doesn't smell right... a private laboratory! A secret experiment! Zinthrop himself! The only thing missing is a genie with a lamp!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Schlock! The Secret History of American Movies (2001)

Buzz off, you uncanny ladybug!

Like none of his other late 50's/early 60's horror & Sci-Fi tryouts (and there were quite a lot of them), "The Wasp Woman" truly proves that Roger Corman was, and still is, a very creative and versatile filmmaker! The plot of his ultra-low budget quickie is mundane and unbelievably predictable, yet the whole film is stuffed with ingenious little twists and elements that make the premise feel fresh and original nevertheless! There are very few directors out there, apart from Corman, able to achieve this! Susan Cabot, who starred in a handful of contemporary Corman productions, plays a businesswoman leading a prominent cosmetics company. She's unable to accept her own natural ageing process and righteously fears that her looks will bring down the monthly profits. When a scientist announces that he developed a rejuvenation liquid by extracting enzymes of ordinary wasps, Janice Starling immediately wants to commercialize it and test it on herself. The miraculous discovery is highly efficient, but when Janice injects herself with too much doses, she transforms into a murderous wasp overnight. "The Wasp Woman" is no more or no less than fun & undemanding Sci-Fi entertainment! The film has a good pace and there's the occasional suspenseful moment to enjoy. The monster-transformations and special effects are really tacky but what else did you expect considering the money that was involved? This charming little movie may not be very appealing to the younger generation of fans, but I warmly recommend it to admirers of classic science fiction. The rating here on IMDb is WAY too low!