IMDb RATING
4.5/10
8.6K
YOUR RATING
A huge swarm of deadly African bees spreads terror over American cities by killing thousands of people.A huge swarm of deadly African bees spreads terror over American cities by killing thousands of people.A huge swarm of deadly African bees spreads terror over American cities by killing thousands of people.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 nomination total
José Ferrer
- Dr. Andrews
- (as Jose Ferrer)
Patty Duke
- Rita
- (as Patty Duke Astin)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis was Fred MacMurray's final film before his death on November 5, 1991 at the age of 83.
- GoofsIn the background, a paralyzed scientist in a wheelchair kicks a door open.
- Quotes
General Thalius Slater: By tomorrow there will be no more Africans... at least not in the Houston sector.
- Crazy creditsDisclaimer in the closing credits: The African killer bee portrayed in this film bears absolutely no relationship to the industrious, hard-working American honey bee to which we are indebted for pollinating vital crops that feed our nation.
- Alternate versionsThe UK "12" certificate video release is the 156m version of this film (also shown on U.S. TV) which was released in theaters at 116m (with a "PG" certificate). Some of the additional footage is as follows:
- more of the three-way courtship between de Havilland, Johnson and MacMurray
- a hilarious scene in which the military inspect the attacked picnic site and Sir Michael Caine comments on the bees' biting abilities
- several additional scenes of Caine and Katharine Ross driving back and forth between the military bunker and the town and chatting about developments as they do
- the death scene of the little boy whose parents were killed and who subsequently firebombed the swarm - in the short version, he is in the hospital and one assumes he has survived; although he is not seen again. he has a relapse and dies in the long version.
- various extra footage of Caine and Ross going to the HQ in Houston
- when Henry Fonda is killed, there is an additional shot of a huge superimposed bee which he sees at the moment of his death
- an additional subplot near the end of the film in which Ross has a relapse and nearly dies from her earlier bee sting. This is why she is lying in a bed when Caine rescues her from the burning building. This subplot has several short scenes, including one when Bradford Dillman and Richard Widmark see Caine praying by her bed - once he sees that Caine believes in God, Widmark knows he is a good man and instructs Dillman to "Close that dossier" (the dossier had been constantly referred to by Widmark, but was left as an unresolved plot hole in the original theatrical version).
- ConnectionsFeatured in Inside 'the Swarm' (1978)
Featured review
Mutant African Killer Bees!
This movie begins with a small squad of armed airmen clothed in chemical protective gear cautiously entering a small Air Force substation near the town of Marysville, Texas. Upon their initial investigation they find several dead bodies and an unauthorized civilian named "Brad Crane" (Michael Caine) on the premises. It soon turns out that Brad Crane is a world famous etymologist who believes that billions of mutant African killer bees are responsible for the deaths of these airmen. Not long afterward the search party subsequently finds a medical doctor by the name of "Captain Helena Anderson" (Katherine Ross) who was hiding in a sealed room and she reports that there are a handful of wounded airmen with her in need of serious medical treatment due to bee stings. This report validates what Brad Crane has told them and as more reports come in about deaths related to these swarms of African killer bees. In no time the military turns over all of the resources they have to him but even with the excellent team of scientists that Brad Crane manages to obtain the situation soon becomes even more perilous. Now rather than reveal any more of this movie I will just say that this was much better than a similar film by the name of "The Bees" which was made during the same year. For starters, the director (Irwin Allen) made good use of the CGI technology available at the time which certainly helped to some degree. Likewise, he also managed to assemble an all-star cast as well. Additionally, unlike the previously mentioned film of the same year, the ending wasn't nearly as ridiculous. In short, although this movie has its faults and certainly won't appeal to everyone, I found it somewhat entertaining and I have rated it accordingly. Average.
helpful•53
- Uriah43
- Mar 30, 2016
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Der tödliche Schwarm
- Filming locations
- Houston, Texas, USA(Astrodome / Memorial Park / McKinney Street exit ramp)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $21,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 56 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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