The Wasp Woman (1959) *spoilers*

Well, it's day two for my twelve days of creature features. With that, I watched a movie that was directed by Roger Corman (one of the more well known B horror movie directors). It also happened to be Susan Cabot's last film. The movie is known as...

I think I dated her

The movie starts off with Doctor Zinthrop working on a serum made from wasp royal jelly. It is supposed to create a serum to make its user younger by many years. Luckily,  he gets in touch with Janice Starlin who owns a failing cosmetics empire. Her company is failing because people see her aging and it reflects in her sales (people obviously think cosmetics allow even the elderly a pass from the ravages of time). Doctor Zinthrop shows her how the serum works. He takes two old lab rats and transforms them into young ones right before her eyes. She agrees to hire him as long as she is the first human subject.

She'd look great without glasses

Over the next couple of weeks, Janice is injected with the serum and sees that she isn't changing like the rest of the subjects. The doctor tells her it takes time and upping the dosage could have ill effects (like turning into a wasp woman for instance). So of course when dealing with experimental medicine you should disobey the doctor and take a larger dose when he is out of his lab. The next morning, Janice has been rejuvenated by 20+ years. With her new face and new product she wants to launch a campaign that will put her company back on the map.

Clark Kent did it first

However, the doctor has seen that his subjects have become more violent as the trial continued. Worried, he went to find help but didn't look both ways before crossing the street and got hit by a car. While Zinthrop is in the hospital (getting reamed by the safety police no doubt) Janice has horrible headaches. She tries to find the doctor, but no one can find him. Later that night, one of the curious employees go to the lab and find more than they bargained for. Janice had made the transformation into a wasp (or at least her face does...I think). She grabs him and bites into his neck, killing him.

KILL IT WITH FIRE!

Everyone is curious about their coworkers disappearance, but Janice tells them not to worry. Doctor Zinthrop suffered a bad head injury and is confined to one of the office in the building so he can recover. He keeps telling people there is something wrong,  but he can't remember what it is (violent wasp monster doesn't quite roll off the tongue). Janice keeps telling the board she wants to push forward with new product's campaign but many people are still skeptical and her headaches are getting worse.

We're coming closer to the end of the movie and Janice transforms into the wasp twice more and claims new victims. The doctor remembers how the subjects had gotten more violent and how Janice is a danger to those around her. Once again, Janice becomes the wasp woman and attacks her secretary. Luckily, the victims boyfriend hears her screams and runs up to the lab with Zinthrop to save her. The doctor throws a vial of acid at the creature. Its mandibles are smoking, it's blinded, and it's in agony. The hero takes his mighty chair and pushes the monster out the window (wasp woman was not given the gift of flight which is useful when falling out a window). The creature dies by a fall, the doctor has died of a heart attack, and the other actors careers just plain died.

This movie was actually pretty good. B horror at its most accessible. The story was actually very well though out. It's an idea that is actually great, what if there was a serum that could make you younger? The acting was very good, not too hammy but still to 50's it hurts. There is without a doubt a high amount of campiness, but it's a B movie. I thought the movies weakest point was the make up. The wasp woman looks bad. very very bad. She is the exact opposite of the poster. She has only a wasp face and hands instead of a body. These are early special effects, but if I were a kid looking at the poster and seeing the movie I'd be mad. The lighting and sound ques were what makes the wasp woman's scenes truly terrifying.

In the end I have to give this movie three royal jelly injections out of ten. Pretty good for a B movie, but not good for much else. Apparently, there is a 1995 remake of this movie and from the pictures I've seen the make up on the wasp looks good. She finally has what the poster promised all those years ago;  a wasp body.

Now was that so hard?