llen Danasco (Hoffman), owner of a prosperous typing firm, freely admits that he's a greedy industrialist. Business is booming, but he wants even greater productivity from his sizable staff. To achieve that goal, the avaricious tycoon has been secretly funding the research of Dr. Charles Metzenbeamer (Coughlin), a scientist who believes that by intermingling the human genome with bee DNA, he can create a race of obedient and industrious workers that will free humanity from the drudgery of day-to-day labor.
Mr. Hives (Abramowicz) is the prototype for these new-fangled creatures. Despite a huge insect head, misshapen hands and incredibly aggressive tendencies—he's chained to a desk to keep him from attacking his fellow employees—the odd new typist, disguised with a toupee and moustache and touted simply as a "transfer from the Fullerton office," is extraordinarily productive. Yet his silent, mysterious demeanor intrigues his colleagues, and soon Stacey Van Meterson (Feinglass), a pretty young coworker, finds herself drawn to the hard-working stranger.
This attraction doesn't go unnoticed by either her longtime boyfriend, company manager Joe De Compana (Varga), or Metzenbeamer. The two try to dissuade and distract the smitten girl, but her interest in Hives remains undiminished. As a last resort, De Compana even proposes marriage, only to be rebuffed by the confused and frustrated Van Meterson. Following this painful rejection, he returns to the office late one evening to confront his half-human rival. However, before he can do so, the shocked administrator inadvertently uncovers Danasco's diabolical scheme, and is abruptly drawn into a deadly battle between man and bee!
A nostalgic B movie with sting
From the opening moments of this science-fiction satire to the unforgettable closing scene, it's clear that the folks who crafted The Human BEEing adore low-budget genre films. The 1950s-era setting nicely captures the atmosphere of the best vintage "bug flicks," while the stock cast of characters, which includes the requisite insect/human hybrid (a la The Fly and The Wasp Woman), a cute but clueless leading lady and, of course, a demented scientist, drolly toy with the oftentimes exaggeratedly serious tone of these archetypal SF adventures.
In spite of a deliberately flimsy plot, the actors deliver their lines with such gusto it's tough not to get caught up in the action. Coughlin is appealing as the manic Metzenbeamer, who repeatedly acknowledges that "some must suffer so that many may shine," while Hoffman's scenery-chewing portrayal of the money-hungry Danasco is downright hilarious, especially when he utters over-the-top slogans like "Doctor, I'm not interested in the recipes from the flam-gobbledy-blib cookbook of your science-fiction bakery. I'm only interested in the dough." Mr. Hives is more comical than frightening, yet his obviously fake appearance, combined with the lighting and editing trickery that accompany his frenzied attacks, expertly recreate the bargain-basement effects of old-time creature-feature fare.
Regrettably, there are a few unintentional imperfections. As the bemused Van Meterson, Feinglass lacks the demure demeanor common to most actresses in classic cut-rate SF films, and Varga's perpetual sneer and grating "wise guy" accent are unnecessarily irritating. Even so, The Human BEEing is a "Beemovie" with real sting, capably encapsulating the best elements of the "so bad they're good" motion pictures it lovingly spoofs.
