NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Wicked-Vision Media Blu-ray (July 2019): Wicked-Vision Media have transferred Amicus' The Deadly Bees to 1080P Blu-ray. Like the Olive it is also in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio. It has a higher bitrate and colors are slightly richer, black levels more pronounced and, hence, detail rises modestly. The Wicked-Vision is on a dual-layered disc and win in the image quality department.

On their Blu-ray, Wicked-Vision also use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel track, but only 16-bit, in the original English language or a German DUB. The score is by Wilfred Josephs (notable for TV series music in I Claudius and The Prisoner) and it adds a shade to the creepiness and frantic moments. Wicked-Vision offer optional English (see sample) or German subtitles on their Region 'B'-locked Blu-ray.

Wicked-Vision include a German audio commentary with Dr. Gerd Naumann & Dr. Rolf Giesen. There are also two brief intros by Dr. Rolf Giesen (one in German, one in English.) "Hives of Horror“ is a 9-minute interview with Ted Wallis by Peter Allchorne who talks about the production hurdles (in English.) "Monsterama“ is a 50-minute interview with star Suzanna Leigh (also in English) who relates some interesting stories about making The Deadly Bees and how she became an actress etc. It was enjoyable if the sound quality was a bit weak. There is an image gallery, trailers and the package is a 24-page Media Book with photos and German text. There is also a second disc DVD in the package.

Well, what can you say? I don't think The Deadly Bees is as poor as its reputation. You'd just expect a bit more from Amicus, Robert Bloch and director Francis. Suzanna Leigh is pretty cute and I liked the Brit-farm locale but, yes, there are some things wrong with this odd film - notably the plot. Still the atmosphere is comforting and the Wicked-Vision Blu-ray seems the more complete package and has the superior video. Serious fans need apply. 

***

On the Olive Films Blu-ray (October 22nd, 2015): The Deadly Bees gets a Blu-ray release from Olive Films looking better than the film, probably, deserves. No - it's not as bad as its reputation. This is typically single-layered but has a very high bitrate. It's a shade dull and dark but a few of the colors carry a richness. It's in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio - a few speckles but the source seems acceptable. The Blu-ray improved the presentation over an SD rendering but the film's meager effects don't do the image any favors.

Audio is transferred to a DTS-HD Master mono track at 1834 kbps (24-bit). The audio effects are about the same caliber as the video effects - minimal and little to export besides the 'humming'. There is nothing exceptional though about the audio but I suspect it is an accurate representation of the original production. There are no subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked Blu-ray.

No supplements - not even a trailer which is the bare-bones route that Olive are going with the majority of their releases.

I watched it till the end - which is some kind of positive. The Blu-ray (another cool cover) is fine, typically bare-bones and should provide a decent enough HD presentation for you! 

Gary Tooze