The Wasp Woman DVD

Drive-In Discs Volume 2

Thankfully, Elite’s first entry in their Drive-In Discs series did well enough to warrant a second. Once again, viewers can experience the wonders of an open air theater without leaving their stuffy homes, thanks to Elite’s miracle process Distorto. Viewers can view the program – either in sections or all the way through – and choose to hear the regular mono soundtrack or 5.1 Surround sound, with the film soundtrack relegated to the left channel (like a real drive-in speaker). Throughout the program, Distorto provides the rest of the drive-in audio experience, from honking horns to crickets. Occasional commentary is provided by bad actors portraying your fellow drive-in audience members.

In The Wasp Woman, Susan Cabot (Sorority Girl) stars as the model turned cosmetics company president, who, seeing her fortunes fading while she ages, decides to submit to a radical new treatment involving injections with royal queen wasp jelly. The treatments work and Cabot appears younger. However, a complication interrupts her celebration: the serum has an annoying side effect that changes her into a bloodthirsty monster wasp woman. Anthony Eisley (Navy Vs. the Night Monsters) and Barboura Morris (A Bucket of Blood) play faithful employees who get suspicious when their coworkers start disappearing. Though the usual dose of director Roger Corman satire is on display, the whole Jekyll & Hyde theme tumbles into hilarity every time the wacky monster shows up.

This is one of the American International Pictures that was lengthened for television sale with added scenes directed by Jack Hill (Spider Baby). This extended version, which has come to be regarded as the standard one, is presented here, although the print doesn’t appear to be cropped for television – the letterbox framing looks appropriate, with plenty of headroom.

Continued in the Giant Gila Monster post…

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