davidcarniglia A strange movie. The first part seems to promise a sort of bee/wasp gone wild in the woods catastrophe. But, we're abruptly dropped into the big city, in the middle of cosmetic company politics. The link is the mad doctor, Zinthrop (Michael Mark), with his anti-aging wasp extract/enzyme.The premise justifies the setting change; but I got so involved in the secretary's gossipy subplots that the emergence of Susan Cabot's Janice as a giant wasp was an underwhelming development. The goofiness of the wasp head on a high-heeled body was to be expected for the low-budget 50s sci-fi genre. But why wait until nearly the end of the movie to start the actual sci-fi?Janice is entirely too gullible for a successful business woman. She lets Winthrop have carte blanche without any proof that his enzyme will work on humans. Making herself the 'guinea pig' does make some sense, since it's established that she's obsessed with maintaining a youthful appearance. You would think, though, that since she does begin to look younger soon after starting the injections, she'd be satisfied.As other reviewers have pointed out, her obsession becomes an addiction. That's an interesting tack for a sci-fi movie to take. In a sense, it's the goal of science fiction--to try the impossible. So, either she should turn into a teenager, a child, and end up an infant; or, to follow the creature theme, she should become a wasp woman much sooner.The way the plot plays out though, Wasp Woman is essentially a crime drama. Woman hopped-up on enzyme injections scares co-workers in a bug suit and kills them before plunging to her death. What self-respecting monster would confine his/her mayhem to a claustrophobic high-rise office? What's more expected in this genre is a town, city, or world threatened by a monster or alien. At least let's have an implication of wider danger; some stock footage of army units rolling, civilians fleeing and panicking. I guess there's room for a sort of 'kitchen-sink' sci-fi, if the focus is psychological. That might've worked here, especially with the addiction theme. What happened instead was neither a psychological thriller nor a convincing sci-fi drama.There was an opportunity for a sort of Jekyll (Janice) and Hyde (Wasp Woman) juxtaposition. But we don't the transition from Janice to Wasp Woman in the creepy sort of way done in the Jekyll and Hyde or Wolfman movies. Those sorts of scenes could've added mystery and horror.The movie is a mash-up of disparate elements, which, if combined with more finesse, might've made a much more entertaining movie. As noted in the Goofs section, the drive on the city streets shows several cars (mostly '63 Chevys) that were still on the drawing boards when Wasp Woman was first released. Why even include that sequence anyway?This is worth watching once; but you might need to 'punch-in' since the viewer spends so much time watching office staff at work.

azathothpwiggins Poor Janice Starlin (Susan Cabot- WAR OF THE SATELLITES). In spite of being the head of a cosmetics empire, she finds her company's sales plummeting, when she commits the unforgivable sin of getting older! Looking almost forty, Ms. Starlin must face the facts of her own plunge into the abyss of middle age! But wait! It just so happens that a certain beekeeper / scientist, named Dr. Zinthrop has been experimenting w/ the rejuvenating effects of royal jelly from queen wasps. His beekeeping buddies are perplexed to say the least! So much so, that Zinthrop is banished from his bevy of beehives. Serendipity intervenes, and Zinthrop sets up shop in Starlin's building. Soon enough, he's whipped up a batch of his secret formula. In no time, Janice is no longer her old self, but there's something amiss. Something buzz-y and homicidal! THE WASP WOMAN is one of schlock omni-god, Roger Corman's greatest contributions! EXTRA POINTS: For the fuzzy wasp mask and gloves that go w/ whatever Janice wears! Watch for Bruno VeSota (ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES) as the night watchman, Frank Gerstle (THE ATOMIC BRAIN) as a detective, Frank Wolff (BEAST FROM HAUNTED CAVE) as a delivery man, and Corman himself as a doctor!...

writtenbymkm-583-902097 I'm writing this in 2018. I'm a Roger Corman fan but somehow I missed this one. Turner Classics showed it today and I started watching it but missed the opening credits. Partway into the movie I recognized some of the music, it reminded me of the jazz score in Corman's Little Shop of Horrors, and as various things happened in Wasp Woman I started to think that this just had to be a Roger Corman movie. I was too hooked to check then, but after the movie ended I looked it up and, sure enough, Roger Corman directed. I really liked this movie. The acting was very good and convincing, the story was interesting, the suspense mounted, and there just the right amount of humor (another Roger Corman specialty). Sure, the wasp monster was a little hokey, but even that was well done. I felt sorry for the woman trying to save her youth, and her company, the eccentric scientist was perfect, and I enjoyed the two romantic leads, especially Barboura Morris. A very entertaining movie.

hrkepler 'The Wasp Woman' is another Roger Corman's talky monster movie on low budget and with lousy special effects and lots of (pseudo)scientific talk, but with some good ideas and meaning. The film stars Susan Cabot (in her last film role) as Janice Starlin, a founder and a head of cosmetics company, in search of eternal youth. When a mad scientist Dr. Zinthrop (Michael Mark) contacts with Starlin to introduce her his new scientific breakthrough - a miracle cure against aging. The research reaches to the point where Starlin herself become human guinea pig and tries the new medicine. Results are amazing - Janice Starling starts to look younger. But search for eternal youth always end up with devilish results with Janice turning into bloodsucking wasp (from human guinea pig).The film, although quite fun for all the obvious reasons, is pretty terrible besides acting. The writing is tedious and first part of the film is quite boring actually. Susan Cabot seems too classy and too good of an actress to run around in ludicrous wasp costume that bears no similarities with wasps. Not even with the one portrayed on the poster.