Product Details

• Actors: Jennifer Rubin, Maria Ford, Jay Richardson, Gerrit Graham
• Directors: Jim Wynorski
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: New Horizons Home Video
• DVD Release Date: July 20, 2004
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000228SMI
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #139,353 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Scientist finds and elixir of youth, with strange side effects. Format: Color, DVD, NTSC Language: English Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.) Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Number of discs: 1 Rated: R (Restricted) Studio: New Horizons Home Video Running Time: 81 min

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A [weak] remake of a laughable Roger Corman quickie, April 6, 2003

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wasp Woman [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I would have thought that if you were going to remake a Roger Corman film that the idea would be to improve on the original. This would be fairly easy to do because the 1959 original of "The Wasp Woman" was a laughable Corman quickie, but this 1995 effort fails to clear even that low hurdle. The story remains the same: Janice (Jennifer Rubin) not only runs a cosmetic company, she is its model. But Janice is not a kid any more and in her quest for eternal youth and beauty she use a potion created by mad scientist Dr. Zinthorp (a slumming Daniel J. Travanti) from wasp hormones that is supposed to rejuvenate skin. The immediate affects are wonderful as Janice returns to major babe status, but there are some serious side effects, mainly paranoid delusions and turning into a giant wasp creature. However, this is the sexiest looking giant wasp creature you have ever seen, once you get past the cheesy makeup. The end result is that you can pretend "The Wasp Woman" makes the argument that people should not judge women by their looks, but even that rather obvious position seems superfluous in the context of this Showtime film (although the wasp woman's way of teaching men the errors of your way will certainly have male viewers squirming big time in their seats). Besides, you will spend most of your time trying to figure out how come Janice's clothes are not completely destroyed by her changing back and forth into the titular creature. Jennifer Rubin is a good looking woman, but if you happen to be near TriBeca in New York City you can go see her at Grace restaurant where she is the current hostess instead of wasting time with this film. "The Wasp Woman" was also known as "Forbidden Beauty" as if erasing the connection to the original Corman film would somehow enhance this one. Go figure.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars BEE MOVIE PLUS, June 26, 2004

By 

Michael Butts (Berkeley Springs, WV USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wasp Woman (DVD)

Fans of the original 1959 Roger Corman flick will undoubtedly remember the delightful Susan Cabot as the title character, and will also undoubtedly enjoy this campy remake, produced by none other than Mr. Corman himself.
We meet Jennifer Rubin as Janice Starlin, the aging owner of a cosmetics firm. She has ALWAYS been the model spokeswoman for her company, but now she's a little too wrinkled and elderly to carry this post on, or so her fellow owners think (including the delightfully smarmy Gerritt Graham). So Janice learns of a doctor (played quite woodenly by Daniel J. Travanti) who has found that using a serum made from bee venom can make one younger. He experiments on a little kitty cat he finds in the alley and lo and behold, the cat gets younger, not to mention the fact that the poor puss also turns into a beecat!!! Anyway, Rubin uses the serum and voila, she's young and beautiful again, but also has advanced cases of paranoid delusions, and oh, yes, when she gets really horny, she turns into the titular monstrosity.
The movie is a true B movie, and captures the feel of those wonderfully overwrought films of the 50s. Rubin is effective as the wasp woman; Doug Wert as her main hunk Alec is heroically adroit; and the whole movie preaches about the cost of vanity. The wasp woman creature isn't the greatest of effects, but it fits this charmingly nostalgic movie. BEE ENTERTAINED!!!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 3 1/2 stars for a fun remake. Better than the original., July 30, 2003

By 

Joshua Koppel (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wasp Woman [VHS] (VHS Tape)

We know how this remake will go right from the start as the film opens on a curvy blond in way too little clothing out for a jog. She ignores the warnings of a strange character who tells her some of the bugs are on the warpath.

Just after her demise, the same man delivers a bunch of wasps to a shady doctor operating out of what looks like an alley. We then jump to a model with puffy eyes who is actually the owner of a skin-care company. She must face the fact that she is not as young and beautiful as she was. As investors begin to maneuver for a takeover, she gets a second chance with the shady doctor's wasp serum.

Now a raving beauty (well, her eyes aren't puffy anymore, at least) she takes full control again of her company, her staff, and her love life.

All looks well, but... guess what? Right, she turns into a giant killer wasp when she needs to (or is angry or exited or having sex or...). But in the end the tragedy works itself out as she realizes she can not go on in this way.

Silly silly sill but a lot of fun. The morph effects as we see her face go from model to mandibled is worth it. The giant wasp is also really funny. Ever see a bug in a bustier? Great b-movie that is surprisingly better than the original.