31 Films for Halloween, #23: The Wasp Woman (1959)

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 No, I did not go see The Substance. I do not have to, because I have seen The Wasp Woman (1959).

Modern techniques notwithstanding, there is nothing The Substance can say that was not said more insanely by Roger Corman in The Wasp Woman.

Really, though; are there ANY movies messages that have not already been communicated more insanely by Roger Corman?


Janice Starlin is not just the CEO of Starlin Cosmetics, she's been the face of its products for years! Too many years, in fact.  Now, at 40 years old, she feels too old to carry on as its spokesmodel, but the business has been suffering since she turned that role over to younger women.  What's a (highly successful entrepreneurial) gal to do?

Why, fund eccentric scientist Eric Zinthrop's experiments in youthifying wasp royal jelly enzymes, of course!  Now she's aging backwards!

The solution proves to be her solution... for a while.  This film is a slow burn; very slow.  But it goes asymptotically off the charts as its climax approaches.  

Treat yourself to The Wasp Woman as a reminder that all of modern cinema is just mushrooms growing on the corpse of Roger Corman.

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