Jump to content

Murder Hornet's cousin hits the U.S.

Carl Spackler

By Carl Spackler
in Daily Texan

 Share

Recommended Posts

Beau Vine

Beau Vine 54,878

Posted
Posted (edited)
16 minutes ago, mchookem said:

hell of a cast, that movie must be great! 😄

image.png.270c11ae37d5514f3890ddcfa15d11e4.png

holy shit!

Spoiler

In south Texas, a top-security United States Air Force ICBM command bunker is invaded and neutralized by an unknown force. An Air Force unit, led by Major Baker (Bradford Dillman), investigates, and comes across an unauthorized scientist at the secured base, Dr. Bradford Crane (Michael Caine), who was tracking a large swarm of killer bees, when they attacked the Air Force bunker. General Slater (Richard Widmark) orders two helicopters to check the area, whereupon the helicopters are destroyed by the swarm of bees. Crane insists to Slater that the base was attacked by the same African killer bees that destroyed the helicopters. Helena Anderson (Katharine Ross), one of the base's doctors, supports Crane's story.

Meanwhile, in the nearby countryside, the Durant family is attacked by the swarm of the bees. The mother and father die from the bee stings, but Paul, their son, escapes in their car. Although he is stung, Paul manages to make it into town and crashes into the Marysville town square, where the citizens are preparing for the annual flower festival. The boy is brought into the hands of military personnel, where he hallucinates a vision of giant bees attacking him, due to the aftereffects of the bee sting. Wheelchair-bound Dr. Walter Krim (Henry Fonda) confirms to Crane that the very war they have feared for a long time has started against the bees. At the gates of the base, Slater confronts angry county engineer Jed Hawkins (Slim Pickens), who demands to see the dead body of his son, an airman in the bunker, who was killed by the bees. Hawkins takes the body bag and departs, leaving the entire watching crowd silent over the loss. Slater suggests airdropping poison on the swarm, but Crane considers the ecological possibilities of the situation, as the poison will wipe out plant growth for a decade or more.

Recovering from his earlier bee attack, Paul and his friends search for the hive to firebomb it to avenge his family. This only angers the bees, who invade Marysville and kill hundreds. Crane and Helena take shelter at the local diner, with pregnant café waitress Rita. Reporter Anne McGregor (Lee Grant) watches from the safety of her news van, hoping to get some exciting footage about the siege. After this most recent attack, and fear of another one, Slater suggests evacuating many of the townsfolk in a train. However, the bees attack the train, causing the locomotive to derail over a cliff and kill almost everyone aboard, including a love triangle made up of schoolteacher Maureen Scheuster, retiree Felix Austin, and town mayor and drug store owner Clarence Tuttle.

Rita tries to board the ill-fated train but is saved at the last minute by going into labor and is confined to the hospital. She gives birth to her child while falling in love with the doctor in the process; but Paul suffers a relapse from the effects of being stung earlier and later dies, devastating Helena and sending her into a rage about why the children have to die. The savage swarm heads for Houston, Texas, and Crane decides to drop eco-friendly poison pellets on them, hoping that the swarm senses will harm them and stay away from the city. Unfortunately, the plan fails. Dr. Krim self-injects an experimental bee venom antidote, planning to track the results, but the trial proves fatal and he dies. Meanwhile, nuclear power plant manager Dr. Andrews (José Ferrer) is convinced that his plant can withstand the attacks of the bees, ignoring the warnings of Dr. Hubbard (Richard Chamberlain). The bees nevertheless penetrate the plant, causing a nuclear explosion that annihilates Andrews, Hubbard, the plant, and a nearby town.

Meanwhile, in Houston, Slater orders the city to be burned in the final hopes of defeating the swarm. Crane analyzes tapes from the bee invasion and comes to the conclusion that a test of an alarm system at the ICBM bunker attracted the swarm into the base. The bees attack Houston, resulting in the deaths of Major Baker and Dr. Newman, one of Crane's associates. Slater sacrifices himself to save Crane and Helena from the bees. Helicopters playing the alarm sound from the ICBM bunker over loudspeakers lure the bees out to sea, where they douse the water with oil and set the swarm ablaze. Helena wonders if their victory was just temporary. Crane responds that he does not know, but decides that "if we use our time wisely, the world just might survive."

 

Edited by Beau Vine
  • Haha 2
  • Drool 1
  • Fuck Around and Find Out 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
TwiceHorn

TwiceHorn 31,686

Posted
Posted (edited)
7 hours ago, mchookem said:

hell of a cast, that movie must be great! 😄

I vaguely remember this movie and being kind of creeped out by it.

It's an Irwin Allen joint:  Earthquake, Towering Inferno, Poseidon Adventure.  He always got pretty good actors.

Edit:  Could have sworn Earthquake was an Irwin Allen movie, but it is apparently not.  Awful lot like those other disaster movies.

Edited by TwiceHorn
Link to comment
Share on other sites
TwiceHorn

TwiceHorn 31,686

Posted
Posted

Kind of an amusing related story.  Shortly after I had read about murder hornets here, I was mountain biking in the woods at Rowlett Creek Nature Preserve in the land o Gar.

 

Some mountain bikers are fond of these rear wheel hubs with ratchet assemblies in them that make an incredible noise.  

So there was a rider with these kind of hubs behind me, coasting and pedaling, and it was the first time I had encountered them.

I was seriously like WTF, did I stir up a nest of murder hornets or something?  I am going to die?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Longhornstampede

Longhornstampede 3,193

Posted
Posted
On 8/16/2023 at 12:30 PM, Incredulity said:

 

1992. Stationed at DMAFB. The entire squadron was getting a safety briefing on the Africanized Killer Bees. The person giving the briefing retorically asked the group how can you tell Africanized bees from regular ones? One of our MSgts (good ol boy from east Texas) chimes in.... and I shit you not....

"By the size of their lips"

You could have heard a pin drop

  • Haha 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing


Football ... Basketball ... Baseball ... Other Sports ... Futbol ... 🤫995🤫 ... Gambling ... Movies & TV ... Music ... Hobbies ... Lulz ... Food & Travel ... Daily Texan ... Business and Markets ... Cloak Room ... Help ... For Sale ... Board Discussion ... Subscribe!... Donate!... Advertise... COOKIE MONSTER!

×
×
  • Create New...