Kamura Films (lost filmography of a 90s low-budget studio)
Mar 8, 2024 21:13:01 GMT
extremewreck2000 likes this
Post by thekingofallfrogs on Mar 8, 2024 21:13:01 GMT
This is a bit of a rabbit hole that I fell into by accident and I wanted to bring this up because of how strange this is.
So it started when I came across this page on IMDB for a film called "Bees" while looking at the trivia pages for select '50s horror movies. As a horror fan, I was curious about this because it is something I never heard of. What I saw was a page with no synopsis, and yet there was plenty of info regarding the cast and crew and some pieces of trivia highlighting the film's many references to 50s horror movies. These references include the titular bees emitting the same sounds as the ants from "Them!", there are quotes taken from "The Naked Jungle" and "The Fly", and the characters are all named after various cast and crew members who worked on several other bee-related horror films (for example, there is a character named Dr. Allen who was named after Irwin Allen).
All the actors and crew are connected to what I assume were part of a single team as they all worked on other seemingly lost movies. These other movies include the likes of "Viper" (1996; a possible "Anaconda" ripoff), "Scorpion" (1989), "Eve" (1989), "Savannah" (1989), and "Voyeur" (1997). Of the films I listed, we know that "Scorpion" and "Savannah" are about killer scorpions and killer reptiles respectively. All of these movies were made under the production company, Kamura Films which I assume is defunct. The film company also has some connections with the known lost film "Dead End" (which has been brought up by Whang! and other lost horror media enthusiasts), as the producer for "Eve" was also an executive producer for the former.
I found only one review for Bees and another for "Eve", the latter's review was simply an enraged reviewer complaining about the film being blasphemous (making it clear it's about Adam and Eve). I copied and pasted the following review for "Bees".
www.imdb.com/title/tt0179669/?ref_=tttrv_ov [IMDB link for "Bees"]
www.imdb.com/search/title/?companies=co0183398 [IMDB link for Kamura Films filmography]
www.imdb.com/name/nm2192640/?ref_=tt_ov_wr [IMDB link for producer Richard Davis, highlighting his involvement with both Kamura Films and "Dead End"]
So it started when I came across this page on IMDB for a film called "Bees" while looking at the trivia pages for select '50s horror movies. As a horror fan, I was curious about this because it is something I never heard of. What I saw was a page with no synopsis, and yet there was plenty of info regarding the cast and crew and some pieces of trivia highlighting the film's many references to 50s horror movies. These references include the titular bees emitting the same sounds as the ants from "Them!", there are quotes taken from "The Naked Jungle" and "The Fly", and the characters are all named after various cast and crew members who worked on several other bee-related horror films (for example, there is a character named Dr. Allen who was named after Irwin Allen).
All the actors and crew are connected to what I assume were part of a single team as they all worked on other seemingly lost movies. These other movies include the likes of "Viper" (1996; a possible "Anaconda" ripoff), "Scorpion" (1989), "Eve" (1989), "Savannah" (1989), and "Voyeur" (1997). Of the films I listed, we know that "Scorpion" and "Savannah" are about killer scorpions and killer reptiles respectively. All of these movies were made under the production company, Kamura Films which I assume is defunct. The film company also has some connections with the known lost film "Dead End" (which has been brought up by Whang! and other lost horror media enthusiasts), as the producer for "Eve" was also an executive producer for the former.
I found only one review for Bees and another for "Eve", the latter's review was simply an enraged reviewer complaining about the film being blasphemous (making it clear it's about Adam and Eve). I copied and pasted the following review for "Bees".
This movie reminded me of Piranha, only with killer bees instead of killer fish. Creatures bred to kill escape from a secret laboratory and go on a murder spree, and so a loner with a past reluctantly teams with a pretty scientist to save the day. Sound familiar? A few funny references to previous killer insect films, including numerous 1970's movies like the Swarm and the Savage Bees, but the special effects aren't all that special, and there's nothing scary or original. People talk, bees attack, people argue, bees attack, people have sex, bees attack, reluctant hero saves pretty scientist, scientists save the world... or do they? I left with a case of deja vu. There have been good killer insect movies, this isn't one of them. "Bees" lacks the budget of the Swarm, and certainly lacks the imagination of Piranha - Majoriejackson1955.
I am assuming this film was something like "The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra", another 50s/early 60s B-movie spoof, and yet I can't find any info on this film existing outside of the details and the one review. I'll put the IMDB links below. I'm just very shocked that not only an entire film is lost, but so is the entire filmography of the production company involved.
www.imdb.com/title/tt0179669/?ref_=tttrv_ov [IMDB link for "Bees"]
www.imdb.com/search/title/?companies=co0183398 [IMDB link for Kamura Films filmography]
www.imdb.com/name/nm2192640/?ref_=tt_ov_wr [IMDB link for producer Richard Davis, highlighting his involvement with both Kamura Films and "Dead End"]
www.imdb.com/name/nm2105829/?ref_=tt_ov_wr [IMDB link for Ando Kimura, the lead producer of Kamura Films. Possibly reveals that the film studio's name was a typo]
