The Vampire Bat (1933)

Director:

Frank R. Strayer

Writer:

Edward T. Lowe Jr. (screen story)

Release Date:

21 January 1933 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Romance | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

These are the TALONS of The Vampire Bat (original ad)

Plot:

When the villagers of Klineschloss start dying of blood loss, the town fathers suspect a resurgence of vampirism...

Plot Keywords:

Police | Death | Police Inspector | Blood | Bat

Cast

Lionel Atwill	...	Dr. Otto von Niemann
Fay Wray	...	Ruth Bertin
Melvyn Douglas	...	Karl Brettschneider
Maude Eburne	...	Aunt Gussie Schnappmann
George E. Stone	...	Kringen
Dwight Frye	...	Herman Gleib
Robert Frazer	...	Emil Borst
Rita Carlyle	...	Martha Mueller (as Rita Carlisle)
Lionel Belmore	...	Bürgermeister Gustave Schoen
William V. Mong	...	Sauer
Stella Adams	...	Georgiana
Harrison Greene	...	Weingarten
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fern Emmett	...	Gertrude (uncredited)
William Humphrey	...	Dr. Haupt (uncredited)
Paul Panzer	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Carl Stockdale	...	Schmidt - Morgue Keeper (uncredited)
Paul Weigel	...	Dr. Holdstadt (uncredited)

Directed by
Frank R. Strayer		(as Frank Strayer)

Writing credits
Edward T. Lowe Jr.		(screen story) (as Edward T. Lowe)

Produced by
Phil Goldstone	....	producer
Larry Darmour	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Cinematography by
Ira H. Morgan		(photography) (as Ira Morgan)

Film Editing by
Otis Garrett		(film editor)

Art Direction by
Charles D. Hall		(as Daniel Hall)

Sound Department
Dick Tyler Sr.	....	sound engineer (as Dick Tyler)

Music Department
Mischa Bakaleinikoff	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Peter Brunelli	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Charles Dunworth	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Abe Meyer	....	musical director (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Majestic Pictures (presents)

Distributors

• Capitol Film Exchange (1933) (USA) (theatrical) (states rights system)
• GoodTimes Home Video (1986) (USA) (VHS) (unedited version)
• UAV Entertainment (1989) (USA) (VHS)
• Madacy Entertainment (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Beverly Wilshire Filmworks (2000) (UK) (DVD)
• Cinevu Films (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• SlingShot Entertainment (2000) (USA) (VHS) (Double-billed with "The Most Dangerous Game" as "Fay Wray Collection")
• Slingshot DVD (2000) (USA) (DVD) (Fay Wray Collection)
• E-Realbiz.com (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• E-Realbiz.com (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Navarre Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Rph Productions (2002) (USA) (DVD) (Horror Classics Triple Feature, Vol 2)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2003) (USA) (VHS)
• E-Realbiz.com (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Gotham Distribution (2003) (France) (DVD)
• Gotham Distribution (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Iisi TV (2003) (Finland) (TV)
• Cinevu Films (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (worldwide) (VHS)
• National Film Museum (2005) (USA) (TV) (restoration)
• Mill Creek Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• Alba (????) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Front Row Video (????) (France) (DVD)
• LS Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Larry Darmour / Phil Goldstone (????) (UK) (VHS) (PAL format)
• Madacy Entertainment Group (198?) (USA) (VHS) (double billed with "The Corpse Vanishes" in LP Speed)
• NFM (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Redemption Films (????) (UK) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Du Art Film Laboratories  restoration (2005 restoration)
• Hypercube  HD & video (2005 restoration) (as Hypercube LLC)

Also Known As:

"Blood Sucker" - USA (reissue title)
"Forced to Sin" - USA (reissue title)

Runtime:

USA:64 min (2005 restoration) | 65 min (copyright length)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone System)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1993) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Finland:K-18 (TV rating) | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Bronson Caves, Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Majestic Pictures

Trivia:

Filmed at night on Universal's European village set. The interior of Lionel Atwill's house is the set from The Old Dark House (1932).

Quotes:

Karl Brettschneider:Goodnight, gentlemen. Don't let the vampires get you.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Cinemassacre's Monster Madness: Robot Monster (#4.3)" (2010)

A VERY under-rated film!

I take issue with the other reviewer's comments for the simple reason that this is a MYSTERY FILM, not a supernatural one! It is not the only film to have a seemingly "supernatural" explanation ("vampires"), but turns out to be a very mundance one.

Other films that come to mind are Edgar Wallace's "Before Dawn" and the (more famous) "Mark of the Vampire".

The film does a WONDERFUL job in creating a very "spooky atmosphere", similar DRACULA, when Renfield meets the Count on the staircase of his castle, or in MARK OF THE VAMPIRE, when the two people look thru the windows of the castle ruins and see a "corpse" playing an organ, while Luna descends using wings! VERY surreal!

If one likes these (often silent) atmospheric touches, THIS film is a MUST!

Norm Vogel