The Devil Bat (1940)

Director:

Jean Yarbrough

Writers:

John T. Neville (screenplay)
George Bricker (original story)

Release Date:

13 December 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Sharp Fanged Blood Sucking DEATH Dives from MIDNIGHT SKIES!

Plot:

A mad scientist develops an aftershave lotion that causes his gigantic bats to kill anyone who wears it.

Plot Keywords:

Bat | Revenge | Mad Scientist | Reporter | Aftershave Lotion

Cast

Bela Lugosi	...	Dr. Paul Carruthers
Suzanne Kaaren	...	Mary Heath
Dave O'Brien	...	Johnny Layton
Guy Usher	...	Henry Morton
Yolande Donlan	...	Maxine (as Yolande Mallott)
Donald Kerr	...	'One-Shot' McGuire
Edmund Mortimer	...	Martin Heath (as Edward Mortimer)
Gene O'Donnell	...	Don Morton
Alan Baldwin	...	Tommy Heath
John Ellis	...	Roy Heath
Arthur Q. Bryan	...	Joe McGinty
Hal Price	...	Chief Wilkins
John Davidson	...	Prof. Percival Garland Raines
Billy Griffith	...	Coroner (scenes deleted)
Wally Rairden	...	Walter King (as Wally Rairdon)

Directed by
Jean Yarbrough		(as Jean Yarborough)

Writing credits
John T. Neville		(screenplay) (as John Thomas Neville)
George Bricker		(original story)

Produced by
Jack Gallagher	....	producer
Guy V. Thayer Jr.	....	associate producer

Cinematography by
Arthur Martinelli		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Holbrook N. Todd

Art Direction by
Paul Palmentola

Production Management
Melville De Lay	....	production manager

Sound Department
Ferrol Redd	....	sound engineer (as Farrell Redd)

Music Department
David Chudnow	....	musical director

Production Companies

• Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC)

Distributors

• Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) (1940) (USA) (theatrical)
• Madison Pictures (1946) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Pictorial Films (1949) (USA) (TV) (16 mm) (retitled "Killer Bats")
• Hal Roach Studios Film Classics (1986) (USA) (VHS)
• Timeless Video (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Madacy Entertainment (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• Take 2 Video (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• Alpha Video Distributors (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Lumivision (1997) (USA) (DVD)
• Lumivision (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Lumivision (1997) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• VCI Home Video (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Roan Group, The (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Roan Group, The (1999) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Gotham Distribution (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Navarre Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (worldwide) (video)
• Mill Creek Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Punto Zero (2007) (Italy) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• Bach Films (2009) (France) (DVD)
• Legend Films (2008) (USA) (DVD) (colorized version)
• GoDigital Media Group (2010) (worldwide) (all media) (digital)
• Kartes Video (????) (UK) (VHS)
• LS Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Liberty Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Lugosi Enterprises (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Nostalgia Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Prism Entertainment Corporation (????) (USA) (VHS)
• SlingShot Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Spotlight Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Unknown Video (????) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Legend Films  colorization
• Legend Films  restoration

Also Known As:

"Killer Bats" - USA (16mm release title)

Runtime:

68 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:U (video rating) (2004) | USA:Approved (PCA #6897)

Company:

Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC)

Trivia:

This was the first, and most successful, horror film from Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) after it was formed from the failed Producers Distrubuting Corporation (PDC). Filming began October 28 1940.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the reporter wrestles the doctor to the ground near the end of the film, their feet clearly wrinkle the fake grass on the set.

Quotes:

Editor Joe McGinty:Say, have you ever had a date with a girl?
Reporter Johnny Layton:A girl? Oh, yes, a girl. I believe I did take a girl out once.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Watching the Detectives (2007)

A Classic Whodunit for Lugosi Fans

I always watch this Lugosi classic with affection, and I don't agree with its detractors. Here's another bit of harmless detective drama, unusual in the fact that the law teams up with reporters to solve a mystery (imagine that today). Inexpensively made to be sure, and with a sound track that turned up in later thrillers, "Devil Bat" is subtle humor mixed with the obvious. Is there any doubt as to the outcome? Dave O'Brien and Donald Kerr are delightful as the reporter-photographer team, respectively, and the casting is on the money. Except the big mystery for me is that the coroner shows up in the credits but not in the film! Go figure.