The Bat (1959)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Crane Wilbur

Writers:

Avery Hopwood (novel) (play)
Mary Roberts Rinehart (novel) (play)

Release Date:

9 August 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller | Mystery

Tagline:

When Someone SCREAMS ... It Will Be YOU!

Plot:

A crazed killer known as "The Bat" is on the loose in a mansion full of people.

Plot Keywords:

Bat | Mansion | Bank | Murder | Mystery Writer

Cast

Vincent Price	...	Dr. Malcolm Wells
Agnes Moorehead	...	Cornelia van Gorder
Gavin Gordon	...	Lt. Andy Anderson
John Sutton	...	Warner, the chauffeur
Lenita Lane	...	Lizzie Allen
Elaine Edwards	...	Dale Bailey
Darla Hood	...	Judy Hollander
John Bryant	...	Mark Fleming
Harvey Stephens	...	John Fleming
Mike Steele	...	Victor Bailey
Riza Royce	...	Jane Patterson
Robert Williams	...	Detective Davenport (as Robert B. Williams)

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:G (Ontario) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:(Banned) (1961) | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) | USA:Approved (PCA #19363)

Company:

Liberty Pictures

Trivia:

Her role as Judy became the final on-screen feature film role for former child star Darla Hood of Our Gang/Little Rascals fame.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The Bat uses a suction cup and a glass cutter to cut a hole in the glass in order to reach in and unlatch the door. The circular piece of glass attached to the suction cup is twice as thick as the glass from which the hole has been cut. The glass attached to the suction cup is also too thick to cut a hole in using a simple glass cutter.

Quotes:

Dr. Malcolm Wells: In my report I shall state that death was caused by a stunning blow followed by severe laceration and hemorrhage.
Lt. Andy Anderson: In plain English, he didn't know what hit him.
Dr. Malcolm Wells: Oh he knew, but he didn't have time to think about it.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Horror Incorporated: The Bat (1959) (#3.6)" (2003)

Watchable 'Dark House' Mystery

The cast and story are good enough to make this version of the mystery of "The Bat" watchable, though probably not as good as the earlier movie versions of the story. Agnes Moorehead is this film's strongest point, and Vincent Price also helps, although his role is much more limited. The story is one of the familiar kinds of 'dark house' mysteries, and it is done adequately, but it could have been better.

The story is set up very well in the early scenes of the movie, with a lot of possibilities centering around the house that Moorehead's character has rented. But then, while it holds your interest for the rest of the time, it slows down quite a bit, and it never really makes full use of the potential that it has established. The story also has some unfortunate holes. The country house atmosphere is convincing enough to work for the most part, but it could easily have been better with more detail. Overall, it's worth seeing for anyone who likes the genre, as long as you don't expect too much.