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IMDbPro

The Vampire Bat

  • 19331933
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 5m
IMDb RATING
5.7/10
2.6K
YOUR RATING
Lionel Atwill and Fay Wray in The Vampire Bat (1933)
  • Drama
  • Horror
  • Mystery
When corpses drained of blood begin to show up in a European village, vampirism is suspected to be responsible.When corpses drained of blood begin to show up in a European village, vampirism is suspected to be responsible.When corpses drained of blood begin to show up in a European village, vampirism is suspected to be responsible.
IMDb RATING
5.7/10
2.6K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Frank R. Strayer
  • Writer
    • Edward T. Lowe Jr.(screen story)
  • Stars
    • Lionel Atwill
    • Fay Wray
    • Melvyn Douglas
Top credits
  • Director
    • Frank R. Strayer
  • Writer
    • Edward T. Lowe Jr.(screen story)
  • Stars
    • Lionel Atwill
    • Fay Wray
    • Melvyn Douglas
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 77User reviews
    • 52Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos45

    Lionel Atwill and Fay Wray in The Vampire Bat (1933)
    Lionel Atwill and Fay Wray in The Vampire Bat (1933)
    Lionel Atwill and Fay Wray in The Vampire Bat (1933)
    The Vampire Bat (1933)
    Melvyn Douglas, Lionel Belmore, and Harrison Greene in The Vampire Bat (1933)
    Fay Wray in The Vampire Bat (1933)
    Lionel Atwill and Fay Wray in The Vampire Bat (1933)
    Fay Wray in The Vampire Bat (1933)
    Fay Wray in The Vampire Bat (1933)
    Melvyn Douglas in The Vampire Bat (1933)
    Lionel Atwill in The Vampire Bat (1933)
    Lionel Atwill in The Vampire Bat (1933)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Lionel Atwill
    Lionel Atwill
    • Dr. Otto von Niemann
    Fay Wray
    Fay Wray
    • Ruth Bertin
    Melvyn Douglas
    Melvyn Douglas
    • Karl Brettschneider
    Maude Eburne
    Maude Eburne
    • Aunt Gussie Schnappmann
    George E. Stone
    George E. Stone
    • Kringen
    Dwight Frye
    Dwight Frye
    • Herman Gleib
    Robert Frazer
    Robert Frazer
    • Emil Borst
    Rita Carlyle
    • Martha Mueller
    • (as Rita Carlisle)
    Lionel Belmore
    Lionel Belmore
    • Bürgermeister Gustave Schoen
    William V. Mong
    William V. Mong
    • Sauer
    Stella Adams
    Stella Adams
    • Georgiana
    Harrison Greene
    • Weingarten
    Ted Billings
    • Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    Fern Emmett
    Fern Emmett
    • Gertrude
    • (uncredited)
    William Humphrey
    William Humphrey
    • Dr. Haupt
    • (uncredited)
    Paul Panzer
    Paul Panzer
    • Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    Carl Stockdale
    Carl Stockdale
    • Schmidt - Morgue Keeper
    • (uncredited)
    Paul Weigel
    • Dr. Holdstadt
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Frank R. Strayer
    • Writer
      • Edward T. Lowe Jr.(screen story)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      To keep production costs down, low-budget studio Majestic Pictures filmed at night on Universal's European village set, which was used for Frankenstein (1931). The interior of Lionel Atwill's house is the set from The Old Dark House (1932).
    • Goofs
      When von Niemann shows Brettscheider a rosary he'd discovered, he calls it a "crucifix". Although a crucifix is part of a rosary, the entire piece is always called a rosary, not a crucifix.
    • Quotes

      Karl Brettschneider: I don't mind admitting that I'm up a tree. Stumped!

    • Alternate versions
      When originally released theatrically in the UK, the BBFC made cuts to secure a 'A' rating. All cuts were waived in 1993 when the film was granted a 'PG' certificate for home video.
    • Connections
      Featured in Terror! Theatre: The Vampire Bat (1957)
    • Soundtracks
      Stealthy Footsteps
      (uncredited)

      Music by Charles Dunworth

      [main title music]

    User reviews77

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Underrated
    "The Vampire Bat" is one of those underrated horror films of the early 1930's that seems to impress more with each viewing. I won't go into the details of the plot, as that has been covered multiple times in other reviews, and it's not the story that makes the film shine.

    There are three things that make "The Vampire Bat" stand out from the other poverty row films - the cast, the direction, and the comedy.

    The Cast - Lionel Atwill, Melvyn Douglas, and Fay Wray get the heavy lifting in the film, and all are excellent. Atwill is perfect for this type of part, as he demonstrated many times. Douglas is sufficiently perplexed as the investigator, and Fay Wray is just gorgeous in distress. The other players add sufficiently, especially Dwight Frye channeling a dimmer version of Renfield from Dracula.

    The Direction - Frank Strayer does an admirable job in shooting the film, with creepiness abundant and lots of camera movement. Some shots are just so outstanding (such as the opening scene), that they almost seem out of place in a cheap horror movie. Strayer provides loads of atmosphere and never loses the audience. An excellent job.

    The Comedy - As with most horror films of this time, comedy relief was thrown in to lighten the mood of the audience, and in most films, the comedy was misplaced and terribly unfunny. However, in "The Vampire Bat" the comedy, mostly provided by Maude Eburne as Aunt Gussie, is spot on and still funny today. This helps to keep the film watchable.

    The Downsides - There is really only a couple of downsides to the film. The first is the editing, which is clumsy and hurried. It sometimes spoils the excellent direction. Cuts are often not matched, and this can distract. Obviously, this was not a big budget film, so the sets and overall production values are not high, but this is mostly glossed over by the efficiency and care shown by the director, but there are a few scenes where the seams showed too much, like the cave scene, parts of which look like it was filmed in a closet.

    Overall, "The Vampire Bat" is certainly worth a look for the great direction, a mad Lionel Atwill, and the always lovely Fay Wray.
    helpful•15
    2
    • kitchent
    • Oct 26, 2011

    FAQ4

    • What is 'The Vampire Bat' about?
    • What is the title of the book that von Niemann was reading?
    • How does the movie end?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 21, 1933 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Blood Sucker
    • Filming locations
      • Bronson Caves, Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Larry Darmour Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 5 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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