The Devil Bat (1940)

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

Director:

Jean Yarbrough (as Jean Yarborough)

Writers:

John T. Neville (screen play by) (as John Thomas Neville), George Bricker (original story by)

Stars:

Bela Lugosi, Suzanne Kaaren, Dave O'Brien

Cast

Complete credited 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. Raines
Billy Griffith	...	Coroner (scenes deleted)
Wally Rairden	...	Walter King (as Wally Rairdon)

Storyline

Dr. Carruthers feels bitter at being betrayed by his employers, Heath and Morton, when they became rich as a result of a product he devised. He gains revenge by electrically enlarging bats and sending them out to kill his employers' family members by instilling in the bats a hatred for a particular perfume he has discovered, which he gets his victims to apply before going outdoors. Johnny Layton, a reporter, finally figures out Carruthers is the killer and, after putting the perfume on himself, douses it on Carruthers in the hopes it will get him to give himself away. One of the two is attacked as the giant bat makes one of its screaming, swooping power dives.

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Plot Keywords:

giant bat | aftershave lotion | mad scientist | revenge | newspaper reporter | 

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Taglines:

Sharp Fanged Blood Sucking DEATH Dives from MIDNIGHT SKIES!

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 December 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Killer Bats

Company Credits

Production Co:

Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

68 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The phrase Devil Bat is said 29 times in the movie.

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Goofs

After Johnny Layton (Dave O'Brien) shoots and kills one of the devil bats, the article in the Chicago Register states his name as Henry Layton, while another one in the Springfield daily correctly names him as Johnny.

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Quotes

Dr. Paul Carruthers: I tell you, Layton, expecting a bat to be attracted by the scent of a lotion is all foolishness.

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Crazy Credits

[Prologue] All Heathville loved Paul Carruthers, their kindly village doctor. No one suspected that in his home laboratory on a hillside overlooking the magnificent estate of Martin Heath, the doctor found time to conduct certain private experiments -- weird, terrifying experiments.

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Alternate Versions

Also available in a colorized version.

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Connections

Featured in Landline (2017)

User Reviews

Classic cheese!

It's got a big furry bat on a string whose face mysteriously moves only during close-ups. Stock footage, perhaps? Why certainly. Are all bats attracted to the scent of killer perfume? Absolutely not, but The Devil Bat is! I can understand some of the bad reviews, as this type of cheaply made horror film is not for everyone, but if you're the type of person who enjoys Ed Wood type movies, then The Devil Bat is the heavenly hell you are looking for. This film is also notable for having Bela Lugosi in it. Bela has performed in several cheapo movies like this in his career, (many say The Devil Bat was the beginning of this phase), but he always puts on an a-picture performance in a z-picture product. Bela appropriately hams it up, alternately making dramatic pauses and facial contortions to either dramatic or comedic effect. Well, what are you people still doing here? I have said what needs to be said.

My 10 rating is for entertainment value, not great film-making.

Goodbye, IMDb readers.....................