Garras del murciélago

Some people don't like to watch anything that's not in color...they don't know what they're missing. Some people look down at anything made in the fifties or sixties as hopelessly hokey...and they don't know what they're missing either. The Bat is a taut, suspenseful story, and one which proves gore isn't strictly necessary in order to be frightening. Agnes Moorhead shows plenty of spunk, and the great Vincent Price steals every scene in which he appears.

The cinematography of this film is excellent...note the use of dark shadows to conceal and hide peoples' identities, just as the dark mask hides the Bat's face. Jump out of your skin as that eerily-clawed hand appears in frame for the first time. Ignore the truly awful fake-looking bat that appears for a few seconds. No movie's perfect.

And play the adult version of the "Scooby Doo" mystery game...where you try to figure out who are the red herrings and who is the real murderer. It's probably not who you think it is.

Fans of Vincent Price know and love him for his horror films and with a title like THE BAT, you'd think that this is a film about some evil murderous bat,...right? Well, despite the title, it's actually a murder mystery about some stolen stocks and the murders that occur to try to recover this fortune. For me, this wasn't a problem--it was still a pretty good film. But some will no doubt be disappointed that this isn't a horror flick.

Because this isn't exactly a horror film, it also isn't so surprising then that Agnes Morehead is the star of the film and Price is actually a supporting player. She is a mystery writer (like TV's Jessica Fletcher) and the mystery appears to be unfolding all around her. So, it's up to her and her small band of helpers to unravel who is dressing up in silly garb (the mystery person in a black hood refers to himself as "The Bat"--hence the title of the film) and killing people in the house Ms. Morehead is renting.

The film features decent writing and acting, but in many ways it's obvious that this was originally a stage production. This isn't a terrible thing, though the staginess of the film is apparent at times. Additionally, since the ladies inside the rented house were being constantly threatened, I couldn't help but think "why don't they just leave the house??!!". Duh. But despite all this, it's still a decent time-passer and worth a look.

At least the third filmed version of story dealing with master criminal known as the "Bat" that steals and robs and kills. This version is probably the most brutal and certainly the most suggestive. Although shot on an extremely limited budget, The Bat is a pretty good little thriller, thanks in large part to the performances of Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead and a pretty good script. The story is one of those types that keeps throwing red herrings at you so you will have no idea who the real Bat is. I had no idea who the real Bat was. It also makes good use of a creepy old mansion and has some good comedic, subtle relief. Watch for Darla Hood of Little Rascals fame in a smaller role.

This film is a lot better than you might expect. It follows the story of a wayward million dollars that is believed to be hidden within the walls of an old house. The inhabitants of the house are a female writer and her crew of servants.... oh, and a prowler known as 'the bat', who evidently wants the fortune for himself. The Bat is notable for a great macabre atmosphere that creates a sense of claustrophobia, as the house is in the middle of nowhere. It's also notable for an early performance from Vincent Price, who appears as the doctor, Malcolm Wells. Price was better known in 1959 for the William Castle classic "House on Haunted Hill", but 'The Bat' is still an able entry in his list of acting credits. Price evidently grew as an actor throughout the 60's and 70's, but his early performances always have that x-factor that would go on to instill the man in the hearts of horror fans forever, and his performance here has that also.

The story itself has lots of room for tension and intrigue, and it makes best use of it as the film is constantly intriguing, and many scenes, particularly the ones involving the menacing bad guy, are filled with suspense. The film is at it's best when 'the bat' is on the prowl, and features several lovely shots of the fiend poking his arm through various crevices in the house. The house itself is riddled with various traps and secret passages in true haunted house style, and it adds to the inventiveness and effectiveness of the movie. The film gives the twist away far too early, however, and it kind of spoils the ending as it turns out that, logically, there's only one person who the bat could possibly be. It doesn't really matter though, as the film is always a lot of fun and if you're a fan of Vincent Price (and who isn't?!), or just classic horror movies in general, I highly recommend this movie.

THE BAT is a film based on the novel/play by Avery Hopwood and Mary Roberts Rinehart that was very popular in the twenties and early thirties. There were two previous film versions; one silent version made in the twenties and an early sound version made in 1930, the latter version mostly recalled today because it was one of the first films shot in 70mm and what we today call "wide screen." Watching this 1959 version, I couldn't help get the feeling that this film belongs to era more remote than 1959. This kind of plot, with its creaky old mansion, secret passage ways, mysterious masked killer, hidden money etc., had just about vanished from the screen since the mid thirties. Other films of this type include the various versions of CAT AND THE CANARY and SEVEN KEYS TO BALDPLATE. Apparently someone noticed a film of this type hadn't been made in a while and it was a long time since the last version of THE BAT had been filmed.

This 1959 version is none-the-less a very entertaining "killer lurking around spooky old mansion" thriller. The entire cast is excellent, including stars Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead. The film very effectively keeps the killers identity from the audience until the very end. But when the killers identity is revealed, it begins to make sense when one thinks about. Perhaps of interest to today's viewers is how the killer some what resembles Freddy Kreuger. Despite being an entertaining thriller, THE BAT didn't inspire a revival of this genre.