La chauve-souris du diable

The plot is pretty well laid out here already, so I'll just say that THE DEVIL BAT is one of the best Bela Lugosi poverty-row horrors. It was made for Producers Releasing Corp (PRC) in 1940. I think it's as good, perhaps better than any of the titles in his Monogram resume. In general, PRC delivered the goods with their horror pictures, and if what you're looking for is peak Bela madness- wild eyed and possessed, than DEVIL BAT will definitely satisfy. A sequel, DEVIL BAT'S DAUGHTER, came in 1946, and GEORGE ZUCCO starred in a remake, THE FLYING SERPENT, in 1946.

Bela Lugosi stars in this piece of 40s horror cinema. At times the acting is pretty hammy (the guy playing the photographer got a little annoying as did the reporter) and the budget had to have been really low. However, it is kind of fun to watch. Lugosi gives a good performance (he's pretty much the glue holding this picture together) and the story isn't that bad.

Lugosi is Dr. Caruthers who is working for a cosmetic company. For years the company (owned by two families) has been making millions from his formulas but only giving him a stipends as their chemist. Caruthers hatches a diabolical scheme to get rid of the family members using a giant mutant bat that goes crazy over a curious sent that he discovered in Tibet (it seems that every thing that was mystic in the 40s came from somewhere in the Himilayas or central Asia). He uses this scent in a shaving lotion that he has his unfortunate victims test. After the first murder, a Chicago news paper dispatches a reporter and photographer to cover the story. From there, the reporter develops a love interest with the daughter of the cosmetic magnate.

It's pretty easy to follow, and has all the predictable 1940s plot turns. There's a lot of problems that are pretty easy to forgive in the film because it was made in the 1940s and on a very limited budget. All in All, Lugosi fans are the real winners in this one. He gives a solid performance. It's too bad that his career didn't go very far after this one.

All is not well in Heathville, the town where cosmetic magnates live off the wealth and riches made from the purchase of a cold cream formula from benevolent scientist Dr. Carruthers. Or is Dr. Carruthers as nice as he seems? Maybe, while others sleep, he experiments with bats and somehow comes up with some huge bat that kills people that have used a specially formulated cologne or aftershave. Such is the premise of The Devil Bat, with the addition of a couple wise-cracking, no-acting newspaper men thrown in for extra measure. The film was one of those Poverty Row features made by Bela Lugosi in the forties, and if anything, it is fun to watch. But that does not mean it is good. Lugosi hams up his scenes with outrageous speeches and the usual flair only he can give. The rest of the cast is very unspectacular as is the script, the special effects, the budget, and the direction. Speaking of direction, this film WAS directed by the man who would later bring us Hillbillys in a Haunted House. Enough said!

Bela Lugosi will always be remembered as one of the greatest horror stars of all time for 'Dracula'. Less than ten years later he was forced to star in third rate material like 'The Devil Bat'. He had supporting roles in a couple of good movies like 'The Wolf Man' (with Lon Chaney and Claude Rains) and 'The Body Snatcher' (with Karloff) after this, but for the most part his career was in severe decline, culminating in the awful (but awfully entertaining) movies he made with Ed Wood, Jr. ('Glen Or Glenda', 'Bride Of The Monster' and very briefly, 'Plan 9 From Outer Space') 'The Devil Bat' is b-grade all the way, with a lousy script, uninspired direction, a ridiculous looking "devil bat", and a forgettable supporting cast, led by 'Reefer Madness' Dave O'Brien. The only reason to watch this is Lugosi. Sometimes he seems to be actually trying, at others he hams it up. Either way he's great to watch. He plays a scientist who works for a hugely successful perfume company. In his laboratory he experiments on a bat with electricity which makes it grow very large, and that, combined with his new aftershave which contains a Tibetan scent which enrages the bat(!), becomes his method or vengeance on his employers. You think I'm making this up, don't you? Look, this is a silly movie, but if you're a Lugosi fan you'll have fun.

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.