La chauve-souris du diable

An inventor gets revenge on his treacherous employer and family by programming vampire bats to attack them.

Wow, those devil bats look more like eagles than little flying mammals. I thought they might have to get a fighter plane to knock them down. Still, this is a tightly scripted, more believable than most, horror film. Sure, it's got its hokey elements; plus, it's a PRC production meaning the exterior sets are about ten-feet by ten-feet. But at least, Lugosi doesn't have to mug it up all the time. In fact, his nice guy is pretty persuasive, even if he's got his mad scientist moments. Good thing Dave O'Brien's around. He's really lively, more than expected for such a cheapo. And please, I'm lusting after the maid, Yolande Donlan. I can see why ace filmmaker Val Guest scooped her up for his prestige productions. Anyhow, this is a better than average little thriller that understandably led to several sequels. Thanks to the movie, however, I won't be using shaving lotion unless the window's closed and I'm going to bed.

Bela Lugosi turns in a not-so-bad performance in a not-so-bad little B-movie.

Oh, yeah, it is schlocky as all heck. Mad scientist, big rubber bats attacking people wearing too much cologne, dumb comic-relief side-kick for a hero all too full of himself, the usual cops without a clue. Yes, as many clichés as can fit 70-odd minutes. But fortunately, the pacing is actually rather good - moments that look like they're about to slip into the snooze-zone somehow get saved by a fresh revelation, and we're onto the next scene.The acting is competent, the dialog is not painful, the camera and editing do what they have to do to get the job done - a workmanlike performance, but what more can be expected of a cheapie B-movie. If you enjoy B-movie thrillers, you won't be disappointed.

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.

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!

This is one of the poverty-row pictures from Bela's history. The plot is an important lesson in avoiding passive-aggression. Bela plays a brilliant chemist who creates a formula, then sells it to his bosses for $10,000. The company proceeds to make a mint, and decides to give him another $5,000 bonus to express their thanks. Lugosi decides this isn't enough, but, even though they're very friendly and approachable, he doesn't ask them for more. Instead, he goes back to his lab and creates a giant maniacal bat that kills everyone wearing after-shave. Now, I ask you, how is that going to solve anything? Even assuming that he could kill off the whole of the family that wronged him, and that he could get away with it, he'd still be poor. Anyway, I like Lugosi in this one pretty well, partly because he balances his "friendly Dr. Caruthers" and his Mad Scientist pretty nicely. Dave O'Brien as the unethical but honest reporter is fun to watch as well.