Le Masque

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.

Agnes Moorhead (Endora of "Bewitched" fame) is a sheer delight as a cagey old bird of a mystery writer, and Price is wonderful in his seemingly dual role. As has been lamented here before, the brevity of Price's screen time is somewhat disappointing but that is the only factor which disappoints.

I found this to be an inventive and disingenuous endeavor full of red-herrings and wrong turns. Figure this one out for yourself. Puzzle the clues, weed out the characters set here as distractions, look past the deliberate contrivances and solve the mystery on your own.

Excellent entertainment with a splendid darkling atmosphere which I found enormous fun to view. While this is not up to "Gaslight" or "Rebecca" standards, there are many worse ways to spend a late Saturday night, or a rainy Sunday afternoon.

It rates a 7.5/10 from...

the Fiend :.

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.

I think that I may be in the minority here, but I actually prefer this 1959 movie adaptation of Avery Hopwood's stage-play The Bat over the original silent film by director Roland West. Although it is just as flawed in terms of narrative and undoubtedly lacks its earlier '20s incarnation's stylish visuals, the performances are far less irritating and there is very little sign of the original's dreadful cornball comedy. This version also turns the titular character into something far more sinister than a mere jewel thief—a psychotic serial killer with a penchant for vulnerable women—making it a darker affair overall.

Top-billed horror star Vincent Price is, as always, simply great and easily steals every scene he is in, but his role as devious Dr. Malcolm Wells is merely a supporting one, the focus of the film being on thriller author Cornelia van Gorder (Agnes Moorhead), who finds herself at the centre of a real life murder/mystery when it transpires that there is a fortune hidden somewhere inside the mansion in which she currently resides. Moorhead puts in a strong performance, her character being extremely feisty, unflappable, and resourceful, but most importantly of all, likable.

Creepy, thrilling, and genuinely scary in parts (The Bat, with his hat, mask and clawed glove, looks like a murderer straight out of a giallo), this is one 'old dark house' that you'll have fun exploring.

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.