उपयोगकर्ता समीक्षाएं

Cornelia (Agnes Moorehead) is a mystery writer who temporarily moves into a mansion to attempt to get some work done. She later learns that the homeowner embezzled money and hid it in somewhere in the house. After he turns up dead, Cornelia and her houseguests find that someone knows about the money and will stop at nothing to get it. Could it be the notorious spikey-fingered murderer, "The Bat"?

This is a fun little mystery with a delicious performance by the always fabulous Agnes Moorehead. Vincent Price co-stars as the slightly creepy (of course!) town doctor. One of the most intriguing things about the movie is the refreshing treatment of the lead heroine. She has no love interest--something you don't see often in 50s horror movies. Her only reliance is upon her tough (and slightly butch!) maid, and her independence has garnered admiration by her female houseguests (one of which is played by Little Rascal Darla Hood).

Unfortunately, the movie doesn't really capitalize much on the potential of its "big creepy house with a claw-gloved murderer on the loose" premise, and seems to run out of fuel towards the end. Once the body count starts, the actors look like they couldn't care less. But overall, this is an enjoyable and often creepy mystery with terrific performances by Moorehead and Price.

My Rating: 6.5/10

Watch out for the red herrings, I was wrong. And I am very rarely wrong in pre-1980's whodunits. Grabbing this to watch early Vincent Price I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of thriller that could be produced with the technology. For those of you looking for the technological aspects of movies the lighting and shadow work was excellent. That and the sound-tract adds a lot to the overall feel of the movie. An added plus was Darla from "Our Gang" adding a cute bit part of the movie. Comletely gore-less, this movie actually does as promised and delivers thrills without blood. Something most modern movies cannot pull off.

Problems with the movie - First it has a nasty habit of just dumping information on you instead of making the viewer gradually learn what happens. Second as most 1950's horror fare it does have a tendency to drag on. But both of these can be overcome by what some previous reviewers call a confusing plot. Sorry guys, if you know whodunit at the beginning of the movie it is not worth watching.

I already encountered quite a few opinions and reviews that labeled "the Bat" as one of Price's LEAST entertaining movies. Okay, either I'm too biased about this magnificent actor's work or either I just know crap about horror cinema but I thought it was a GREAT movie!! Granted, the screenplay is a little too ambitious and too many characters are introduced, but overall this is an exciting and well-plotted thriller that satisfies the fans of haunted house stories as well the typical "whodunit" mysteries. The always-amazing Price is part of a well-filled cast and the events take place in an old, luxurious mansion. One million dollar worth of cash has been stolen from the bank, the loot is hidden somewhere in the house and there's a maniacal killer with a dedication for rabbit bats on the loose. Let the fun begin! The temporary tenant of the mansion, who happens to be a murder-story author, starts her own search for the killer's identity. "The Bat" is low on visual effects and make-up, but the constantly tense atmosphere and mysterious characters make up for that. The film could have used a little more action instead of all the talking but it remains an absolute pleasure to behold Vincent Price as a sneaky crook. The old "Oaks" mansion is a genuinely creepy horror location and the "Bat" character is a cool and imaginative villain. Certainly not the absolute highlight of Price's impressive career, but nonetheless a warmly recommended movie for his fans.

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.

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.

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.

Enjoyable old dark house movie. Agnes Moorehead stars as the mystery writer who becomes wrapped up in a real-life mystery. Sort of a precursor to Jessica Fletcher. She and her comic relief sidekick (Lenita Lane) find themselves targeted by the murderous Bat. You know, Moorehead was never known as a great beauty but I've always thought she was a handsome woman and she looks particularly lovely in this film. She was always a great actress and she's very good in this, a rare starring role for her.

The cast is solid. In addition to Moorehead and Lane, there's Vincent Price and Gavin Gordon. Price is terrific as always, if a little subdued. Gordon is good but every time I see him in a role I am reminded of his Lord Byron from the Bride of Frankenstein prologue and I snicker a little. Also in the cast in a minor role (and her last) is Darla from The Little Rascals.

It's a pretty basic story and based on a play that's been made for film a few other times. Most notably 1926 and 1930. Both of those were entertaining for different reasons. This version I've always had a soft spot for. I watch it again every couple of years or so. I recommend anybody who enjoys these types of old films give it a shot.

I caught this just to see Agnes Moorehead. She's been a fave of mine since childhood when she played the witchy, tart tongued mother in law from hell, Endora, in Bewitched.

And here, as mystery writer Cornelia van Gorder, she does not disappoint. Her and her personal assistant / maid / "lady in waiting" Lizzie (Lenita Lane) move into a country estate for the summer. The house -- owned by a sociopathic bank president and embezzler who is killed on a fishing trip -- has been plagued by a serial killer, The Bat, who dresses in all black, a ski mask and fedora, and uses a talon glove to slash the throats of victims. Another signature move: he releases rabid bats to terrorize whoever is left!

Well Cornelia is having none of this! She acts as an arch, witty, Alpha-mother hen to various staff and female guests to keep them safe, while trying to solve the Bat crimes, AND write a novel based on the goings on at the house. Vincent Price has a disappointingly minor role as the town coroner, local MD, and, yes, bat researcher and good friend of the wicked bank president.

There is also an overeager, always present detective who is, oddly, a major shareholder of the bank and on its board of directors. (Imagine Joe Friday on the board of a Los Angeles bank). An English butler / driver with a "past." A housekeeper hired from the town. The banker's nephew / real estate agent who seems to have way too much money. A goody two-shoes bank secretary who has a secret. A bank treasurer wrongly accused of embezzlement and his new wife. And another, not so competent, detective.

Add in two surprise fires. Trap doors. Hidden rooms. Missing blue prints. A major financial crime. Hints of hidden treasure. Six dead bodies plus two killings off screen. Red herrings every 10 minutes. Then fail to explain the characters' motives or much about their linkages to one another and you get this mess.

It's as if a complex melodramatic novel about a small town like Peyton Place were chopped up into a too-short movie with way too many characters. Lots of holes and unanswered questions. Thank God for Agnes who keeps the snippy comments coming and the house guests / visitors all stirred up.

And note: if you can watch the B&W version. The Amazon colorised print is just awful -- all brown and grey and sepia toned.

Female mystery writer, renting a bad luck-ridden estate in the country, is terrorized by a serial killer nicknamed "The Bat" (who dons a black hat, black mask, and black gloves complete with sharp claws!). Seems our blood-thirsty fiend is after a million dollars pilfered from the local bank and believes the loot is hidden in the writer's house. "Who is it?" mystery with hilariously overripe dialogue, a frivolous, fluttery-nervous atmosphere, and a lack of logic at every turn. Director Crane Wilbur also penned the script, an adaptation of a stage play dating back to the 1920s. It gets by sheerly on the talent of its leads, Vincent Price (as a sinister doctor) and Agnes Moorehead (with her pithy delivery and incredulous expressions). Nifty opening theme music by Alvino Rey, crisp cinematography by Joseph Biroc. Tolerable. ** from ****

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.

Agnes Moorehead a writer takes possession of an old mansion where a killer known as The Bat has been operating. There's also a real bat operating in that mansion they can't get rid'of and those creatures can be rabid. But no vampires in this story.

A whole of folks are looking for some reputed buried loot that the former owner a miserly banker was supposed to have embezzled, This "Bat" character has declared a proprietary interest in said loot.

Vincent Price plays a creepy doctor, John Sutton a creepy chauffeur and Gavin Gordon a creepy policeman and their others in varying degrees of creepdom. I think you'll figure out who the killer(s) are.

Good cast puts over a sluggish vehicle.

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.

Fun little movie about a novelist (Agnes Moorehead) renting a remote, eerie old house for the summer. The house is huge and she's all alone out there with only a couple of servants. Someone who owned the house had just died and has left a million dollars hidden in there. A killer known as "The Bat" appears looking for the money and will kill to get it...

The kind of movie that they churned out in the 1930s. It has a huge, old, dark, creepy house; money hidden away somewhere; a killer out to get it; a dark and stormy night; plenty of suspects and a few (minor) murders. No blood or gore but enjoyably creepy. The script moves QUICK so there's no chance for you to stop and think about how silly the plot really is.

The acting really puts this over the top. Basically everybody is good. Vincent Price pops up from time to time as a doctor but he's hardly in this. This is Moorehead's film and she knows it. She grabs the film and overacts constantly (but in a good way). She has some really good one-liners. Some opening sequences with her and her maid (played by Lenita Lane) are hilarious.

So, no masterpiece but an enjoyably fun old dark house movie.

I saw The Bat mainly for one of my favourite actors Vincent Price. I found the film enjoyable on the most part. Some parts are a little too talky, the middle drags and the twist is revealed too early. However it is atmospherically shot and the house itself is amazing. There is also a haunting score, a suspenseful atmosphere that keeps things taut, crisp dialogue and a gimmicky but intriguing and fun, on the most part, story. Vincent Price is not in the film much but that doesn't stop him from stealing all his scenes seamlessly with his effortlessly charismatic and suave presence, his distinctive voice and droll delivery. Agnes Moorhead is even better in a terrific performance that is wonderfully crotchety with deliciously incredulous delivery of lines and body language. Overall, an enjoyable if flawed movie. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Overly contrived murder mystery with as many sub-pots as rooms in the massive Oaks mansion where most of the movie takes place. Famous murder mystery writer Cornelia Van Gorder, Agnes Moorehead, is taking time off from writing and spending the summer at the Oaks which she rented from Mark Flemming, John Bryant the nephew of Zenith Bank president John Flemming, Harvey Stephens.

There's been this weird looking person known as "The Bat" who runs around with a sock over his head and a clawed glove that murdered a number of people at the Oaks the previous year. "The Bat" murderous escapades is making the hired help at the Oaks very nervous and they think that he's coming back for another visit.

Almost from the start of the movie we see a large hole in the storyline about "The Bat". Bank president John Fleming who's out in the woods hunting with his doctor Malcolm Wells, Vincent Price, tells the Doc. that he just stole $1,000,000.00 from his bank and hid it in a secret room in the Oaks. Fleming wants to fake his death by finding someone to substitute his body and then free from suspicion take off with the loot and live happily ever after.

It turns out that the Doc. has ideas of his own and when a forest fire almost on cue, like you would expect to see a song or dance number in a musical, breaks out. Fleming is distracted Dr. Wells who shoots him making it look like his death was because of the forest fire, are the police in Zenith Township so incompetent that they wouldn't notice that Flaming died of a gunshot wound?

The entire movie centers around the hidden stolen bank money in the Oaks which makes the Bat's, whoever he is, murders the previously year make no sense at all since there was no stolen money for him to look and kill for back then? Were given the usual suspects of who "The Bat" is but as usual the most obvious is the least one to suspect.

We're shown right from the beginning that Dr. Wells is up to no good by murdering John Flemming so right away we know not to trust him and he also knows that the money is hidden in the Oaks. There's so many other sub-plots in the movie that you soon forget Dr. Wells and suspect almost anyone in the movie and as the movie goes on and the plot begins to become even more convoluted you even start to suspect yourself.

If the movie tried to be a little less complicated instead of a puzzle that someone from the high IQ MENSA Society couldn't even figure out it may well have held ones interests but by the last half of the movie you were so lost and confused by the plot that you lost all interest in who the killer was.

This loss of interest seemed to be shared by the movies cast as well who went from being terrified of "The Bat" at the start of the film to giving the audience the impression towards the end that they just wanted it to be over so they could collect their checks for being in the movie and go home.

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 :.

Other than the old house and some mysterious comings and goings, I just couldn't buy into this. It had to do with the cavalier attitude of the characters and the way they treated an obvious threat. It's one thing to "think" you are in danger and make mistakes. It is another, to have actually seen your adversary, and then just close the door and go to bed. For heaven sakes, this was a murderer of women. When the other young woman gets killed because she and her friend are wandering around the house, it's another point of absurdity. It really bothered me that after she was killed business went on as usual. Yes, I was curious who the Bat was, and I knew it would be a surprise, but the slipshod methods of trying to protect the potential victims seemed absurd. Vincent Price is pretty spooky. We know from the beginning that he is a murderer and an opportunist, but to a true mystery viewer, we should be suspicious of the obviousness of his role as a suspect. Agnes Moorhead is insufferable as the know-it-all mystery writer who seems to not be affected by anything. This is a movie I first heard about when I was in elementary school back in the fifties. I read the book by Mary Roberts Rinehart in seventh grade. Now I've seen it. I think is just suffers from a lace of realism. One last thing. The Bat guy sure has an easy time killing people with a couple of long artificial toenails. I think that people have a lot more strength when their lives are at stake.