Attack of the Bat Monsters

If you enjoy satirical horror, & who doesn't, this one's neato torpedo to spend a little time with.

Apparently one can still get satisfaction with the horror genre. There's a good crop of new horror/com-horror indie films that know how to get it right, and this one deserves deserves to be at the top of fans must see list.

Where were these clever movies when I had to see Kung Fu movies on every teenage date I had?

Kelly Green's first feature is a thinly-disguised account of the making of a Roger Corman three-day quicky back in the 50s. Fans of the life and legend of Corman, and of Z-movies in general, will not only have a rollicking time - they'll probably have heard some of the tales that went into the making of this appropriately low-budget answer to Tim Burton's Ed Wood. Those who aren't fans will simply enjoy the ingenuity and wit of this tribute to a style of filmmaking that produced classics like The Day the World Ended and Attack of the Crab Monsters, the REAL quicky about telepathic man-eating giant crabs whose title is lovingly evoked here. Funniest single gag: the one about the B-girls and the duct tape. Funniest running gag: a prior opus, The Snake Woman, produced by the same company, the very mention of which makes everyone in the picture turn white with fear and shame - something really horrible must have happened on that one. If there's any justice in the world, someone will give Greene the money to film a prequel about the making of The Snake Woman so we can find out just what it was. Anyone have 18 bucks?

If you grew up in the 1950s and/or 1960s and watched the classic sf/horror movies produced during that time period, you will absolutely love this clever, witty and above all, affectionate tribute to those great monster movies of days gone by. A terrific script, great performances and top-notch direction by newcomer Greene, make this one to watch and enjoy over and over again. If you love Roger Corman movies, if the name AIP makes you weak in the knees, if you want to see what low-budget filmmaking was like in the late 1950s, see this movie. Though it's extremely funny in many places, this is not a spoof. Don't come looking for some campy send-up of movies that the MST3000 thinks are objects of ridicule. This film is far smarter than that crowd. This film deserves to be picked up for wide-spread theatrical distribution at best or available on home video. A true genre classic. Don't miss it!

Every now and then a fitting tribute to some genre (like RUSTLERS' RHAPSODY was to 1940's to 1960's Westerns) comes along, and for those of us who are fans, it's a great experience! ATTACK OF THE BAT MONSTERS is, for this 1950'S SCI-FI fanatic, a little slice of Heaven on Earth! I'm not familiar with all the details of it's production - I heard it was done as a college thesis(?) - but I thourougly enjoyed it! Well written and with some really nice references to films and filmmakers we have come to know and love, and some good performances. Certainly, a loving tribute! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! Good luck finding a copy!!!

I saw this film as a work in progress at the 1999 Austin Film Festival in Austin, TX. At that time, even though a work in progress, I rated the this film in the top 3. If memory serves I saw about 36 films at that festival. With the exception of "Attack of the Bat Monster", and "Princess Mononoke," I can not remember any other film I saw at the festival. I highly recommend this film to any fan of comedy or '50's Sci Fi movies.