Notti di terrore

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.

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.

If you're a fan of BELA LUGOSI you'll get a kick out of his sinister role here as a scientist who is bent on getting revenge because he never got his full share of the profits on his inventions.

Given the low-budget look and tacky special effects (a live bat appears in close-ups only), the modest little thriller entertains even though it doesn't quite provide the shudders intended. Still, if you're in a Halloween mood, you might want to sit through this at least once.

Interesting to note Dave O'Brien in the role of Johnny Layton. O'Brien is familiar to me because of all the Pete Smith Specialties he starred in during the '40s and which TCM has been running frequently. Others will recall him in a bunch of westerns he made at poverty row studios. At any rate, he gives the only really professional performance in the film aside from Bela who seems to relish his role as the mad scientist. Most of the acting among supporting players is on the less than credible side.

Also interesting to note that O'Brien was a very versatile man who acted, directed and wrote throughout a prolific career that began in the 1930s--with over a hundred films to his credit. He was my main reason for enjoying THE DEVIL BAT.

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.