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The Bat (1959)
WARNING! Keep
the Secret! Anyone who reveals who I am will have to
answer to The Bat!
Director:
Crane Wilbur, rated Approved
  Starring:
Vincent Price, Agnes Moorehead, Gavin Gordon, John Sutton,
Lenita Lane, Elaine Edwards, Darla Hood, John Bryant, Harvey
Stephens
DML Rating:
★★★★★★☆☆☆☆
- above average
"This is the Oaks, a
house in the country which I've rented for the summer. As an
author I write tales of mystery and murder, but the things that
have happened in this house are far more fantastic than any book
I've ever had published." – Cornelia van Gorder
Why watch this? Mr.
Price and Ms. Moorehead lend gravitas to this dark mystery.
Plot Summary: In
this mystery thriller, a wealthy mystery writer moves into a
rented country mansion where a cloaked killer known as "The Bat"
is terrorizing the local community in search of a fortune in
stolen money hidden within the walls. As the body count rises,
the writer and her loyal maid find themselves trapped in a web
of suspense alongside several suspicious characters, including a
local doctor. Ultimately, everyone becomes a suspect as the
characters race to uncover the murderer's true identity before
becoming the next victims.
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Dad's Preview: By 1959,
Vincent Price was the cinematic master of the macabre.
He thrilled us in
House
of Wax (1953), and brought Poe's greatest
villains to life in films like
The Pit
and the Pendulum (1961). This nifty little
whodunit, focuses on a notorious masked killer known as
The Bat. The dark entity claws out the throats of
its victims. It's creepy, and a little scary at times,
but pretty mild by horror standards. What works is the
mystery to unmask the culprit, and there are three very
capable suspects. Thank goodness we have Endora from
Bewitched to unravel things! I was positive I knew
who the killer was, but I was wrong. Some of the scares
are corny, but it's about the spirit of B-movies of that
time, so accept it for what it is, and enjoy!
You can watch the film free on the
Internet Archive site
HERE. |
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C. J.
Tevlin, Liberty Pictures; Allied Artists
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