Sunday, October 2, 2016

31 Days of Horror #2 The Bat (1959) *1/2

Vincent Price got top billing but only appears in a few scenes in the 1959 film The Bat, which is really more of a whodunit than a horror film.  Based on a popular play by Mary Roberts Rinehart, the story involves a mysterious mansion that's the target of a murderer known as "the bat."  Agnes Moorehead plays a mystery writer who moves into the house, after which strange things begin to happen as she and her maid are terrorized by a burglar who wears a mask and gloves with sharp claws - and also releases real bats into the house.  Millions of embezzled cash are hidden somewhere in the mansion so everyone in town takes an interest.  It's obvious the The Bat was based on a play, it's mostly dialogue with a few cheesy scares. I suppose there's a Scooby-Doo charm to it.  Beyond that, there's little more to say about the The Bat other than it's a dated period piece. Price is at his best when playing the suave villain, unfortunately he just goes through the motions as a mildly eccentric scientist who adds little to the story.  If interested, you can watch The Bat for free on youtube!









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