Devil Bat, The

Now the way I understand it after his successful turn in the film Dracula (1931), Bela Lugosi was offered the part as The Frankenstein Monster in the film Frankenstein (1931), but turned it down due to the fact the part featured no dialog, allowing for Boris Karloff to assume the role, which may have been for the best as when Lugosi did eventually portray the character in the film Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943), it really didn't come of all that well, at least not when compared to Karloff's performance...anyway, after a falling out with Universal, Lugosi ended up making a slew of films for some lesser known, low budget Poverty Row outfits like Monogram and PRC (which stood for Producers Releasing Corporation, but many within the industry dubbed it `Pretty Rotten Crap') with The Devil Bat (1940) probably being one of the most popular and successful releases (I always thought his 1942 feature Bowery at Midnight to also be a most worthy feature). Directed by Jean Yarbrough (She-Wolf of London, The Brute Man), the film stars, as I've mentioned, Bela Lugosi, along with Dave O'Brien (Spooks Run Wild) and Suzanne Kaaren (Phantom Ranger).Lugosi plays Dr. Paul Carruthers, a scientist who works for a cosmetics company in a small town. Along with developing new fragrances and such, he's also involved in strange and secretive experiments including the embiggening of bats, but why? Well, I'll tell you...revenge...you see, a while back, Carruthers had sold his interest in the cosmetics firm for seemingly tidy sum, only to see the company rake in the dough afterwards due to the fruits of his labors, subsequently making his bosses incredibly rich. Now infused with a `sour grapes' attitude, he intends on using his giant flying rodent to get back at those who've benefited most from all his hard work, particularly the two families that run the company. Along with creating a giant, winged monstrosity, he's also developed a formula, in the guise of an experimental aftershave, one that he passes out to those he wishes to inflict grave, bodily harm upon, its scent intended to attract the bat to its victims...and it works! As Carruthers begins offing his targets, the town is gripped in terror (local authorities are baffled), drawing the attention of the press, particularly that of ace reporter Johnny Layton (O'Brien) and his comic sidekick photographer named 'One-Shot' McGuire, a misnomer, in my opinion, as I found his skills dubious at best (at least his skill with a camera...he did excel at flapping his gums and making time with a French maid, though)...anyway, as the bodies begin to pile up, Layton believes the aftershave to be the key, and presses on with his investigation (along with making time with Mary Heath, daughter of one of the cosmetic company owners, played by Kaaren), eventually becoming himself a target of the devil bat...This feature's got everything, everything except a budget, that is...there's mystery (sort of), intrigue, silliness, giant bats, a secret laboratory, a mad scientist, a handsome and personable hero type, a comic sidekick (who I didn't want to throttle due to his incompetence and/or stupidity), and more...some of my favorite scenes included Lugosi's goggled character zapping the bat, embigging it to that of about a mid-sized dog, his inner monologue sequence where his motives are revealed, the scenes where he gets his intended victims to apply the `aftershave' under the guise of testing out a new product (love this line..."Now rub it on the tender part of your neck..."). Another great sequence occurs in the latter half of the film as Lugosi's character is meeting with one of the company executives and the guy goes on and on, unwittingly rubbing it in, about how Carruthers really missed the boat in terms of selling off his shares of the cosmetics firm just before the moola started rolling in, all while Carruthers sits seething in his chair. Other bits to watch for are when Lugosi's character serves up the aftershave to various individuals, always issuing a subtly ominous response as the person heads out into the night, towards their doom. Along with Lugosi, who seemed relatively unrestricted in terms of his performance, I thought Dave O'Brien did very well with his role, even threatening at times to upstage the old man. He presented a very sharp witted, on the ball type character with an intuitive sense that was able to roll with whatever situation arose along with sticking to the action. I also enjoyed the comic relief offered up by the photographer, played by character actor Donald Kerr, as it served well to keep the film buoyant but not so much as to be an annoyance. As far as the rest, they were pretty much just capable support for the film. The devil bat looked hokey (close up stock footage of a real bat head was used to prop up the fake bat), but the actors were able to compensate for this a little in their suitable reactions. One really odd aspect about the story to me was how little the remaining family members seemed to suffer after the continual losses as Carruthers and his winged fury picked off their victims, all of whom were members of the respective families. There seemed very little sense of mourning as the losses mounted, but perhaps their generally jovial attitudes were some sort of mechanism to deal with the pain...or else those killed had really large insurance policies...anyway, the film moves along well, eventually resulting in an exciting and satisfying conclusion.It seems this feature may have fallen into the public domain as there's any number of DVD releases floating around, but the one I own is one authorized by the estate of Bela Lugosi and released by a company called Rph Productions, and I have to say, the quality is most excellent. The picture, presented in full screen aspect ratio, is very clean, exhibiting only very minor flaws due to aging, and the Dolby Digital mono audio comes through sharp. Extras include a feature length commentary with film historian Ted Newsom and Bela Lugosi Jr., a Devil Bat image archive gallery, a 5X7 movie poster reproduction insert, a radio drama presentation of `The Dr. Prescribed Death', featuring Bela Lugosi, and trailers for other Lugosi films including The Human Monster (1940) aka The Dark Eyes of London and Scared to Death (1947). All in all this is a thoughtful and well put together package, one definitely worth seeking out for fans.Cookieman108By the way, this film's worth getting if only to hear Bela Lugosi condemn another as a "bombastic ignoramus!". This film was followed up by a forgettable sequel called Devil Bat's Daughter (1946), one that did not include Lugosi.

This is one of my favourite Lugosi movies. It's hardly a classic - in fact the whole thing is pretty goofy and none of the actors seem to take it seriously (that is, except for Bela). The so-called "Devil Bat" is just a big rubber mockup, except for several out of focus close-ups showing what is clearly a fruit-eating flying fox. These bats are common here in Australia where I live and are strictly vegetarian. Rather than being fearsome, they're quite gorgeous and sociable if you're lucky to get up close ... so instead of being repelled by them in this movie I kept thinking how sweet they were. However, Bela Lugosi is what really makes this movie enjoyable. He completely owns this movie giving a performance where he's just so delightfully twisted and evil. There's also a little bit of humour thrown in which just adds to the fun.However - despite the "so bad it's good" nature of this film, viewers need to resign themselves to it being a far from perfect transfer. It's watchable and has clear audio - but it isn't particularly clear or crisp, and is quite contrasty with some highlights clearly having been burnt out. And, at times there are so many dust spots you'd swear it was snowing. The blurb on the cover says it was scanned from "archival" footage but that doesn't necessarily mean that it was in great condition.For me this is still a great purchase since this is likely the best that we'll see for this movie in the foreseeable future. This bluray version is on the pricy side for what it is, but that simply be because the producers were never really going to sell this in large volumes. Hopefully Kino have kept the digital transfer that they've made and will maybe look to digitally restore or clean up the image as much as they can in future (or maybe just give it to a film school so that their students can give it a try). If so, then there's a chance that maybe we'll get a better version in future - although I certainly won't be holding my breath for it. In the meantime I figure this is the best we're likely to get and I'll enjoy it for what it is. Very highly recommended for lovers of these old movies. Other more casual viewers will probably be disappointed or confused.Note: with a current list price of $28 I sympathise with those who claim this as overpriced for what it is. Even with the understanding that this is a low volume product with a limited audience it's a little steep compared with other offerings. The inclusion of subtitles at least might have been nice.

First off, my 5 star rating is not for "great movie," or for great print. It's for the smiles and chuckles this ridiculous little thriller brings me every time I watch it. The directing, sets, special effects, and over all production are typically cheap, but adequate for a late 30's early 40's micro studio quickie. The music is effective, even though it's recycled from who knows how many other PRC productions released prior to this one; I think I've even heard the same music in a few Monogram pictures. The silly story is well written, although I can't imagine why any adult would want to take credit for it. The acting is gleefully melodramatic, with Lugosi running over-the-top circles 'round the rest of the cast. But really, the funniest and most entertaining thing about "Devil Bat" is Dr. Carruther's (Lugosi) absurdly complicated plot for revenge against his employers. Anyone but a mad scientist would have slashed their tires, ruined their reputation, or God forbid, quit and got a better job. Fortunately for those of us who love this kind of hooey, the electronically size-enhanced killer-bat and aftershave bait was to the good Dr., the most logical approach.As others have already noted, this Legend release is the best, so far. Sound and picture quality are quite good for an seventy-some year old film like this. The dvd includes the restored black and white version as well as a colorized version.

First off, movie wise, this is far from the best Bela Lugosi you're going to see. It's goofy, cheap and corny, but a heck of a lot of fun. So if you're a genre fan, and you missed it previously, you should get a kick out of it. The giant bat, screaming through the skies is pretty darn charming and hard to resist.Seeing as it was a cheap film from the get go, this bluray is remakable. The film has never looked, and most likely will never look, better. The transfer is taken from some prints that are in amazingly good shape, and any print damage is very minimal with age related problems being handled with care. It always looks like film, never digitally washed of all character, which is exactly how it should be.A top rate effort and a damned pleasing disc. A goofy Lugosi programmer gets the care of a film 100x it's stature, and that's why you should buy it.

This film is not a very good film, heck it isn't worth much... The acting is bad, the special effects are awful, the story is simple, and the characters probably deserve their fate... But you know what, Bela Lugosi is in it... He brings out something very special and yes I loved it!

Bei einigen, nachcolorierten Filmen ("King Kong",1933/"The most dangerous Game",1932) wirkt der Farbeffekteher störend, bei diesem alten Lugosi-Brüller kommt er optimal. Schon in s/w ein Trash-Knaller,setzt diebonbonfarbene Fassung noch einen drauf: Gut, die Rolle des vom Leben und seinen Vorgesetzten arg gebeutelten Chemikers nimmt man dem ollen Bela nicht so richtig ab, aber wenn er in seinen Gruselkeller kraucht, um mittels seiner mutierten Killer-Vampirledermäusen durch ein perfides Rasierwasser(!)-Gemisch seinen Kontrahenten das Fürchten zu lehren, geht die Post richtig ab. Bela in Hochform!Sollte in keiner gutsortierten Horrorfilm-Sammlung fehlen, zumal auch die Spezialeffekte überraschend gutausgefallen sind!

Disappointed with the transfer to Blu-ray, given the age of the film I guess it was the best they could do.

Arrived in good packaging. As stated.