IMDb RATING
6.0/10
6.4K
YOUR RATING
A crazed killer known as "The Bat" is on the loose in a mansion full of people.A crazed killer known as "The Bat" is on the loose in a mansion full of people.A crazed killer known as "The Bat" is on the loose in a mansion full of people.
William Janssen
- Clerk
- (uncredited)
Virginia Linden
- Customer
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn a 1987 interview on Sinister Image (1987), Vincent Price revealed that the stage version had terrified him as a child. He accepted the film role in because he thought the filmmakers "would revive it and bring it up to date", but he was disappointed with the final result because "It wasn't a good script."
- GoofsWhen Cornelia is trapped in the hidden room, she runs out of oxygen far too quickly. The room is large enough to have plenty of air, especially with the others searching the house for her.
- Quotes
Dr. Malcolm Wells: In my report I shall state that death was caused by a stunning blow followed by severe laceration and hemorrhage.
Lt. Andy Anderson: In plain English, he didn't know what hit him.
Dr. Malcolm Wells: Oh he knew, but he didn't have time to think about it.
- ConnectionsEdited into The Our Gang Story (1994)
Featured review
THE BAT is a film based on the novel/play by Avery Hopwood and Mary Roberts Rinehart that was very popular in the twenties and early thirties. There were two previous film versions; one silent version made in the twenties and an early sound version made in 1930, the latter version mostly recalled today because it was one of the first films shot in 70mm and what we today call "wide screen." Watching this 1959 version, I couldn't help get the feeling that this film belongs to era more remote than 1959. This kind of plot, with its creaky old mansion, secret passage ways, mysterious masked killer, hidden money etc., had just about vanished from the screen since the mid thirties. Other films of this type include the various versions of CAT AND THE CANARY and SEVEN KEYS TO BALDPLATE. Apparently someone noticed a film of this type hadn't been made in a while and it was a long time since the last version of THE BAT had been filmed.
This 1959 version is none-the-less a very entertaining "killer lurking around spooky old mansion" thriller. The entire cast is excellent, including stars Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead. The film very effectively keeps the killers identity from the audience until the very end. But when the killers identity is revealed, it begins to make sense when one thinks about. Perhaps of interest to today's viewers is how the killer some what resembles Freddy Kreuger. Despite being an entertaining thriller, THE BAT didn't inspire a revival of this genre.
This 1959 version is none-the-less a very entertaining "killer lurking around spooky old mansion" thriller. The entire cast is excellent, including stars Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead. The film very effectively keeps the killers identity from the audience until the very end. But when the killers identity is revealed, it begins to make sense when one thinks about. Perhaps of interest to today's viewers is how the killer some what resembles Freddy Kreuger. Despite being an entertaining thriller, THE BAT didn't inspire a revival of this genre.
- youroldpaljim
- Feb 2, 2002
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Details
- Runtime1 hour 20 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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