brando647 Here is a movie I really expected I'd enjoy. It appears to have gotten a lot more appreciation as time has passed from others since it's original release, but I've seen it twice now and I'm just bored. THE BAT stars Agnes Moorehead (better known to me as Samantha's mom on "Bewitched") and Vincent Price in a whodunit murder mystery in a mansion. Moorehead is famed mystery writer Cornelia van Gorder and she's renting a large manor over the summer to work on her latest novel. The home belongs to the local bank manager, John Fleming, who is on vacation at a cabin in the woods with his physician Dr. Malcolm Wells (Price). In the quiet solitude of the woods, Fleming admits to Dr. Wells that he has embezzled over a million dollars from the bank and he's got a plan to get away with it but he'll need the good doctor's assistance. He offers a cool half million for the doctor to kill someone (his plan involves moving the cash in a casket or something and he needs a body) and Wells responds by murdering Fleming and proceeding with the plan alone. Meanwhile, everyone back in town is nervous at rumors that a serial killer known as the Bat has returned. The Bat was a local killer who targeted women and whose weapons of choice are steel claws for throat ripping, and he's been dormant since the winter. Soon, Cornelia is alone in the mansion with a few close friends with a killer on the loose and a million dollars on the line.THE BAT is a cool concept that's executed without any sort of excitement or suspense. There's the big mystery of whether the Bat has truly returned and who it might be, but there's so little sense of danger that, even when people are killed, the tension never really rises. The movie makes an effort to create red herrings and false leads but, ugh, I don't care. How can I be expected to? People in this movie are just so incredibly stupid. For example, there's a part early in the movie where Cornelia and her friend Lizzie (Lenita Lane) are alone in the manor with good reason to believe the Bat is in the house. A very good reason, in fact: they see his shadow in the hall. Claws and all. They lock themselves in the bedroom and call the police who insist a patrol car is outside and they've seen no prowlers on the premises. Rather than scream to the inept 911 operator that they've literally just seen the masked figure outside their door, Cornelia hangs up and the two agree they've overreacted. And then they go to bed. This sort of thing happens so often in the movie that it's frustrating. These people are too dumb to survive a slasher film so they're lucky the Bat seems more intent on messing with them. In one instance, he releases a live bat into their bedroom through the transom and it bites Lizzie in her sleep, sending her into a rabies panic.It amounts to nothing, but at least he's having fun. And I guess it's meant to build further suspicion against Dr. Wells when we see him experimenting on bats in his office. Is Wells the Bat? Or maybe it's Fleming's nephew Mark, who rented the property to Cornelia? Or is it the butler?! I don't care. Seriously, the Bat spends almost as much time in the house as Cornelia and everyone is dead calm and carefree. Right after the first murder victim is discovered (in the house!) Cornelia decides to have a sleepover party with her friends. Around the 50 minute mark, I was just wishing for the Bat to do us a favor and finish them all off. Despite my obvious frustrations, the movie's not that bad. Vincent Price is always great, even though he's really not in the movie all that much. Agnes Moorehead, despite never so much as considering the option of leaving the house, does a decent job. Cornelia is a very strong-willed woman, even if she's horrible at making smart decisions. Sadly, the rest of the characters don't leave much of an impression. People are dying and I couldn't keep identities straight. At a slim 80 minutes, this movie feels twice as long and the big reveal isn't all that special. I'm not even really sure of the Bat's motivations. Was it the million dollars, as I assume it was? I was under the impression the number of people who even know about it could be counted on one finger. I don't know. THE BAT, ladies and gentlemen. Watch it or don't.

kfo9494 This was a typical class 'B' picture but at least there was a mystery that kept the audience in the program to the very end. Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead actually did a nice job with the light script they were given-- but for some reason the screen play writer threw in an aide to Ms Moorehead that ruined the entire process.Lenita Lane played Lizzie Allen the aide to Moorehead's character. It seemed that every time she had a speaking part she was trying to give a comical tone to the story but ended-up being an albatross around the neck of the movie. Her every line was like fingernails running across a chalkboard that made me shiver at each bewildering statement. Her acting ability ruined the entire experience.With that said, the mystery was a clever who-done-it tale that kept the viewer guessing to the very end. And with the weak script, I will give credit to the performances of all the actors, except for one. Too bad that one character was not killed off very early in the show. Where was the bat when you needed him?

utgard14 Enjoyable old dark house movie. Agnes Moorehead stars as the mystery writer who becomes wrapped up in a real-life mystery. Sort of a precursor to Jessica Fletcher. She and her comic relief sidekick (Lenita Lane) find themselves targeted by the murderous Bat. You know, Moorehead was never known as a great beauty but I've always thought she was a handsome woman and she looks particularly lovely in this film. She was always a great actress and she's very good in this, a rare starring role for her.The cast is solid. In addition to Moorehead and Lane, there's Vincent Price and Gavin Gordon. Price is terrific as always, if a little subdued. Gordon is good but every time I see him in a role I am reminded of his Lord Byron from the Bride of Frankenstein prologue and I snicker a little. Also in the cast in a minor role (and her last) is Darla from The Little Rascals.It's a pretty basic story and based on a play that's been made for film a few other times. Most notably 1926 and 1930. Both of those were entertaining for different reasons. This version I've always had a soft spot for. I watch it again every couple of years or so. I recommend anybody who enjoys these types of old films give it a shot.

Bezenby Here's a tip: Upon having embezzled a million dollars, don't tell your mate Vincent Price if the two of you are in an isolated cabin with a forest fire raging outside. That's what a guy does here and before you know he's full of lead and Vincent is heading for his family home, looking to get a piece of the action. The question is, we know Vincent is a murderous doctor with an unhealthy interest in bats, but does that actually make him The Bat, a serial killer who's also started snooping around the mansion with his clawed hand and mask, scaring the life out of famous crime writer and her sidekick who merely rented the house for a bit of peace.This film is almost giallo-like in the way it plays out. We've got our hat wearing, gloved killer stalking the various characters, and a list of suspects including Vincent, a dodgy butler, a cop and the nephew of the guy who got killed at the start. Throw in a house full of secret rooms and you've got a winner with a surprisingly sharp script, too. As it's a murder mystery type film, I can't say too much about the plot, but The Bat does get his hands on a few victims and not everyone is who they seem.Of course, you can't go wrong with the acting talent here either. Vincent Price is basically Vincent Price, but when was that ever a bad thing? The guy playing the cop, the crime writer, and her sidekick all held up their end well. I give this one a big, steel thumbs up.