Today’s Horror on the Lens is 1959’s The Bat. A simple case of bank embezzlement leads to a murder that may or may not be connected to a series of other murders that are apparently being committed by a mysterious killer known as “The Bat.” The Bat is said to have no face and steel claws and, needless to say, everyone in town is worried about becoming the next victim.
Who is the Bat? Is Dr. Malcolm Wells (Vincent Price), the shady scientist whose work has led to him doing experiments on bats? Is it Victor Bailey (Mike Steele), the bank clerk who is a prime suspect in the embezzlement case? Is it the butler (John Sutton) with a secret past? Could it even be one of the cops (Gavin Gordon and Robert B. Williams) who has been tasked with capturing The Bat? Can mystery novelist Cornelia van Gorder (Agnes Moorehead) solve the mystery before becoming The Bat’s next victim!?
The Bat is based on a play and it’s definitely a bit stagey but when you’ve got performers like Agnes Moorehead and Vincent Price onscreen, it really doesn’t matter. The Bat is an entertaining and atmospheric mystery, featuring a Vincent Price playing another one of his charmingly sinister cads.
Enjoy!
Through the Shattered Lens 