Search - The Bat on DVD

Content Advisory: Suitable for Children Movie Release: 1926 DVD Release: 08/31/2004 Format: DVD - Black and White SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 28 mins Studio: Alpha Video Members Wishing: 0 Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Psychological Thriller

Long believed lost, the silent thriller-chiller The Bat finally resurfaced in the mid-1970s and proved well-worth the wait. Based on the play by Mary Roberts Rinehart, the plot is set in motion by a maniacal serial killer who dresses in a bat costume and flashes a batlike shadow on the wall just before he strikes. Most of the action takes place in the spooky old mansion of mystery writer Mrs. Cornelia Van Gorder (Emily Fitzroy), where a number of innocent bystanders, chiseling crooks, murder suspects and cowering bystanders converge. When the police show up, everything seems to be under control -- and then The Bat strikes again! The film's surprise ending was rather better handled in the 1930 talkie remake The Bat Whispers, but otherwise The Bat is a remarkable achievement, boasting superbly shuddery cinematography by Arthur Edeson and some absolutely eye-popping special effects, courtesy of production designer William Cameron Menzies. Some current prints of The Bat include an eerie musical score culled from episodes of TV's The Twilight Zone. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Tullio Carminatti - Moletti
Charles Herzinger - Courtleigh Fleming, Man in Black Mask
Jewel Carmen - Miss Dale Ogden
Louise Fazenda - Lizzie Allen, the Maid
Emily Fitzroy - Mrs. Comelici Van Gorder
Arthur Houseman - Richard Fleming
Robert McKim - Dr. Wells

Long believed lost, the silent thriller-chiller The Bat finally resurfaced in the mid-1970s and proved well-worth the wait. Based on the play by Mary Roberts Rinehart, the plot is set in motion by a maniacal serial killer who dresses in a bat costume and flashes a batlike shadow on the wall just before he strikes. Most of the action takes place in the spooky old mansion of mystery writer Mrs. Cornelia Van Gorder (Emily Fitzroy), where a number of innocent bystanders, chiseling crooks, murder suspects and cowering bystanders converge. When the police show up, everything seems to be under control -- and then The Bat strikes again! The film's surprise ending was rather better handled in the 1930 talkie remake The Bat Whispers, but otherwise The Bat is a remarkable achievement, boasting superbly shuddery cinematography by Arthur Edeson and some absolutely eye-popping special effects, courtesy of production designer William Cameron Menzies. Some current prints of The Bat include an eerie musical score culled from episodes of TV's The Twilight Zone. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide