Bela Lugosi Devil Bat

Legend Films presents "DEVIL BAT" (13 December 1940) (68 mins) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) --- now in COLOR and Glorious Black and White --- All too often, in his career, Bela Lugosi was expected to carry a film all by himself with little or no help from other actors, the director, the script or special effects --- The Devil Bat (1940) is such a film --- The sets are cheap, the script is hokey and the "devil bat" itself is laughably lame (a screeching bird-like creature -- as fake as they come) --- And yet as he always does, Bela makes the movie entertaining --- He plays one of his many mad scientists -- this one a (believe it or not) perfume maker who was monetarily wronged by his partners, now millionaires --- These ungrateful boobs rub this in a little too much and so Lugosi creates a giant bat (as perfume makers are so good at doing) that will strike at anyone wearing a certain scent --- Will the mad doctor end up wearing his own scent and be killed by the devil bat -- And will he get his revenge on several of these boring unknown actors who deserve to die --- As expected, Lugosi makes the character interesting, complex and even sympathetic -- and yet also fearsome as he tells each of his victims, "good-bye" after they try on his new fragrance --- This movie has some of the most hackneyed character acting you have ever seen -- and yet Bela never stops giving it all he's got to make this film a success -- which is more than some of the production crew deserves!

Still, for the Bela Lugosi fan, this film is pleasurable as you watch what one great and talented actor can do in one bad movie --- One is left wondering how a Brad Pitt or Will Smith would fare in such a weak vehicle --- But Bela -- ever the artist -- rises above it and gives a performance that can be enjoyed in spite of its trappings.

Under the production staff of:
Jean Yarbrough - Director
Jack Gallagher - Producer
Susan Olney - Producer
George Bricker - Screen Story
John T. Neville - Screenwriter
Arthur Martineli - Cinematographer
David Chudnow - Musical Direction/Supervision
Holbrook Todd - Editor
Paul Palmentola - Art Director
Guy V. Thayer, Jr. - Associate Producer
Barry Sandrew - Executive Producer
Farrell Redd - Sound/Sound Designer
Melville de Lay - Production Manager
Jane Huzienga - Production Director
David D. Martin - Technical Director

Story line and plot, Dr. Paul Carruthers (Bela Lugosi) feels bitter at being betrayed by his employers, Mary Heath (Suzanne Kaaren) and Henry Morton (Guy Usher), when they became rich as a result of a product he devised --- He gains revenge by electrically enlarging bats and sending them out to kill his employers' family members by instilling in the bats a hatred for a particular perfume he has discovered, which he gets his victims to apply before going outdoors --- Johnny Layton, a reporter, finally figures out Carruthers is the killer and, after putting the perfume on himself, douses it on Carruthers in the hopes it will get him to give himself away --- One of the two is attacked as the giant bat makes one of its screaming, swooping power dives --- Bela Lugosi once again takes us into his world of film and makes the most out of what he's has to work with.

the cast includes:
Bela Lugosi ... Dr. Paul Carruthers
Suzanne Kaaren ... Mary Heath
Dave O'Brien ... Johnny Layton
Guy Usher ... Henry Morton
Yolande Donlan ... 'Frenchy' (as Yolande Mallott)
Donald Kerr ... 'One-Shot' McGuire
Edmund Mortimer ... Martin Heath (as Edward Mortimer)
Gene O'Donnell ... Donald 'Don' Morton
Alan Baldwin ... Thomas 'Tommy' Heath
John Ellis ... Roy Heath
Arthur Q. Bryan ... Joe McGinty
Hal Price ... Chief Wilkins
John Davidson ... Prof. Percival Garland Raines
Billy Griffith ... Coroner (scenes deleted)
Wally Rairden ... Walter King

BIOS
1. Bela Lugosi
Date of Birth: 20 October 1882 - Lugos, Austria-Hungary. [now Lugoj, Romania]
Date of Death:16 August 1956 - Los Angeles, California,

SPECIAL FEATURES:
1. Legend films trailers

In 2006, the complete print was restored and colorized by Legend Films, using the latest technology --- Although the Legend Films release was advertised under its reissue title, both the color and black and white prints featured the original title and opening credits --- Legend Films can restore, colorize and release many of the classic earliest black and white films --- a patented coloring and remastering process makes each film picture perfect plus more vivd than ever --- no one can resist collecting every title that Legend Films releases.

Hats off and thanks to Barry B. Sandrew Ph.D. (Founder, COO & CTO) and his Legend Films Staff --- looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage era of the '20s, '30s & '40s --- order your copy now from Amazon where there are plenty of copies available on DVD --- if you enjoyed this title, why not check out Legend Films where they are experts in releasing long forgotten films and treasures to the collector.

Total Time: 68 mins on DVD ~ Legend Films. ~ (10/21/2008)

OK. The plot of Devil Bat doesn't sound that impressive, but Bela Lugosi's performance earns the movie five stars from this reviewer. Lugosi plays Dr. Carruthers, a doctor and scientist beloved by everyone in the village of Heathville; he is the last person anyone suspects when a series of strange murders take place. The first three victims are all sons of the rich and powerful Heath and Morgan families. These two families made their fortunes, it turns out, on one of Dr. Carruthers' formulas, and all the doctor got out of the deal was a measly ten thousand dollars compared to their millions. Ah, yes, we have a motive. Of course, these are no ordinary murders; they seem to have been made by some type of unknown wild animal. It couldn't be a bat, of course, because the killer was definitely a pretty large specimen. Carruthers' plan is hokey but brilliant. He still works for the cosmetics firm, and he has just come up with an experimental new aftershave formula. Naturally, he wants the Heaths and Morgans to try the product out themselves before marketing it-just a few drops spread across the neck, where the skin is always tender. He doesn't bother to tell his victims that bats really, really hate the smell of the formula's secret ingredient, nor does he mention the fact that he has figured out a way to use electrical stimulation to turn a normal bat into a Devil Bat. Everything is going according to plan until a nosy reporter shows up and starts snooping around.

Lugosi is great in this movie. By 1940, he had the whole mad scientist act down to a science, and his secret scowls are enhanced by just the right touch of madness in his eyes. Best of all is the way he tells his victims "Goodbye" in a sinister voice once he has them in the soon-to-be clutches of his Devil Bat. One thing that bothers me about great old horror movies like this is the fact the moviemakers always felt compelled to provide some comic relief in the form of a goofy character-this time around, we have the newspaper photographer "One Shot" McGuire who is more interested in shooting pictures of the Heath's French maid than any silly old bat. The Devil Bat itself isn't very impressive; without the grainy, far from perfect black and white print, I am sure it would look quite ridiculous. It never even moves when Carruthers is handling it, it looks more like a hawk or eagle to me when it is flying, and its swoop attacks on unsuspecting victims make me think of the scene in Naked Gun where Frank Drebbin struggles against a towel thrown in his face. None of that matters, though, because Lugosi is just so much fun to watch.

Here's a nice treat: Bela Lugosi Jr. has acquired to rights to some of his famous father's lesser films, and the first offering is the lovable, laughable PRC programmer THE DEVIL BAT.

Bela is Dr. Carruthers, plotting the death of his enemies by training giant mutated bats to attack those who wear the doc's new experimental shaving lotion. Bela has some great, darkly-comic dialogue. When one intended victim comments on how smooth the new lotion is, Carruthers offers, "I don't think you'll ever wear anything else."

THE DEVIL BAT has, of course, been previously available on DVD and VHS, in various conditions. The best previous DVD release is certainly the one offered by Roan. This new "official" version compares favorably to the Roan disc, though acute listeners might find the sound is a touch clearer on this new disc. Bela Lugosi Jr. partners with genre critic Ted Newsom for an interesting commentary track, which unfortunately shows how little Bela Jr. actually knows about the film.

There are 2 other Lugosi theatrical trailers (but not one for Devil Bat?), some archival photos and a pretty neat audio-only feature: A radio play from the 1940's starring Bela.

If you're a fan of these type of "poverty row" horrors, DEVIL BAT will certainly make your day. If you're a fan of his more popular Universal features, this is a good introduction to a very different career path that poor ol' Bela got stuck on around 1940.