The Bat – Film Detective (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1959
Director: Crane Wilbur
Writer: Crane Wilbur
Cast: Vincent Price, Agnes Moorehead, Gavin Gordon, John Sutton, Lenita Lane, Elaine Edwards, Darla Hood, John Bryant, Harvey Stephens, Mike Steele

Release Date: October 25th, 2022
Approximate Running Time: 80 Minutes 3 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English, Spanish
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.95

"The predator has steel claws and rips his victims to shreds! But who is he? Vincent Price (House of Wax, The Last Man on Earth), stars in this thriller about a down­trodden country estate that becomes the site of a horrific murder." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

The Bat comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 37.7 GB

Feature: 17.7 GB

The source used for this transfer looks great; any print debris or source damage is cleaned up. Image clarity, contrast, and black levels are strong, and there does not appear to be any egregious DNR. That said, this is easily the best the Bat has ever looked on home video.

Audio: 3.75/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English. The audio sounds clean, clear, and balanced. Included with this release are removable English SDH subtitles and removable Spanish subtitles. That said, range-wise, things are limited.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a sixteen-page booklet with an essay titled The Case of the Forgotten Author: The Literary Conundrum of Mary Roberts Rinehart written by Jason A. Ney, a featurette titled The Case for Crane Wilbur (22 minutes 24 seconds, DTS-HD mono English with removable English SDH subtitles and removable Spanish subtitles), an audio commentary with professor and film scholar, Jason A. Ney, this track comes with removable English SDH subtitles and removable Spanish subtitles, and nine radio broadcasts starring Vincent Price; an episode of Suspense titled The Strange Death of Charles Umberstein, originally broadcast on November 23rd, 1943 (29 minutes 13 seconds, DTS-HD mono English with removable English SDH subtitles), an episode of Suspense titled Fugue in C Minor, originally broadcast on June 1st, 1944 (29 minutes 37 seconds, DTS-HD mono English with removable English SDH subtitles), an episode of Suspense titled Hunting Trip, originally broadcast on September 12th, 1946 (29 minutes 51 seconds, DTS-HD mono English with removable English SDH subtitles), an episode of Escape titled Present Tense, originally broadcast on January 31st, 1950 (29 minutes 27 seconds, DTS-HD mono English with removable English SDH subtitles), an episode of Escape titled Three Skeleton Key, originally broadcast on March 17th, 1950 (29 minutes 26 seconds, DTS-HD mono English with removable English SDH subtitles), an episode of Escape titled Blood Bath, originally broadcast on June 30th, 1950 (29 minutes 27 seconds, DTS-HD mono English with removable English SDH subtitles), an episode of Theatre of Romance titled Angel Street, originally broadcast on October 9th, 1945 (24 minutes 48 seconds, DTS-HD mono English with removable English SDH subtitles), an episode of Hollywood Startime titled The Lodger, originally broadcast on May 19th, 1946 (29 minutes 48 seconds, DTS-HD mono English with removable English SDH subtitles), and an episode of The CBS Radio Workshop titled Speaking of Cinderella, originally broadcast on April 6th, 1956 (29 minutes 20 seconds, DTS-HD mono English with removable English SDH subtitles).

Summary:

The Bat was directed by Crane Wilbur, whose other notable credits as a screenwriter include He Walked by Night, House of Wax, and The Mad Magician. The Bat would also be Crane Wilbur's third collaboration with Vincent Price, following House of Wax and The Mad Magician.

When one thinks of Vincent Price, it is his work in the horror genre that immediately comes to mind. And though there are horror elements in The Bat, the result is something that is closer to a mystery film, think Agatha Christie.

The narrative revolves around Cornelia van Gorder, a mystery writer who has rented an old estate with a macabre past. After an initial setup, the narrative is told via a flashback that fills in the blanks that led to the moment that opens The Bat. With a finale that neatly wraps everything up.

Despite the fact that the entire cast is excellent in their roles. The main attractions of The Bat are Agnes Moorehead (Citizen Kane) in the role of Cornelia van Gorder and Vincent Price (The Last Man on Earth) in the role of Dr. Malcolm Wells. These two actors give The Bat star power and both deliver solid performances that elevate the story at hand. Another performance of note is Lenita Lane (While America Sleeps) in the role of Lizzie Allen, Cornelia van Gorder’s assistant who is prone to hysterics whenever something sinister is lurking.

Given that The Bat has all of the characteristics that one would expect from a B film, the result is actually a film that often exceeds its limited resources. Another strength of The Bat is how effectively it mixes genres. One minute it is a suspense film, only to shift to a horror film, and humor also plays a role in the story at hand. Ultimately, The Bat is a highly entertaining murder mystery that greatly benefits from its two leads, Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead.

Film Detective’s Blu-ray release of The Bat is a solid release that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and it comes with an abundance of extras, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer