Tonight I watched a fun little film called "The Bat" (1959), starring Agnes Moorehead and Vincent Price. It could qualify as either horror or suspense, so take your pick, but essentially it is one of those "everyone is trapped in a creepy old house" movies that were popular in the 1950s. What makes "The Bat" a cut above some of the other flicks is that The House isn't the only location. We aren't doing the "Ten Little Indians" plot here. Also, somehow by coincidence we are back with Joseph Biroc for the second night in a row. Last night we saw his beautiful outdoor color photography in "Emperor Of The North", and tonight we watched his equally excellent indoor black & white work, all full of shadows and crisp edges. "The Bat" has been restored to original release print quality, so it looks fantastic, which of course heightens the pleasure of watching it.
We rarely get to see Agnes Moorehead in a leading role, and even though she was entering her campy period by 1959 (as were Bette Davis and Joan Crawford), she is nonetheless on top of her game as a writer of mystery stories who has rented an Old Creepy Home for the summer. The small town is anonymous, fictional, but it could be Long Island I suppose. The original story for "The Bat" was written in 1908, and it began as a play.
Moorehead has brought along her female assistant for her stay in the house. She hopes to get some writing done, but then a scandal raises it's head. The local bank president, who also owns the home Moorehead is renting, is found dead while on vacation in the north woods. The cause is said to be a forest fire. His doctor (Vincent Price), was staying with him in his lodge. Price found his body and called police. It turns out that the deceased bank president had been the prime suspect in an embezzlement scheme that robbed investors of a million dollars. One of the investors was the town's chief of police. He suspects foul play in the death of the bank president, but can't prove it. And, he wants his money back.
Meanwhile, earlier in the year and prior to Agnes Moorehead moving in, there had been a series of robberies and murders in and around The House, committed by someone who called himself "The Bat".
Ordinarily, with Vincent Price in the cast, you would already have your culprit. He's a doctor who has a laboratory not far from The Creepy House, and we see him there at night, dissecting bats he has caught in the area in order to study their brains for signs of rabies. If this were a Mad Scientist movie, that would make him a nutjob, and guilty, but this is a Whodunit and the case against Price is far from cut and dried.
There is also The Butler to blame, if you wish. He is brooding and vaguely European, handsome but worn down, so you could do worse than to choose him as your main suspect. I'll not prejudice you toward any one person. Even Agnes Moorehead, savvy and standoffish as she is, doesn't have a clue as to what is going on, which is why she's packin' a pistol and plans to use it on "The Bat", if he gets any ideas about coming back.
But then she discovers he is already in the house. Now she is terrified. It's a big mansion, with all kinds of secret panels and hidden rooms and all the stuff you would expect in a Creepy Old House movie. "The Bat" could be hiding anywhere. You and I have already seen him. In fact, we've been on to him for a while, but while we see him come and go, we have no idea who he is because he wears a black stocking over his head.
Who will survive "The Bat"? Who will be his next victim? And will anyone locate the million dollars that the bank president is said to have stashed?
There's only one way to find out, which is to watch the movie and go into The Creepy Old House yourself, which I highly recommend you do. You'll not be alone in there, so don't worry. You'll have Agnes Moorehead to protect you, and anyway, you'll have a fair idea of where "The Bat" is hiding at any given time, so just stay away from those rooms and you should be okay.
"The Bat" gets Two Big Thumbs Up from me. It's more energetic than most "trapped in a house" movies. Everyone in the cast really buys in to the mystery, and as noted, we aren't stuck inside the house for the entirety of the film. There are other unsettling locations, including Price's lab, and a cabin in the woods. A company called The Film Detective has restored the print to perfection which makes it a joy to watch, because it gives you the feeling of sitting in the theater in 1959, watching it on first release. The spirit of 1950s horror is on full display.
Don't miss "The Bat". In fact, save it for a couple months, to watch around Halloweentime for maximum effect. ////
This is me speaking. It's the next morning once again. I won't make any disclaimers about "starting a blog the night before", haha. I'm enjoying my time off work. I had a nice hike yesterday afternoon up at Aliso Canyon, and I finally got a picture of the Aliso Coyote, which you know if you saw my posts on Facebook or Flickr. It was really nice of him or her to stand still for once! I've been hiking every day, and I went to El Escorpion Park on Sunday. I'm gonna put of my proposed trip to Disneyland for at least a month. That'll give you time to make plans to go with me! :):)
Well, that's all for now. Time to have lunch, then straighten up The Tiny Apartment. Another hike later this afternoon. See you tonight at the Usual Time, tons of love until then. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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