Louise Fazenda is terrified of someone or some thing creeping around the mansion in THE BAT (1926), as are (L to R) Jewel Carmen, Emily Fitzroy and Eddie Gribbon.
An Undercrank Productions / UCLA Film & Television Archive Blu-ray/DVD release.
photo credit: The Museum of Modern Art Film Stills Archive

A mysterious master criminal known as The Bat witnesses a midnight bank heist and trails the robber to a dark and spooky mansion. Once there, The Bat terrorizes the inhabitants of the estate to get his hands on the stolen money in this stylized horror-comedy. Director Roland West was a master visual stylist with a penchant for the macabre. In The Bat he expertly manipulated light and shadow, and assembled a top-notch production crew that included expert art direction by William Cameron Menzies, and stunning photography by Arthur Edeson and Gregg Toland.

For thoughts on The Bat (1926), please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:

Video Quality

The Bat makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Undercrank Productions with a terrific restoration effort. The film is presented courtesy of a new 2K digital restoration made from 35mm film elements preserved by the UCLA Film & Television Archive. The film retains its natural grain well with no wild variances in quality. This allows for a decent amount of detail and textures on the costumes and within the production design of the house. The lovely black-and-white photography shines in high definition with favorable saturation. Black levels present with some decent depth with no serious issues with black crush.

The total runtime of the disc is less than two hours so there are no shortcomings when it comes to compression artifacts or anything of that sort. The expected limitations come with a film that is nearly 100 years of age, but this restoration makes it look the best it possibly can with no obvious shortcomings. The contrast is heartily defined with little in the way of flicker or unexpected variance to the print. The third act experiences a bit more damage than the early stretch of the film, but nothing remains that completely takes away from the experience. Undercrank Productions has treated this one with as well as you would hope.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray presents the film with an LPCM 2.0 lossless audio track that is very much appreciated considering most releases from Undercrank come with a lossy track. It is a small distinction, but the extra care put into this release deserves acknowledgment. The original score composed by Ben Model complements the story well and sounds great. The music is the only element to contend with in this track, and it comes through with ideal fidelity and no clipping or age-related anomalies. Silent film fans will love the sound quality of the disc.

The inhabitants of a creepy old mansion get a clue that the master criminal known as The Bat may be nearby in this scene from Roland West’s THE BAT (1926). photo credit: Undercrank Productions/UCLA Film & Television Archive

Special Features

A Fraternity Mixup: A nearly 20-minute short film directed by Percy Pembroke that showcases some bizarre experiences in a girl’s dormitory which is not limited to a gorilla suit appearance.

Roland West – Cinematic Man of Mystery A nearly nine-minute featurette that details the career of Roland West including controversial personal revelations and suspicions. There is some great information fans will definitely not want to skip over.

Final Thoughts

The Bat is a fun and somewhat creepy silent-era old dark house film with colorful characters and an engaging premise. The film keeps a really good pace by balancing amusing exchanges with the spectacle of the titular terror. Some audiences may have a resistance to silent films, but this is a good one to try out for newcomers looking for a gateway to this world. Undercrank Productions has released a Blu-Ray with a favorable A/V presentation and a couple of welcome supplemental features. You have to love it when a film of this vintage is given the utmost care. Recommended

The Bat will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD on October 15, 2024.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Undercrank Productions has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.