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. Prolific writer/director Crane Wilbur (He Walked by Night, Crime Wave) helms this feature, with a cast that includes Agnes Moorehead (Bewitched) Gavin Gordon (Murder by Invitation) and in her last film role, Darla Hood of the Our Gang comedies. This gallery of weirdos is guaranteed to give you the creeps. Which of them is the mysterious killer known as “The Bat?” You’ll find out soon enough. But beware – the scream you hear may be your own!
For thoughts on The Bat (1959), please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
The Bat (1959) returns to Blu-Ray thanks to The Film Detective with a brand new 1080p master from a restoration of 35mm archival elements. While there is much to love about this presentation, there are some fundamental issues that keep things from being perfect. The major issue is the almost total absence of natural film grain which makes the film feel more artificial and lacking texture. The new transfer does show off some depth within the film’s composition, but fine detail is lacking due to the scrubbing of the grain.
Black levels are deep with no overwhelming occurrence of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is well defined, and the track only experiences a very minor amount of flicker and density fluctuation in the print. The film is not without some nice looking shots, but it does not appear with natural filmic qualities such as textures on the clothing and within the production design. The film has been cleaned up immensely, but they overdid it with the degraining of the picture. The Film Detective has delivered an inconsistent presentation that will look great to some and really bug others.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a serviceable DTS-HD 2.0 track that serves this movie well within its limited sonic ambitions. Dialogue and background noises are balanced when confronted with all competing elements. There are never any moments where you struggle to understand what anyone is saying. You will not find many anomalies such as age related wear and tear or hissing and crackles. The track can sound a bit thin when it comes to the tonally odd soundtrack, which likely dates back to the source elements. This music never overpowers the dialogue or other important information. While not the most dynamic or crisp presentation you have ever heard, it gets the job done. There are optional English and Spanish subtitles included.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Professor and Film Scholar Jason A. Ney delivers a really informative commentary track in which he talks about the source material, how this adaptation honors and deviates from the story, the background of the performers, the direction of Crane Wilbur, how it attempted to subvert audience expectations, among other topics. This is a well-researched track that is worth checking out.
- The Case For Crane Wilbur: A nearly 23-minute featurette which gives an incredible overview of the life and career of director Crane Wilbur
- Classic Radio Episodes Featuring Vincent Price
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- Suspense, November 23, 1943 “The Strange Death Of Charles Umberstein”
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- Suspense, June 1, 1944 “Fugue In C Minor”
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- Suspense, September 12, 1946 “Hunting Trip”
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- Escape, January 31, 1950 “Present Tense”
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- Escape, March 17, 1950 “Three Skeleton Key”
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- Escape, June 30, 1950 “Blood Bath”
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- Theatre Of Romance, October 9, 1945 “Angel Street”
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- Hollywood Star Time, May 19, 1946 “The Lodger”
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- The CBS Radio Workshop, April 6, 1956 “Speaking Of Cinderella”
- Booklet: This release comes with a booklet featuring the essay “The Case of the Forgotten Author: The Literary Conundrum Of Mary Roberts Rinehart” by Professor and Film Scholar Jason A. Ney.
Final Thoughts
The Bat (1959) is most entertaining thanks to the joy that comes from seeing two greats like Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead together on screen. These two have a natural charisma which enhances the more lethargically paced stretches of the film. Yet, they alone are not strong enough to completely push this film beyond a more “passable” territory on the quality scale. The film has fun moments, but more often than not the film seems to lack the focus and drive necessary to deliver even the minimum amount of thrills. The Film Detective has delivered a Blu-Ray release that sports a mixed bag of an A/V presentation and some fun special features. If you are a Vincent Price fan, this is still worth checking out.
The Bat (1959) (Special Edition) is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: The Film Detective 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.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.