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The Bat

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The Bat

Released Aug 9, 1959

1h 20m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

17%

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6 Reviews

47%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

A killer called the Bat has claimed many lives in the small town inhabited by novelist Cornelia van Gorder (Agnes Moorehead) and her maid, Lizzie (Lenita Lane). As Cornelia implores Dr. Malcolm Wells (Vincent Price) to help her ailing maid, $1 million in the town's bank goes missing. With greed and fear reaching new heights, police Lt. Andy Anderson (Gavin Gordon) goes to Cornelia's house to investigate additional murders committed by the Bat.

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

The movie is extremely talky and stagy, and it has a flat, scrubbed look, evenly-lit and little use of shadows or contrast. Even though it's a murder story, it's pretty dull.

Rated: 2/4

Nov 15, 2022

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

What it lacks in smart scripting it makes up for in smart casting.

Rated: 2.5/4

Oct 30, 2022

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Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

The Bat is generally a pleasurably mystery cheapie, though with a narrative that seems to cut corners and conveniently withhold information for its pat resolution.

Rated: 2.5/5

Oct 14, 2020

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

The stars chew the scenery and the supporting cast give limited performances.

Rated: C+

Jan 22, 2006

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 3/5

Aug 14, 2005

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Ken Hanke

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Botched version of the famous play. Stick with 1926 and 1930 versions.

Rated: 1/5

Aug 13, 2003

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Blu B

Pretty decent mystery with some good moments of moody and atmosphere. Agnes Moorehead isn't and probably the best thing in this. The villian isn't bad either. The acting is just alright though overall and the characters are what hold this back from being good. Most of the other actors save for Price are wooden and very forgettable. All the women end up blending in together and are extremely forgettable. Whenever it cuts to any scene with them it ends up just being very boring. The mysery itself is a interesting clever Scooby Doo/ Murder She Wrote type of setup. The setting is memorable and the direction an't bad but it can be very basic and doesn't really have much mood and it's not as sharp as a Hitchcock style one. Moorehead's character as a murder mystery writer also just feels very inconsequential besides an occasional plot convience here and there. If the characters were better and maybe some more consistent direction, this would be good. But unless your a hardcore Moorehead or Price fan, most could skip this.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/23/24

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Audience Member

Daring! Came out before I was born.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

06/11/24

Full Review

Joel H

I expected a bit more ghoulishness from The Bat. I enjoy Vincent Price movies as well as a good whodunnit, but this murder mystery falls flat. It is based on a stage play and it feels like a stage play. I think this plot may have played better in the theatre, though. The Bat's disguise would be a fun Halloween costume, but it didn't really strike fear into my heart. The dialogue is bland and mostly just filler. And while Agnes Moorehead is trying her best to seem authoritative and interesting, her leading lady performance is lacking. It's a shame, really. I was looking forward to watching this one.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

11/05/23

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Monsol E

A fun whodunnit. A faceless killer with a clawed hand and trained bats has caught wind of a stolen fortune hidden in a house, currently being rented by a mystery author...he decides to claim it for himself...but he's not the only one! Some of the cast was a bit stiff, but Price was delightful as always. I did guess The Bat's identity before the reveal, but it took a while. A good watch for classic mystery fans.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/13/23

Full Review

deke p

hokey goofy schlock. almost unwatchable. An old maids mystery. No 'horror' except guy called the Bat wearing clawed gloves. Saw it again, hopefully for the last time 2.11.22

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A thriller/mystery/suspense classic! Agnes Moorehead (Endora from Bewitched) gives one of her greatest performances in this film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

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Crane Wilbur

Director

Vincent Price

Dr. Malcolm Wells

Agnes Moorehead

Cornelia van Gorder

Gavin Gordon

Lt. Andy Anderson

John Sutton

Warner

Lenita Lane

Lizzie Allen

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Synopsis

A killer called the Bat has claimed many lives in the small town inhabited by novelist Cornelia van Gorder (Agnes Moorehead) and her maid, Lizzie (Lenita Lane). As Cornelia implores Dr. Malcolm Wells (Vincent Price) to help her ailing maid, $1 million in the town's bank goes missing. With greed and fear reaching new heights, police Lt. Andy Anderson (Gavin Gordon) goes to Cornelia's house to investigate additional murders committed by the Bat.

Director: Crane Wilbur
Producer: C.J. Tevlin
Screenwriter: Crane Wilbur
Distributor: Allied Artists Pictures
Production Co: Liberty Pictures
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 9, 1959, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 1, 2016
Runtime: 1h 20m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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