My Halloween movie-viewing luck has turned. Thus far this season, I've been randomly selecting old horror films and until now they've been somewhat . . . mediocre. Notable mainly for their cliches and cheesy charm. And although I'm a huge fan of cheesy charm, I was glad to finally stumble upon a film that is a few more rungs up on the quality ladder.
The Bat is a 1959 film starring Vincent Price and one of my favourite actresses, Agnes Moorehead. In her pre-Endora days. The film is based on a play of the same name, which, I once read, may have provided some of the inspiration for Batman. Although having now seen the film, I very much doubt it. But I digress.
The film takes place in a spooky old house that has been rented by a mystery writer and her maid/companion. The house was the scene of a series of murders several years before committed by a killer known as The Bat, and news reports that he is free again have led most of the servants to quit. Making the house nearly deserted in addition to spooky and old. Meanwhile, the house's current owner, a bank president, has embezzled the bank's money, left an underling to take the blame, and hidden the money somewhere in the house. Unfortunately, he dies before he can retrieve it, leaving someone very interested in finding it.
Despite Vincent Price's star billing, Agnes Moorehead has the central role in this film. Producers were likely counting on Vincent Price being a more recognizable name at the box office. The character of Cornelia is central to a group of several female characters, including the companion, the wife of the embezzler's scapegoat, and the bank president's former secretary, who find themselves together in the house, and stalked by The Bat, one dark night.
In spite of some screaming and hysteria (I'd scream too if confronted by The Bat) all of the female characters are strong and likable and are integral to the solving of the mystery. A solution which is not obvious from the beginning in a plot peppered with red herrings and misdirection. It's the first of this season's films that I wouldn't hesitate to watch again.
The Bat is a 1959 film starring Vincent Price and one of my favourite actresses, Agnes Moorehead. In her pre-Endora days. The film is based on a play of the same name, which, I once read, may have provided some of the inspiration for Batman. Although having now seen the film, I very much doubt it. But I digress.
The film takes place in a spooky old house that has been rented by a mystery writer and her maid/companion. The house was the scene of a series of murders several years before committed by a killer known as The Bat, and news reports that he is free again have led most of the servants to quit. Making the house nearly deserted in addition to spooky and old. Meanwhile, the house's current owner, a bank president, has embezzled the bank's money, left an underling to take the blame, and hidden the money somewhere in the house. Unfortunately, he dies before he can retrieve it, leaving someone very interested in finding it.
Despite Vincent Price's star billing, Agnes Moorehead has the central role in this film. Producers were likely counting on Vincent Price being a more recognizable name at the box office. The character of Cornelia is central to a group of several female characters, including the companion, the wife of the embezzler's scapegoat, and the bank president's former secretary, who find themselves together in the house, and stalked by The Bat, one dark night.
In spite of some screaming and hysteria (I'd scream too if confronted by The Bat) all of the female characters are strong and likable and are integral to the solving of the mystery. A solution which is not obvious from the beginning in a plot peppered with red herrings and misdirection. It's the first of this season's films that I wouldn't hesitate to watch again.