Synopsis:
"This fourth film version of the Mary
Roberts Rinehart-Avery Hopwood stage chestnut The Bat is so
old-fashioned in its execution that one might suspect it was
intended as "camp" (though that phrase wasn't in
common usage in 1959). Agnes Moorehead plays mystery novelist
Cornelia Van Gorder, whose remote mansion is the scene for
all sorts of diabolical goings-on. The "maguffin"
is a million dollars' worth of securities, hidden away somewhere
in the huge and foreboding estate. Vincent Price is seen committing
a murder early on-but he's not the film's principal villain.
Others in the cast include Gavin Gordon as an overly diligent
detective, and former Our Gang star Darla Hood as a murder
victim. The Bat was adapted for the screen by its director
Crane Wilbur, himself a prolific "old dark house"
scenarist and playright. Hal Erickson "
- from DVDPacific
My oppinion:
Any movie starring Vincent
Price is worth seeing in my opinion. The bat is
a nice, classic Black & White murder mystery, but sadly
it doesn't manage to live up to it's potential. There are
some moments of suspense, especially when some of the murders
accure, but it's a bit slow going at times. A little annoyance
was the large amount of stupid things the characters managed
to do during the movie. And though Vincent
Price has some moments where he shows his brilliance,
this is far from his best performance. Overall, the acting
was ok. I'd hoped for a great plot twist at the end, but the
killer was the one I'd guessed pretty early on in the movie.
Despite it's shortcomings, it's worth a shot, and definantly
worth the $2.19 that the "Platinum Disk" version
costs at DVD Pacific. Don't expect lots of extras on that
one though..
My rating: 
Want more info on this movie?:
IMDB
Buy "The Bat" at: DVD
Pacific, Amazon.com
or VideoUniverse
The Bat has been released on DVD by
several studios and the price varies a lot.
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