During 1959, in the wake of William Castle’s hit, THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, came this updating of the classic story, THE BAT WHISPERS (which was originally a novel, then a play, and in 1930, finally became a movie). While not quite living up to the 1930 classic on the whole, this version benefits by having the presence of the legend, Vincent Price. Surprisingly, Vincent does not play the murderous title character called The Bat, instead his character is a red herring. But, his role of Dr. Malcolm Wells, is not without his own sinister agenda. The Roan Group recently released this overlooked film on a double feature DVD with the seminal THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL.

The film is written and directed by veteran Crane (HOUSE OF WAX) Wilbur, and features Agnes (Endora from BEWITCHED) Moorehead as mystery writer Cornelia Van Gorder. Lenita (THE MAD MAGICIAN) Lane plays her friend and maid Lizzy. Gavin (NOTORIUS) Gordon portrays Police Chief Anderson, a man hot on the trail of the title character. John (RETURN OF THE FLY) Sutton is murder suspect Warner, who is also Cornelia’s chauffeur. Remember the wide-faced girl Darla from THE LITTLE RASCALS? She plays a grown up victim of The Bat, and she still has that strange, wide face.

Murder mystery novelist Cornelia Van Gorder buys a house belonging to a deceased embezzler (shot dead at the hands of Price’s Dr. Wells). The town happens to be in the grip of fear from a crazed murderer known as The Bat, who uses claw-like appendages to tear open the throats of his victims, usually two females at a time. When Cornelia and her loyal maid/friend Lizzy find themselves alone in the old dark house, their imaginations begin to run wild, or did they actually glimpse the killer inside the house?

One night, The Bat is caught in the act of breaking into the mission and kills one of Cordelia’s young assistants (Darla) trying to escape. Cornelia calls the police and the man assigned to the case, Anderson suspects everyone including Dr. Wells and Warner the butler, who has only been around for three months and has a criminal background. Dr. Wells warns Cornelia to leave the house as it has a history of tragedy. But she stays, and using her deductive reasoning skills (after all, she is an acclaimed mystery writer), determines that the killer is not after anyone particular. She believes The Bat is looking for the embezzlement money that the previous owner stashed some where in this big, shadowy house.

Everything comes to head when the suave Dr. Wells catches The Bat breaking into his office. A confrontation ensues and shots are fired. Back at the mansion, those clumsy police have fallen asleep while on duty. Cordelia searches the house for the embezzled money, and finds a hidden walk-in vault. As she goes inside, it slams shut and she is trapped inside the airtight vault. As Lizzy and the police search the house for Cordelia, someone dressed as The Bat sets the house on fire, prompting everyone to evacuate so he can finally loot the place. But Cordelia is suffocating from the lack of oxygen. If she manages to get out she’ll still be in the house with the killer!

Crane Wilbur’s script is taut and suspenseful all the way through the movie. Everyone and anyone is suspect, and there are plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing. There is also a layer of comedy to the proceedings, and even a touch of black humor. The acting is delightful from everyone, especially Price and Moorehead. Only Wilbur’s direction is a little wooden. He is a better script writer than he is a director.

There really are no special effects in the film as you would expect. Instead there is an abundance of varying applied shadowing combined with convincing lightning storms and wind generation effects which break open windows in the old dark house. The filmmakers make no attempt to keep the killer from the audience; we see him skulking about throughout the movie. The suspense comes from the fact we don’t know his identity, and we are led to believe that Price is The Bat until the fateful confrontation between the two. When these two dubious characters meet, you almost sorry for The Bat!

SIGHT

This 1959 film was shot 1.78.1 ratio and that is what Roan serves up here. Considering the age of the film, the transfer is in remarkably good shape. The images are either shades of pure black or shades of pure white (with a slight blue tinge) which makes for an eye catching image. There are a few nics and scratches in the transfer, but nowhere near as much as I expected. The blacks and shadow detail are what drives this film, and this is key to a picture of this nature. Lots of dark, shadowy corridors, staircases, and passageways, that just when you think it couldn’t get any blacker, The Bat himself shuffles by, and provides a new layer of blackness to assault your senses. The detail level is excellent and nicely used in the set design and shadowy art direction. Crane Wilbur attempted a moody atmosphere, at with that aspect of the film he succeeds. Particularly effective are the scenes of the killer skulking through the house, the storm scenes, and the discovery of the hidden vault. There is plenty of grain, but it is quickly lost in the black & white murkiness. I did catch some edge enhancement and ringing in one bedroom scene, but this is not going to ruin the film for you. Overall, Roan’s transfer nicely preserves the directors atmospheric intent.

SOUND

As on all Roan DVDs, here they present a Dolby Digital Mono (1.0) sound mix. I’m pleased to say, this mono soundtrack matches the quality video. The dialog comes though crisp and clear, the gunshots and other sound effects are loud but not distorted. There are no pops, or distortions of any kind normally associated with a film of this vintage. But I did detect some hiss during some quiet scenes, but it is minor. This is a dialog driven film, and the mono mix supports this perfectly. The menacing score is typical of 1950’s haunted house pictures, and it is used sparingly and in all the right places. In many scenes of The Bat sneaking through the house, no music is used and this layer of silence actually adds to the tension. As I usually do when evaluating DD Mono 1.0 and 2.0 soundtracks, I slowly turn up the volume until the dialogue distorts, and this film had a lower distortion level than most DVDs. See keep it at medium volume and you’ll be all set, since this does not need to be THX standards (not that THX standards are that high anymore).

FEATURES

No extras. Part of Roan’s Horror Classics Vincent Price Collection set along with HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL.

CONCLUSION

An enjoyable slice of 1950’s murder mystery melodrama featuring some great performance by the likes of Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead. Price portrays his character as a suave scoundrel, something that would later make him an icon. Though he is a secondary menace in the film, he steals whatever scenes he is in, as he delivers even casual lines with Poe-like emotion. Though the film is not without flaws, fans of old dark mansion movies should eat this up. If you are a gore monger you might find this has little to offer, but if atmospheric suspense, and mystery are your thing, you should check this one out. Roan has mastered the art of transferring older, black and white films to DVD and present THE BAT letterboxed here for the first time on home video. I’m a big fan of Roan’s work, and not to overplay their efforts, they still need to work on the extras and menu design. There is not even a menu on this DVD! You just load it up and the movie starts to play. Hopefully, they will take a little more pride in their future DVDs.

 THE BAT is available from DVDEmpire.com

14407

                                                 Rating (out of 5):