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★★★★
Directed by: Crane Wilbur
Written by: Crane Wilbur, Mary Roberts Rinehart, Avery Hopwood
Starring: Vincent Price. Agnes Moorehead, Gavin Gordon and John Sutton
Throwback Film Review by: Rachel Pullen
The Bat (1959) Film Review
I like to watch the movies of the past, I like to confuse my brain about when people can solve problems without constant access to the internet and you see stuff like phone books and people accessing public records in libraries, it’s a wild ride in the old times. There is something soothing about the whole affair, but that aside, I am actually quite a fan of the old pictures, and one of my favourite stars of the silver screen is the one and only horror gent, Vincent Price.
So, this week we are going to be diving into my favourite of Mr Price's movies, The Bat…think nothing like Batman and everything like films that are not Batman but involve bats…ok, got that? Let’s go.
Mrs Gorder is a mystery author, she comes to town to stay in her rented summer house, straight off the bat; she has coin, flexing all over town with her summer house and hats that she wears…she has so much money swag that as soon as she comes to town, she insists on going to the bank to probably to get a load of single dollar bills to throw at poor people for her own entertainment, but wait someone has robbed the bank! Drama.
No wait that’s not the only drama, because at the same time some dude in a costume, not a bat one but hey we have to deal with copyright I’m sure, is murdering women at night, everyone is like damn the bank, but ignore that, some bat dude is stabbing chicks, oh wait is there a fire, oh wait the bank…this town is going to get like 0 stars on Tripadvisor as a holiday destination that’s for sure.
Mrs Gorder is like hold up guys and gals, maybe these bank/fire/murders are all connected, I’ve written books, I should know, and damn right she should because she soon figures out that the house has a secret room in it, (sure she nearly suffocates in it at one point, but she found it, so…you know, good on her) thanks to people who work at the bank that was robbed who had blueprints, and they figure that’s where stuff is being stashed…right in her summer rental, I’m sure it will be on fire soon.
No wait the garage is now on fire, but the ladies of the town have all ganged together in fear of the killing bat dude and decided to wait inside to catch the bat as he tries to access the secret room, and sure enough, they do, he gets shot, falls to the ground and they unmask the man who has been doing the robbing/killing/fires…busy bat indeed.
Now, I know it seems that the storyline is a little all over the place, but The Bat is a classic whodunnit story, with twists and turns that constantly keep you guessing, and I will say I actually had no idea who the bat was!
Each character has great arcs and development, everyone plays a solid role within the small cast, and no one just floats around in the background, they are all essential to what feels more like a play than a movie - which it was based on.
The Bat is dynamic, captivating and well written, so if you are not one of those odd people who can't watch things that are in black and white, then strap yourself in for some non-Batman, bat-based crime adventures.
So this week we have learned…
If you flex ya cash someone is going to try and set you on fire.
Not all bats are here to save you.
And holiday rentals are a great place to commit crimes in the winter seasons.
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