In my review of 1935's "The Raven", I commented on Bela Lugosi's character who is an absolute egotist and utilizes his God-given gifts to take revenge. Here, he's another mad doctor, yet unlike the jealousy of his character there, his motivation is revenge for what he feels as being taken for granted in business. Given a check for $5000 for his invention which made rich man richer, he feels he is like a dog being thrown scraps, and invents a shaving lotion that attracts the man-biting titled animal who hates the scent and is enticed to kill. Having aged much since his star-making days of "Dracula" and the Karloff pairings of the mid 1930's, Lugosi is a bit hammier and as a result is now given material of a shoddier nature that stands the test of time in film history as being fun programmers with silly stories and weak co-stars where Lugosi dominates every moment he is on screen.
The actual "Devil Bat" is a silly looking creature, carried around by Lugosi upside down on a hangar and put into a vault where electric shock waves are meant to enlarge it so it will increase from the size of a sparrow to being even larger than a grown man's head. Close-ups of these bats aren't all that frightening, and inside the electric vault, Lugosi appears more to be cooking it than training it for his nefarious deeds. A very campy recurring line has Lugosi giving a very sinister "goodbye" to the goodnights said to him by intended victims.
Cleverly photographed so you don't see the string of the flying creature, this mixes it sinister elements with moments of corny comedy with visiting reporters (Dave O'Brien and Donald Herr) covering the story. Suzanne Kaaren is bland as the sister of two of the victims, involved with O'Brien, while Yolande Donlan is given the silly role of her family's maid, a girl who can't seem to say no. It's mainly filler nonsense that distracts from the outrageousness of Lugosi's scheme. But in an era where "PRC" meant "Pretty Rotten Cinema", this one is actually a lot of fun. No awards, certainly, but a film that is daffy entertainment certain to create a lot of unintentional laughs, and a perfect conclusion that lead to an unnecessary sequel, "Devil Bat's Daughter".
The actual "Devil Bat" is a silly looking creature, carried around by Lugosi upside down on a hangar and put into a vault where electric shock waves are meant to enlarge it so it will increase from the size of a sparrow to being even larger than a grown man's head. Close-ups of these bats aren't all that frightening, and inside the electric vault, Lugosi appears more to be cooking it than training it for his nefarious deeds. A very campy recurring line has Lugosi giving a very sinister "goodbye" to the goodnights said to him by intended victims.
Cleverly photographed so you don't see the string of the flying creature, this mixes it sinister elements with moments of corny comedy with visiting reporters (Dave O'Brien and Donald Herr) covering the story. Suzanne Kaaren is bland as the sister of two of the victims, involved with O'Brien, while Yolande Donlan is given the silly role of her family's maid, a girl who can't seem to say no. It's mainly filler nonsense that distracts from the outrageousness of Lugosi's scheme. But in an era where "PRC" meant "Pretty Rotten Cinema", this one is actually a lot of fun. No awards, certainly, but a film that is daffy entertainment certain to create a lot of unintentional laughs, and a perfect conclusion that lead to an unnecessary sequel, "Devil Bat's Daughter".