In theory Crane Wilbur's adaptation of Mary Roberts Rinehart's novel The Circular Staircase - which was adapted for the stage in collaboration with Avery Hopwood - should have worked. Or work better than it does here. This is a story of greed, murder, corruption, deceit and things that go bump in the night. It has all the trappings of an effective horror movie. Two of the previous film adaptations - a 1926 silent version, released under the same title, and a sound remake called "The Bat Whispers" (1930), were both highly influential. Some claim the movies inspired comic book writer Bob Kane to create his most famous character - Batman!
Those movies were also visually arresting. "The Bat" borrowed from elements of German Expressionism while "The Bat Whispers" featured impressive camera work, creating a swooshing effect, as if flying like a bat. This "modern" version however doesn't improve upon what had come before it.
Than as now, could it have been someone believed the movie should have been remade simply because? Was someone in Hollywood under the misguided impression "we could remake those old movies better now"? Or could it have been someone was looking through old horror movies hoping to find one that could be remade to star Vincent Price, as was the case with "House of Wax" (1953).
The setting is The Oaks, a summer home being rented by mystery writer Cornelia van Gorder (Agnes Moorehead). It will serve as this story's "haunted house". Cornelia's servants are so afraid by the mere suggestion of entering the house, they quit. Leaving Cornelia only with her faithful assistant, Lizze (Lenita Lane). Of course the viewer can't figure out what is so scary about the place. Perhaps because it is so efficiently lit by cinematographer Joseph Biroc, whom I felt could have done a lot more with shadows and lighting to create an eerie atmosphere. As for the house itself, it looks quite comfy. Haunted house movies, like "The Bat" and the silent masterpiece, "The Cat and the Canary" (1927), work because the houses look scary and forbidding. They are old and creaky. Usually its revealed they haven't been touched since a person died. The Oaks looks like a very expensive suburban home. So, it seems out of place when everyone gets the jitters merely looking it.
Also putting the fright in everyone is the threat of being the next victim of The Bat - murderer prowling around. Naturally, the killer looks nothing like a bat. He merely wears a black mask over his face - resembling an executioner more than anything else. This is the complete opposite of what the character looked like in the silent version. The character in this version also wears a glove with long claws, at best resembling a cat or lion. Was the Executioner Cat already taken as a title? Or would that sound ridiculous as a title and lack the realism of one like The Bat?
Further ingredients being stirred into the pot include a bank president, John Flemming (Harvey Stephens). He is the owner of The Oaks and admits, while on a hunting trip, to have embezzled one million dollars from the bank. His confidant is Dr. Wells (Vincent Price), whom he would like to help produce a body they can claim is the corpse of Flemming, to ensure he would not be a suspect. The question I had is why? Why did Flemming steal the money? It seems he did it for kicks. Why not lay into some old cliche like he was broke and in desperate need of money to keep his home, family and standing in the community. In the silent version this part of the plot is implied to have happened months after Cornelia has rented the home. The story however lingers in the air, causing everyone's fear. Here the two events - Flemming's death and Cornelia's renting of the house - seem to happen simultaneously.
Some of this material from Wilbur's screenplay is meant to be played for comedy. That's the purpose of the Lizzie character. I never found the performance quite funny however. Lenita Lane is no Bob Hope - who starred in "The Cat and the Canary" (1939) - a sound remake. Even the silent version of "The Bat" added moments of humor. The cast here doesn't seem able to project the humor and is better at playing this material semi-serious. Moorehead seems in on the tongue-and-cheek nature of what is going on here and gives one of the movie's best performances.
Although considered an icon in the horror genre by us old-timers, Vincent Price was establishing himself in the genre at this time. Prior to 1950s Price was coming off of "legitimate" acting in serious movies - "The Song of Bernadette" (1943), "Leave Her To Heaven" (1945), "Shock" (1946). In the 1950s he was appearing in "The Ten Commandments" (1956) and even found time to play Casanova against Bob Hope in "Casanova's Big Night" (1954). By the time "The Bat" (1959) was released things were a changing. Price had already appeared in "The Fly" (1958), "House on Haunted Hill" (1959) and "The Tingler" (1959). After "The Bat" he began his collaboration with filmmaker Roger Corman on the Edgar Allan Poe adaptations. To the extent the movie is watched and remembered today it would be largely because of Price.
Director Crane Wilbur had a long career in the movies, dating back to the early 1900s. He was not known for the horror genre and "The Bat" was his last credited movie as a director. He wrote his final screenplay for "House of Women" (1962) but went uncredited as director. Perhaps a lack of understanding about the genre explains why he didn't get more from his performers and didn't create more scares. He seems to have no real flair for the genre. Much of "The Bat" functions as a mystery not a horror movie - given the movie's poster and the fact it was released on a double-bill with "The Mummy" (1959) - this was most certainly not the intention of the studio.
Even as a mystery "The Bat" is a bit of a disappointment and does a sloppy job in the way it tries to cast suspicion on a group of the characters. We never really suspect any of the "suspicious" characters. It feels kind of force.
Still there is a part of me that finds "The Bat" to be a silly lark, a piece of harmless entertainment. I realize that's not the best way you would want to describe a mystery/horror movie. I like watching Price and Moorehead on-screen as well. Price isn't anywhere near as campy as he would be in later movies. He plays things straight here. It is Moorehead that is the more animated between the two. Some may also find it interesting to note Darla Hood appears in this movie. She was best known for her role in the Our Gang comedy series.
"The Bat" is a well meaning unambitious lark. It could have been a really effective horror movie but instead settles for being a light diversion. Watch the movie for Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead. You should however watch both the silent version and the sound remake to see this material done right.
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