People are voting emotionally.

Lack of good storyline.

Disturbing yet enthralling

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Director: JEAN YARBOROUGH (sic in credit titles). Screenplay: John Thomas Neville. Story: George Bricker. Photography: Arthur Martinelli. Release prints processed in sepia. Film editor: Holbrook N. Todd. Art director: Paul Palmentola. Music director: David Chudnow. Production manager: Melville De Lay. Sound engineer: Farrell Redd. RCA Sound System. Associate producer: Guy V. Thayer jr. Producers: Jack Gallagher, Sigmund Neufeld.Copyright 17 December 1940 by Producers Releasing Corp. U.S. release: 13 December 1941 (sic). Opened in New York, but not reviewed by The New York Times. Australian release through Hoyts: 17 May 1945 (sic). 7 reels. 6,260 feet. 69 minutes.Alternative title: Killer Bats.SYNOPSIS: Crazy scientist nurtures a giant bat in his secret laboratory.NOTES: Directorial debut (for features) of former prop man, Jean Yarbrough.COMMENT: The new DVD version in which the original sepia tones are accurately reproduced is infinitely more watchable than the old black-and-white prints that surface from time to time on late-night television. True, the inert dummy that does duty for the comatose giant bat is as tacky as ever, but the sets are reasonably impressive, whilst the players, led by over-zealous Bela Lugosi, personable hero Dave O'Brien, lovely Suzanne Kaaren and the talented Yolande Dolan (here masquerading as Yolande Mallott), do their level best to keep the silly plot pacing along, despite Yarbrough's somewhat static direction.

The Devil Bat (1940) *** (out of 4)Bela Lugosi plays a scientist who decides to get even against those he feels doubled crossed him. He creates a special cologne like substance that he gives to those he wants to target and then he unleashes a large bat that then attacks them. A newspaper man comes to cover the story and tries to find out who is behind the mysterious killings.Even after delivering a terrific performance in SON OF FRANKENSTEIN, the following year Lugosi was back at the budget companies where he made this film for PRC. THE DEVIL BAT certainly isn't a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination but if you're a fan of Lugosi or B movies then there's certainly enough here to keep you entertained.I've always enjoyed watching these B movies from Lugosi because you could never tell from his performance that he was appearing in cheap material. In other words, no matter if he was at Universal or someplace like PRC, the actor still gave it his all and delivered a fun performance. He certainly goes over-the-top with his high energy but this just brings life to the picture and I really loved his approach here. I especially loved the way he would say goodbye to all of the victims. Outside of Lugosi's performance, the supporting cast is also good. Dave O'Brien and Guy Usher are entertaining as the reporter and his photographer. More fun comes from the bat attacks themselves. While it's obvious how they were done, the effects are still good enough to see why this film became a pretty good hit back when it was released. At just 68 minutes the movie certainly flies by and it contains a nice mix of horror and comic relief. THE DEVIL BAT isn't Oscar material but it's a fun little film.

Low budget B picture with career-faltering Bela Lugosi directed by Jean Yarboro who directed Abbott & Costello movies.Lugosi's workshop has not one, not two, bit THREE secret rooms! What's up with that? By the time this film was made, he was already looking like a mess from his drug habit. But he's able to pull it together for most scenes. The music in this movie is canned and really over the top that sort of adds to the kitchi-ness of the movie. Particularly when the absolutely gigantic bats are in the screen. You've never seen anything so big!The guy from Reefer Madness is in this too. Guess he got around.Is the movie good? No way. But if you are in for a wacky film late at night, this could be your bag.The PlotDr. Carruthers feels bitter at being betrayed by his employers, Heath and Morton, when they became rich as a result of a product he devised. He gains revenge by electrically enlarging bats and sending them out to kill his employers' family members by instilling in the bats a hatred for a particular perfume he has discovered, which he gets his victims to apply before going outdoors. Johnny Layton, a reporter, finally figures out Carruthers is the killer and, after putting the perfume on himself, douses it on Carruthers in the hopes it will get him to give himself away. One of the two is attacked as the giant bat makes one of its screaming, swooping power dives.

Imbecile, Bombastic, Ignoramus.The Devil Bat is directed by Jean Yarbrough and written by George Bricker and John T. Neville. It stars Bela Lugosi, Suzanne Kaaren, Dave O'Brien, Donald Kerr and Gary Usher. Straight out of Poverty Row is this PRC production that's as bonkers as it is fun. Plot sees Lugosi as a fed up cosmetic chemist who decides that the company he provides his inventions for have not done right by him financially. So in his secret laboratory at home he breeds big killer bats, bats that he rears to kill anyone wearing the scent of aftershave lotion that he has handed out to the targets of his ire. As the bodies begin to mount up and the press whip up a devil bat on the loose storm, journalists Henry Layden (O'Brien) and "One Shot McGuire" close in on the source of the town's terror.The low budget is often evident, be it props and sets that shouldn't move etc, but at just over an hour in length this gets in and does its job with a sort of carefree abandon that is to be admired. Lugosi is having fun shifting from borderline mania to crafty dastard with a sense of humour, and of course there are big scary bats that shriek before homing in for the girl. Result! The flaws are obvious throughout, not least that Lugosi ends up playing second fiddle to the journalists' blend of bravado and buffoonery, but as time fillers go, and as Lugosi's Poverty Row Horrors go, this is impossible to dislike and not have a good time with. 6/10