Grade: C
Synopsis: After villagers start turning up dead and drained of blood, local townspeople suspect a vampire.
The Vampire Bat is a highly atmospheric thriller that works almost in spite of itself.
For the first three-quarters, The Vampire Bat is a solid a mystery-thriller. The very American Melvyn Douglas plays a German policeman who, along with a doctor played by Lionel Atwill, investigates a series of mysterious deaths in the local village. All signs point to a vampire and the local loon played by Dwight Frye (in a performance very reminiscent of his turn in Dracula (1931)) is the chief suspect.
The film slowly builds in suspense and mystery until, surprisingly, the final quarter veers into sci-fi territory. Granted, the special effects are laughably bad, but the diversion gives the story a welcome and unique twist that makes this hour-long diversion a bit more memorable.
Bottom Line: While it’s by no means a classic, The Vampire Bat should please fans of the early Universal Monster films.
