Red-Barracuda By the 1940's Hungarian actor Bela Lugosi was mainly seen in poverty row movies, such was the rapid fall he suffered in Hollywood. These cheap B-movies were mainly pretty bad but Lugosi always put in engaging performances no matter the quality of the material. I would definitely have to say that The Devil Bat ranks as one of the better of this particular bracket of films. It has Lugosi as a chemist who has been cheated out of money by some business partners. He uses electricity to create giant bats who are trained to attack and kill those who wear a specific after-shave he has developed, needless to say, he starts handing out free samples of this to those ex-partners he wants punished.This one is quite entertaining it has to be said. It has the benefit of a pretty decent monster that we see flying around at dusk and then swooping down to kill its unfortunate victims. It may not seem like much but seriously, for a poverty row creature feature, this is well above average. Lugosi is as ever good value as well. The plot-line is silly yet engaging enough with some quite memorable moments. It's still overall fairly average in general terms if I am being totally honest but for a poverty row movie it's definitely on the higher end of the scale. Certainly worth watching.

Michael_Elliott 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.

dougdoepke An inventor gets revenge on his treacherous employer and family by programming vampire bats to attack them.Wow, those devil bats look more like eagles than little flying mammals. I thought they might have to get a fighter plane to knock them down. Still, this is a tightly scripted, more believable than most, horror film. Sure, it's got its hokey elements; plus, it's a PRC production meaning the exterior sets are about ten-feet by ten-feet. But at least, Lugosi doesn't have to mug it up all the time. In fact, his nice guy is pretty persuasive, even if he's got his mad scientist moments. Good thing Dave O'Brien's around. He's really lively, more than expected for such a cheapo. And please, I'm lusting after the maid, Yolande Donlan. I can see why ace filmmaker Val Guest scooped her up for his prestige productions. Anyhow, this is a better than average little thriller that understandably led to several sequels. Thanks to the movie, however, I won't be using shaving lotion unless the window's closed and I'm going to bed.

arfdawg-1 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.