The Bat (1959)

Actors: John Bryant (actor), Gavin Gordon (actor), Vincent Price (actor), Mike Steele (actor), Harvey Stephens (actor), John Sutton (actor), Robert Williams (actor), Elaine Edwards (actress), Darla Hood (actress), Lenita Lane (actress), Agnes Moorehead (actress), Riza Royce (actress), C.J. Tevlin (producer), Avery Hopwood (writer), Mary Roberts Rinehart (writer),

Plot: Mystery writer Cornelia Van Gorder has rented a country house called "The Oaks", which not long ago had been the scene of some murders committed by a strange and violent criminal known as "The Bat". Meanwhile, the house's owner, bank president John Fleming, has recently embezzled one million dollars in securities, and has hidden the proceeds in the house, but he is killed before he can retrieve the money. Thus the lonely country house soon becomes the site of many mysterious and dangerous activities.

Keywords: arson, bank, based-on-novel, based-on-play, bat, embezzler, forest-fire, grandfather-clock, mansion, murder
Genres: Horror, Mystery, Thriller,
Taglines: P.S. After seeing 'The Bat' 7 out of 8 people will get cold feet tonight! When Someone SCREAMS ... It Will Be YOU! When it flies, someone dies!

Quotes:

Dr. Malcolm Wells: In my report I shall state that death was caused by a stunning blow followed by severe laceration and hemorrhage.::Lt. Andy Anderson: In plain English, he didn't know what hit him.::Dr. Malcolm Wells: Oh he knew, but he didn't have time to think about it.

Cornelia van Gorder: [to Lizzie Allen] When you refer to my books, please don't call me "Miss Corny".

Cornelia van Gorder: [reading newspaper headline] Mr. Fleming will be laid to rest in his family's tomb on Monday.::Lizzie Allen: And I hope he stays there.::Cornelia van Gorder: Well why shouldn't he?::Lizzie Allen: This is his house, and ever since he died, some funny things have happened here.::Cornelia van Gorder: For instance?::Lizzie Allen: The housekeeper, the cook and the butler said that they heard strange noises at night, and the upstairs maid swore she met a man without a face coming up the back stairs.::Cornelia van Gorder: Oh so that's why they quit and left me to run this place without a staff.::Lizzie Allen: They didn't tell you, Miss Gordy, but the truth is they were scared to stay.::Cornelia van Gorder: But you're still here, Lizzie! Haven't you seen anything?::Lizzie Allen: No... no and even if I had, I ain't afraid of ghosts. They're afraid of me! Honest, Miss Gordy, a spiritualist once told me that ghosts was allergic to me. [Cornelia Van Gorder laughs] But, but this bat fella they keep talking about in the paper - I - I think he'd be different.::Cornelia van Gorder: No, I don't think you'd have the same effect on him. [thunder crashes] Oh dear!::Lizzie Allen: What are they trying to do, drive people away from this part of the country?::Cornelia van Gorder: Why? What does it say about the Bat?::Lizzie Allen: His specialty seems to be killing women, my goodness, two of them in one night, all his victims died the same way, like their throats had been ripped open with steel claws.::Cornelia van Gorder: That's charming, I'll have to try it some time. [Lizzie stares at her weird] In a book.

Lizzie Allen: [the wind is banging a shutter against the house] That ain't nothing, just something bumping against the house. [wind blows a door open and closed] That's just the wind banging the door, pay no attention to it. Listen to this, [reads paper] 'One of his victims who lived for a moment after she was found described the Bat as a man without a face'. Honestly, Miss Gordy, I think that woman was exaggerating. [a tapestry blows against an open window] That's just the taphestry at the top of the stairs.::Cornelia van Gorder: I know, I know, I've heard it before on a windy night. [taphestry clinks a shaking suit of armor] That sounds as if someone were on the stairs, I know there isn't, at least there shouldn't be.::Lizzie Allen: Them's just the noises you hear in any old house on a windy night. [reads the paper] It says here that the Bat never leaves no fingerprints.::Cornelia van Gorder: That's understandable, having no face he probably has no fingers either.

John Fleming: Doctor.::Dr. Malcolm Wells: Yes, John?::John Fleming: What would you do for half a million dollars?::Dr. Malcolm Wells: Anything short of murder.::John Fleming: Why not murder?::Dr. Malcolm Wells: Too messy.::John Fleming: Too great a risk?::Dr. Malcolm Wells: For half a million, yes.::John Fleming: I pinched a million from the bank.

Cornelia van Gorder: Surely you don't think he's...::Lt. Andy Anderson: Warner and I have met before, I can't recall where or when, but I will.

Cornelia van Gorder: This is the Oaks, a house in the country which I've rented for the summer. As an author I write tales of mystery and murder, but the things that have happened in this house are far more fantastic than any book I've ever had published.

Judy Hollander: [the Bat is pounding on the wall on the floor above them] What's that noise?::Dale Bailey: I don't know, I kind of fell half asleep, for a moment I thought it was something from a dream.::Judy Hollander: It's somewhere in the house!::Dale Bailey: Yes on a floor above, not directly over us, probably in a room overlooking the driveway.

Judy Hollander: [after finding Mark Fleming dead with his throat torn] I don't think I'll sleep tonight.::Dale Bailey: Me either.::Judy Hollander: All I can see is poor Mark Fleming just staring at us... I thought that when people died, their eyes closed, is in sleep.::Dale Bailey: Don't think about it.::Judy Hollander: I'll bet you're thinking about it.::Dale Bailey: No, I was thinking of my husband sleeping in jail tonight. Oh Judy I love him so much!

Judy Hollander: [the Bat, unbeknown, is pounding in the wall on the floor above] Should we call Miss Van Gorder?::Dale Bailey: She'll hear it, how can she help but hear it? Besides, we don't want her to think we're a couple of hysterical women.::Judy Hollander: Well I'm about to become one, I've about had it for one night. Dale you're not going out in that hall!::Dale Bailey: I want to find out what's happening up there!::Judy Hollander: But Lt. Anderson said if we stayed behind our locked doors we'd be safe.::Dale Bailey: Vick isn't safe locked up in that jail! Perhaps that stolen money is in this house, Mark Fleming seemed to think it was. Maybe that's what somebody's looking for.