Share
Released to theatres in 1933, "The Vampire Bat" is
a suspenseful film that features a variety of exceptional and well known
actors. Though director, Frank R. Strayer rarely ventured outside the
perimeter of independent studios, he understood well the value of good
actors and recruited a handful of individuals who at the time were rapidly
earning recognition throughout the entertainment industry.
Lionel Atwill plays the mysterious yet well educated Dr. Otto von Niemann, a man that serves as a valued and trusted confidant of the villagers who reside in the close-knit town of Klineschloss. Born in London, England in 1885, Atwill came to the United States in 1915 to pursue a career in acting after taking up theatre in England. Upon his arrival to the United States, Atwill continued his stage work while supplementing his income with silent films. His first silent film was "Eve's Daughter" produced in 1918. Though originally a stage actor, Atwill is most famous for his roles in a variety of horror films in the 1930s. After revealing that he had an astounding ability to play dark and mysterious characters, Atwill was quickly typecast into villain roles, and became especially fond of murder movies and horror films. Though he acted in over seventy films throughout the course of his career, Atwill's popularity within the entertainment industry began to plummet in the 1940s due to his involvement in a widely publicized sex scandal.
Acting alongside Lionel Atwill is the celebrated Melvyn Douglas, who stars as Karl Brettschneider, the suave detective who is quick to dismiss the townspeople's outlandish claims that there is a blood-sucking vampire with the ability to transform into a bat, terrorizing the village and preying on innocent victims. A multi-faceted actor, Melvyn Douglas, who's birth name was Melvyn Edouard Hesselberg, went on to win the Triple Crown of Acting in 1967. In addition to the Triple Crown award, Douglas was later the recipient of two Oscars for Best Supporting Actor in "Hud" a 1963 film, and "Being There", a film released in 1979. Douglas also won an Emmy in 1967 for his role in "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night", and a Tony Award for Best Dramatic Actor in Broadway's 1960 production of "The Best Man". Douglas became one of only three actors to win an Oscar, Tony, and Emmy award. Identified as a loyal Democrat, Douglas was actively involved in politics alongside his wife, Helen Gahagan, who served two terms in the lower house of the US Congress as a Representative from the state of California.
The talented Fay Wray plays Ruth Bertin, the scientifically inclined love interest of Karl Brettschneider. Later identified as "The Queen of Scream", Wray began acting in her early teens as a movie extra. The self-proclaimed ethnic Mormon moved to Los Angeles with her family and began playing the silent heroine in Western films at Universal. Early in her career, Wray was selected as one of thirteen young starlets whom the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers deemed most likely to succeed in pictures. Wray became an unforgettable actress shortly after the release of "The Vampire Bat" when she starred as Ann Darrow in the 1933 cult classic, "King Kong". Though Wray's appearance in "King Kong" earned her the reputation of possessing a scream that has yet to be replicated, Wray experienced a slow decline in the film industry that put her into low-budget action films by the mid-30s. Wray retired from the entertainment business in general in the 1940s until 1953, when she made a comeback as Catharine, Natalie Wood's mother in the television series, "The Pride of the Family". In 2004, Wray was approached by "The Lord of the Rings" director, Peter Jackson, who asked her to make a cameo appearance in his 2005 version of "King Kong". Unfortunately, Wray passed away before having the chance to work with Jackson.
Maude Eburne is the eccentric Gussie Schnappmann, a humorous old lady who is convinced that she has every disease known to mankind. Starring as Ruth's dotty aunt, Eburne spent a good portion of her career playing comedic servants on stage until 1931, when she transitioned into film acting. Eburne, who retired from the screen in 1951, acted in over 115 films throughout the course of her career.
Perhaps one of the most unforgettable characters is that of Herman Gleib, the town's simpleton played by Dwight Frye. Frye earned the reputation of Hollywood's "madman" after giving an eerie performance as Renfield in the 1931 version of Bram Stoker's "Dracula". Frye, who specialized in the portrayal of mentally unbalanced characters, starred in the 1931 version of "Frankenstein" as the doctor's hunchbacked assistant, and later played Karl in "The Bride of Frankenstein", released in 1935. Frye's ability to play mentally disturbed characters was so impressive that his portrayal of Renfield was immortalized in 1971 by the original Alice Cooper group in their song, "The Ballad of Dwight Fry", a nearly seven minute composition that appears on their "Love it to Death" album.
"The Vampire Bat" film is successful in that it brings in elements of various Horror stories that were popularly depicted on screen during the 1930s. The film incorporates the timeless European legend of the vampire, while also touching on man's obsession to play God by creating a life of their own as is seen in "Frankenstein". Though many aspects of the film are far-fetched, there are some elements of truth to it that may not be recognized by most people.
The opening scene of the film features a group of town councilmen meeting with Brettschneider in order to discuss possible explanations for the sudden deaths that have been randomly occurring throughout the town. The councilmen reference bloodsucking bats that were originally found in South Africa. This element of the film is true in that there are bloodsucking bats that exist in Mexico and Central and South America. Named after the European legend, these bats are called Vampire bats, and feast on the blood of other animals for survival.
Though it is uncommon, Vampire bats have been known to bite human beings for blood. Unlike the legendary vampire who punctures their victim's neck and drains the blood, Vampire bats make a small cut with their teeth, and lap up the flowing blood with their tongues.
The many characters of the movie accuse poor Herman Gleib of being the vampire that is killing members of the town due to the fact that he is especially fond of bats, and keeps quite a number of them as pets. Though it is illegal to own a bat as a pet, Vampire bats can be quite tame, and have been reported as being friendly to humans.
"The Vampire Bat" is not typically recognized as a B-movie cult classic. However, it is interesting to watch due to the fact that it features a wide array of would-be stars. Each actor does an excellent job of portraying their individual characters, and together, the actors create a somewhat educational film that surprises the viewer by revealing an unexpected twist that both shocks and disgusts the individual watching.
