As always, there may be spoilers here. And the trailer may be NSFW and/or NSFL.
Session: Cheap Thrills! (Week 1)
Movie: The Devil Bat (1940)
Directed by Jean Yarborough
Having taken a buyout from his company, chemist Dr. Carruthers has seen others get rich from his inventions. Now he wants murderous revenge using his bloodthirsty bats. Horror ensues.
Reaction and Other Folderol:
Devil Bat doesn't have any pretensions to greatness or delusions of grandeur. It's just a simple entertaining story designed to entertain. And it delivers. It's also batshit crazy.
The funny thing is that the basic premise is relatable -- and it's something we've seen in other popular entertainment. One important element of the Breaking Bad backstory is that Walt had sold his share of the company helped found, only to see his old partners get rich from it. And I've heard stories about the Apple founder who sold out early on. Of course, it's easy to feel sorry for people who missed out on big paydays. But I am sure there are plenty of cases where people help found companies and sell their ownership stake, only to see those companies fold and fade into oblivion. Those stories, are, I am sure, way more common, but they don't interest us because there's no missed opportunity to see.
But I digress.
The effects are kind of silly. One might even say they're cheesy by today's standards. But they actually hold up really well. Better, I think, than CGI which in some ways looks more realistic. And I think they age better. It probably has to do with some subconscious reaction to models and rubber bats vs. the reactions to CGI.
But I digress. Again.
Bela Lugosi is a standout in a great cast, and PRC did a really good job of making a small budget film seem like much more than it is. This is really just a fun movie.
Ratings
Me: 8.2
Bob-O: 9.7
Christina: 9.1
Dave: 9.8
Ethan: 8
Joe: 10
Jonas: NR
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