Horrorfest 2021: The Vampire Bat

The Vampire Bat (1933)
Written by Edward T. Lowe Jr.
Directed by Frank R. Strayer
Starring Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Melvyn Douglas, Dwight Frye and Maude Eburne
USA

Where has this movie been all my life? Apparently a bargain basement studio called Majestic Pictures threw this cheapie together in a desperate attempt to steal the thunder from an upcoming movie from a competitor. You see, the Lionel Atwill and Fay Wray joint THE MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM was about to come out, so Majestic swooped in, scooped them up, threw together a horror movie real quick and stole Warner Bros. thunder.

Here’s the thing, though: it’s pretty good. I guess Majestic was somehow able to get a bunch of left over sets from Universal horror films, and they hired character actor Dwight Frye to add some color to a bunch of scenes – you might remember him as a scene stealing Renfield in DRACULA or an equally scene stealing Fritz in FRANKENSTEIN (the archetype for the Igor character you are familiar with you today).

Now, Dwight Frye is one of my favorites. This movie made me decide he’s officially in my top 10 favorite actors. I mean this guy really puts the work in. And he seems modern, too. That’s what struck me in this flick – he seemed to have the look and mannerisms of a more modern actor, even though he’s hanging out in a movie from 1933.

I’ve said so much and I haven’t even gotten into the plot. Let’s see – Lionel Atwill, most famous for playing the one-armed inspector in SON OF FRANKENSTEIN a few years later – stars as a mad scientist (a role he’d repeat in many Universal movies later) who has created an artificial lifeform that needs fresh blood to live. To get this, he hypnotizes an unlucky servant to carry out murders for him. The townspeople think the murders might mean there’s a vampire in town, and local crazy guy Dwight Frye, who thinks bats are cute, seems to be the perfect scapegoat.

I’ve told things a little out of order here, but along with THE BLACK SLEEP, DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE, MARK OF THE VAMPIRE and WHITE ZOMBIE, this is one of the best non-Universal Universal-style horror films out there.