DEVIL BAT

I've seen "Devil Bat" more times than I should admit. It may be my favorite Bela Lugosi movie, despite the fact the script, music, production value, and all non-Bela acting are complete garbage.

In the early 1930's, Bela Lugosi was one of the top movies stars in the world. By 1940, he was struggling to find work, playing bit parts as hunchbacks and gypsies at Universal. He started moonlighting at "poverty row" studios like Monogram and Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC), making cheap-ass quickies like "Spooks Run Wild" and "Bela Lugosi Meets A Brooklyn Gorilla".

"Devil Bat" was Bela's first movie for PRC. He plays a kind, grandfatherly, scientist named Dr. Caruthers, who happens to keep a giant blood-sucking bat in his basement. It seems he invented a very successful cologne but never saw any of the profits. In order to seek revenge on the business execs who ripped him off, the disgruntled Bela does what any sane person would do: He creates a killer "Devil Bat" who feasts on anyone wearing his special aftershave.


It's nice to see Bela so happy.

Imagine if Bela worked at Enron. Wouldn't it be great to see a giant bat chasing Ken Lay down the street? How can you not root for this guy?

Of course, as with most horror movies, some do-gooders show up and spoil all the fun. This time, the "hero" is none other than Dave O'Brien of "Reefer Madness" fame ("Play it faster! FASTER!"), who plays some idiot reporter. But we didn't watch "Devil Bat" for Dave O'Brien, did we? Hell no.


"Somebody get this freakin' puppet off of me!"

The only reason we watch any Bela movie is for Bela, and he doesn't disappoint. Using his patented hairpin turn mood swings, Bela portrays Dr Caruthers as a bi-polar psychotic with a heart of gold. From the fatherly pride he shows when inspecting his newly created killer bat, to a "voices in my head" freak out, he is fully committed to his character in every scene.

That's what I respect most about Bela. Even when slumming it in b-movie bores like "Devil Bat", he never let's it show. Despite health problems, drugs addiction, and old age, Bela was always a professional. He did his job, even if the job was shitty.

So the next time you feel like slacking off at work, ask yourself this: What Would Bela Do?

EEGAH!

"Eegah need friends."

Richard “Jaws” Kiel plays Eegah, a lovesick caveman who just wants to fit in with the local teenagers. Unfortunately, he looks like Richard Kiel. Tough luck, Eegah!

Marilyn Manning plays Roxy, the object of Eegah’s primitive lust. She has the misfortune of discovering Eegah in a cave. Feeling sorry for him, she befriends the big dope and shaves his beard. As with every other “I discovered a caveman” movie, she should’ve left him alone.

Directed by Nicholas Merriwether (aka Arch Hall, Sr.) and co-starring William Watters (aka Arch Hall, Sr.) and Arch Hall, Jr. (aka son of Arch Hall, Sr.), this z-grade drive-in classic was one of several z-grade attempts by Senior to make Junior into a teen-idol. It didn’t work.

Eegah, like many other no-budget films, was shot without sound to save money, so Senior dubbed in all the male voices (except for Junior’s) himself. Another psychotronic pioneer, Ray Dennis Steckler in a cameo, gets thrown into a pool by Eegah. Is it any wonder Eegah can’t make any friends?