"Lugosi's Really Gone Batty This Time"

Film: The Devil Bat (1940)

Alias: None

Type: Man-Made

Location: Haunted Home/Civilized area

Height/Weight: That of an Old-World Vulture.

Affiliation: Neutral and used for Evil

Summary: Back when Lugosi played Dracula, it seemed like he and things involving bats would remain inseparable. Well, look where we are now, with Bela playing a mad scientist making giant bats to exact revenge. How wonderful.

History: Dr. Paul Carruthers is very respected by his community, but it just isn't enough. According to him, he's been getting under-paid and under-appreciated by his associates at a cosmetics company. So, what better thing to do with his time than create a shaving-lotion that attracts giant electricity-empowered fruit bats? After all, bats make for perfect assassins, as proved by absolutely no one! Then again, whatever works. And it did.

Notable Kills: The bat's main tactic is divebombing people like they got hit by someone's runaway kite.

Final Fate: The first one is shot with a pistol, while the next one is blasted by a shotgun. Though the latter manages to kill his own creator after he unintentionally takes some lotion to the neck himself.

Powers/Abilities: If someone has the special lotion on his/her neck, the bat will sniff it out, no matter how far the target.

Weakness: Anything conventional.

Scariness Factor: 1-To the kid who obviously had to donate his kite to make this ugly thing, we can only pity you. A stiff prop from start to finish, the Devil Bat looks like the kind of thing you find at a dollar store. It doesn't help that all the close-ups are that of an adorable harmless fruit bat. The sounds the bats make also sound like a madman sneezing and/or hang-gliding.

Trivia: -The largest known species of bat is the Giant Golden-Crowned Flying Fox, otherwise known as a fruit bat. At least Bela did his research in terms of size. Any more would imply that he knew these bats ate, oh I dunno, FRUIT!!!

-This film was one of the first to be released by the Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC). It was cheap and quickly made, but it delivered according to audiences and critics.


Image Gallery


It's not getting stronger. It's just frying.

The Japanese have a new thing to fear.

Great. There's MORE than two.
For once, the fruit bat is menacing.


Killer beef jerky.
Even on this poster, the bat is as cute as a button.


Awwwww!
The plural part actually works for this film.

"Well, they certainly bred quickly."

"ACHOO!"


Trailer(s)