The Devil Bat

Rating:
Summary: Best Available version on DVD, but still not complete
Review: This is hands down, the best available copy of the Devil Bat available on DVD. The print is very good with only minor scratches and the extras are very good. The extras include photos and posters, commentary by Bela Jr, and the Suspense radio play, "The Doctor Prescribed Death."

There are two disappointments with this DVD. First, like all other copies out on VHS or DVD it is missing footage. Years ago when the Devil Bat ran on TV, it included the Coroner's Inquest scene. You even see the Coroner listed in the opening credits. Perhaps someday we will get a release with this missing footage. Second, the sound for "Doctor Prescribed Death" is somewhat uneven. I also collect the old Suspense radio show programs and I know that in most cases there is only 1 master copy of each show. Some are great and others are poor. This one is much better than most, but may annoy some fans that have to adjust the volume throughout the program.

However, these are only minor faults. I can't wait for more released under the "Bela Lugosi Presents" banner!

Rating:
Summary: Best Available version on DVD, but still not complete
Review: This is hands down, the best available copy of the Devil Bat available on DVD. The print is very good with only minor scratches and the extras are very good. The extras include photos and posters, commentary by Bela Jr, and the Suspense radio play, "The Doctor Prescribed Death."

There are two disappointments with this DVD. First, like all other copies out on VHS or DVD it is missing footage. Years ago when the Devil Bat ran on TV, it included the Coroner's Inquest scene. You even see the Coroner listed in the opening credits. Perhaps someday we will get a release with this missing footage. Second, the sound for "Doctor Prescribed Death" is somewhat uneven. I also collect the old Suspense radio show programs and I know that in most cases there is only 1 master copy of each show. Some are great and others are poor. This one is much better than most, but may annoy some fans that have to adjust the volume throughout the program.

However, these are only minor faults. I can't wait for more released under the "Bela Lugosi Presents" banner!

Rating:
Summary: so bat it is goot
Review: This would have simply been a terrible movie with laughable special effects if Bela Lugosi were not the star. As it is, he lends the film his uncanny talent of elevating even the worst flicks into pure entertainment.

It is funny. Some of the stock characters banter and talk real cool. A gigantic furry bat on a string shrieks like a teradactyl. Bela tells each of his victims "goodbye" before he sends them to their deaths at the maw of the devil bat.

Still Lugosi is worth watching as he plays yet another mad scientist bent on revenge. This time a brilliant perfume maker who is also capable of raising and training gigantic bats. There is a high body count for a film of this era, and unlike too many Lugosi films, Bela gets plenty of camera time.

The print looks good to my untrained eye--far better than my video copy. The extras aren't bad-- it's great to have any extras--most Lugosi films don't. The radio show is an interesting curio. I hope this DVD sells well so there will be more films in this series to recieve this deluxe treatment--such as The Corpse Vanishes...