"The Bat" is yet another Vincent Price classic (I'm kind of a fan if you didn't notice). As usual he turns in a commanding performance, but he is not the only good part of this movie. It is all around a good offering.

A bank robbery leaves a million dollars up for grabs if anyone has the wherewithal to figure out where it’s hidden. In the mix are a wily doctor (Price), a mystery writer (Agnes Moorehead who should be familiar to fans of classic TV) who happens to be renting the house that supposedly contains the stolen stash, and a mysterious killer who calls himself The Bat (kind of a Batman crossed with Catwoman type of guy but more murderous). With multiple people acting suspiciously, any one of whom could possibly be the killer in the Bat mask, the would-be treasure hunters don’t know who to trust.

The masked killer is vicious and relentless leaving bodies in his wake. He seems to easily thwart attempts to catch him and proves he’s delighted to kill anyone that crosses his path. The character of the Bat is actually a pretty good design. He wears black to blend in with the shadows, a mask to hide his face, and claw-like finger attachments that seem like they would get in the way but also provide good weapons. It’s campy, sure, but also somewhat practical in horror movie terms. Then again, maybe I’m just glad to have a bat motif rather than another monkey (which seems to be the only animal most black and white horror movies care to use).

The acting is largely quite good. It’s certainly not the best, but I liked most everyone. Price is the main draw for me, but there are other names here that might interest some viewers. I’ve already mentioned Moorehead who might be considered the star of this flick. It’s her mystery writer character that we spend the most time with, and she does a nice job with the role. I rather expected her to fall into the tired cliché of the screaming/fainting old lady. OK OK she’s not THAT old, I didn’t mean it like that.

While no one else can match these two in presence everyone carries themselves solidly. Each one suspected of being the Bat gives good reasons to generate suspicions but also provides reasonable explanations for their actions which creates a fun air of mystery.

There’s not much I will criticize here. It does seem to try too hard to create questions about who the Bat really is by creating suspicions and doubts to keep the viewer on their toes, but the uncertainty is part of the fun of the cinematic experience so I can forgive going overboard with it. Some of the scares are campy, but overall the atmosphere of the creepy old house is a good one. Secrets rooms are a staple of classic haunted house tales so naturally this one has some to offer, though it also makes the effort of providing a reasonable explanation.