Six deaths in six weeks and the residents of Kleinschloss are getting jumpy, particularly since all the corpses have had their bodies drained of blood. Burgermeister Gustave Schoen (Lionel Belmore) and police chief Karl Brettschneider (Melvyn Douglas) are at a loss as to explain what's going on, though hints of a vampire at work seem to be on everyone's mind. It looks like the fall guy will be the mentally challenged Herman Glieb (Dwight Frye), who admits to keeping bats as pets and playing with them.
What's really going on is that the good doctor Otto Von Niemann (Lionell Atwill), in his quest to create life a la Frankenstein, has developed a mass of living tissue that needs human blood to sustain itself. His "creation" laughably resembles not much more than a large sponge in a lab jar, not very horrific and certainly not very threatening. Von Niemann has an unexplained telepathic link to an assistant named Emil, who does the doctor's bidding in providing a reliable blood supply, complete with the signature dual puncture marks on the throat of the victims.
Before it's all over, a posse of citizens chases down the pitiful Herman, who jumps to his death in a mountain cavern known as "Devil's Well", rather than allow himself to be captured. Dwight Frye created quite the niche for himself with knock offs of the Renfield character he portrayed in the original 1931 film "Dracula". In this one, he's particularly effective, complete with crazed look as he fondly strokes one of his many furry bat friends.
Fay Wray is on hand as romantic interest Ruth Bertin for police chief Karl, just a few short months away from the release of the film that forever defined her signature role as the love interest for "King Kong". She also teamed up with Lionel Atwill a couple more times, in 1932's "Doctor X", and "Mystery of the Wax Museum" which closely followed "The Vampire Bat".
In the film's finale, Von Niemann attempts to pin the bat murders on his assistant Emil, but Emil turns the tables on his mentor, with both antagonists meeting their end to the sound of gunshots off screen. Shortly after in a priceless scene, hypochondriac Aunt Gussie frantically comes calling for the doctor, complaining of symptoms she's suffering from the doctor's prescription of hydrous magnesium sulfate. Calling a spade a spade, Karl and Ruth share a laugh as the Epsom salts the doctor provided have Aunt Gussie "on the run".
If by the end of this film, you haven't yet had your fill of the bat genre, drive yourself even more batty with Bela Lugosi's 1940 entry "The Devil Bat", or Vincent Price's 1959 horror mystery "The Bat". Better yet, wait for Halloween, and watch all three in a row for a major bat attack!
What's really going on is that the good doctor Otto Von Niemann (Lionell Atwill), in his quest to create life a la Frankenstein, has developed a mass of living tissue that needs human blood to sustain itself. His "creation" laughably resembles not much more than a large sponge in a lab jar, not very horrific and certainly not very threatening. Von Niemann has an unexplained telepathic link to an assistant named Emil, who does the doctor's bidding in providing a reliable blood supply, complete with the signature dual puncture marks on the throat of the victims.
Before it's all over, a posse of citizens chases down the pitiful Herman, who jumps to his death in a mountain cavern known as "Devil's Well", rather than allow himself to be captured. Dwight Frye created quite the niche for himself with knock offs of the Renfield character he portrayed in the original 1931 film "Dracula". In this one, he's particularly effective, complete with crazed look as he fondly strokes one of his many furry bat friends.
Fay Wray is on hand as romantic interest Ruth Bertin for police chief Karl, just a few short months away from the release of the film that forever defined her signature role as the love interest for "King Kong". She also teamed up with Lionel Atwill a couple more times, in 1932's "Doctor X", and "Mystery of the Wax Museum" which closely followed "The Vampire Bat".
In the film's finale, Von Niemann attempts to pin the bat murders on his assistant Emil, but Emil turns the tables on his mentor, with both antagonists meeting their end to the sound of gunshots off screen. Shortly after in a priceless scene, hypochondriac Aunt Gussie frantically comes calling for the doctor, complaining of symptoms she's suffering from the doctor's prescription of hydrous magnesium sulfate. Calling a spade a spade, Karl and Ruth share a laugh as the Epsom salts the doctor provided have Aunt Gussie "on the run".
If by the end of this film, you haven't yet had your fill of the bat genre, drive yourself even more batty with Bela Lugosi's 1940 entry "The Devil Bat", or Vincent Price's 1959 horror mystery "The Bat". Better yet, wait for Halloween, and watch all three in a row for a major bat attack!