The Bat Whispers

1930
Passed
1h 23m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Gustav von Seyffertitz, Una Merkel, and Chester Morris in The Bat Whispers (1930)

Whodunnit Crime Drama Horror Mystery Thriller

A master criminal terrorizes the occupants of an isolated country mansion.A master criminal terrorizes the occupants of an isolated country mansion.A master criminal terrorizes the occupants of an isolated country mansion.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.3/10

1.3K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos60

+ 56

More like this

6.5

The Bat

6.3

The Greene Murder Case

5.9

Black Moon

7.1

The Cat and the Canary

5.8

6.0

6.0

6.4

5.6

6.2

5.7

The Lady and the Monster

6.2

Murder in the Private Car

Storyline

Edit

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
One of only a handful of films to be shot in the widescreen Magnifilm 65mm format (other studios were also experimenting with other wide formats at the time). The expense of upgrading theaters with new screens and projectors - after just having to install sound equipment - coupled with the Depression and the December 1930 edict from the MPPDA that the film industry not cause "the public's curiosity to be aroused about any new innovations for at least two years" effectively killed the new format. Widescreen formats did not return until the middle of the 1950s out of the necessity to compete with television.

Goofs
After the bank robbery, there is a obvious slot in the "road" where the miniature car travels.

Quotes
The Unknown: What I'd like to know is how did you get the dope from headquarters on this case?
Detective Anderson: The same way I get everything, with my mind. I've got the greatest brain that ever existed.

Crazy credits
After the film an actor comes onto a movie house stage and implores the audience to withhold the identity of the bat from family and friends so they can also enjoy the movie.

Alternate versions
This film was shot in two versions with a different director of photography for each. One is in standard 35mm and the other in an early 65mm process. The 65mm version is considered "stagebound" (it was actually based on a popular play) while the 35mm version is considered more "cinematic". Prints of both versions still exist.

Connections
Featured in Cinemassacre's Bat-a-Thon (2008)

User reviews48

Review

Featured review

7/10

Strong Remake of The Bat

From the memorable opening scene of the newsboy yelling "You won't get the Bat! I'll bet the Bat makes a chump out of you!" to the police, it was clear this would be a much more stylish film than the 1926 one. Roland West directed both films. This one is markedly superior visually and, unlike a lot of other directors at the time, West seems to make the transition from silent to sound filmmaking seamlessly. I've seen all three versions of The Bat and enjoyed them all but this is probably the best version. This is also the version that, according to Bob Kane, was part of the inspiration for Batman. The Bat looks less silly here than in the last movie, where he had big mouse ears and was more adorable than scary. Anyway, it's a good old dark house thriller with a cool beginning and an amusing ending. Any movie with Una Merkel in it can't be that bad.