Oct 3, 2011
From the Horror Movie Poster of the Day File: In The Devil Bat (1940), Bela Lugosi plays Dr. Paul Carruthers, who invents a shaving lotion/cologne that attracts giant killer bats. And while he’s at it, Carruthers invents a giant killer bat! He’s not just doing this for kicks. He’s trying to get revenge on a rich family that owns a local company and chiseled him out of his share of the profits of the successful lotions and perfumes he invented for them. So why wouldn’t we root for Carruthers against these capitalist parasites? Handsome Dave (Reefer Madness) O’Brien turns up as a reporter, who travels to the scene of the deadly bat attacks with his sidekick, photographer One-Shot Maguire (Donald Kerr). Suzanne Kaaren (star of the Three Stooges’ classic Disorder in the Court) turns up as the movie’s token babe. It doesn’t end so well for poor Dr. Carruthers, which wouldn’t have been the case if Yours Truly wrote the screenplay to this sucker.
