The Vampire Bat

The Vampire Bat is a 1933 horror movie starring Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray (King Kong), Melvyn Douglas and Dwight Fry. Directed by Frank Strayer.

When the villagers of Kleinschloss start dying of blood loss, the town fathers suspect a resurgence of vampirism. While police inspector Karl remains skeptical, scientist Dr. von Niemann cares for the vampires victims one by one, and suspicion falls on simple-minded Herman Gleib because of his fondness for bats. A blood-thirsty mob hounds Gleib to his death, but the vampire attacks dont stop.

Fay Wray and Lionel Atwill had been in the successful film Doctor X the previous year and had already wrapped up work of the follow-up Mystery of the Wax Museum for Warner Bros. when small Majestic Pictures saw a unique chance to jump on all the advance publicity that Mystery of the Wax Museum was receiving.

The Vampire Bat is an unexpectedly effective film, inluenced by both Dracula and Frankenstein and as one of the early horror talkies stands the test of time well.