Are Vampire Bats Killing People?
The Vampire Bat (1933) er en genre bending film (affiliate link) starring Lionel Atwill. Tilsyneladende, it is a horror film but is actually more of a mystery. It would fall into the “B” movie category, en kort film beregnet til at være appetitvækker for de vigtigste film på en dobbelt regning.
Majestic Pictures producerede filmen, som blev instrueret af Frank R. Strayer. Strayer bruger hovedsageligt mis-en-scene for at skabe stemning til filmen. Filmen begynder med en by vægter gå gennem lampen lyser gader. The watchman looks up in a tree, som er beboet af flagermus. A scream is heard from a nearby street causing the bats to scatter.
Stadig fra The Vampire Bat (1933)
Strayer derefter skærer til embedet som Burgermeister Gustave Schoen, where town leaders are discussing the recent murders. Schoen, af Lionel Belmore spillet, reads from a 1643 town record about the hanging of a man convicted of vampirism. The record also states all bats were caught and killed. The Chief of Police dismisses the record and tells them strongly they are looking for a human being not a vampire or bat.
Stadig fra Vampire Bat (1933)
Politimesteren Karl Brettschnieder, played by Melvyn Douglas, er hjulpet i sin undersøgelse af Dr.. Otto von Nieman, portrætteret af Lionel Atwill. Von Nieman does not know what to think about the murders but believes people can transform into strange apparitions due to evil or illness. Von Nieman assistent, Ruth, played by Fay Wray, er Karl kærlighed interesse. She would be King Kong’s love interest in the movie King Kong (1933) released in the same year as The Vampire Bat.
Byens borgere mistænkte Herman Glieb, af Dwight Frye spillet. Glieb keeps the bats as pets but Brettschnieder doubts Herman could hurt anyone. Glieb reinforces this impression, when he runs away screaming after the latest victim is found.
Despite it’s status as a “B” film, Strayer’s use of mise-en-scene to recreate the atmosphere of Dracula (1931) og Frankenstein (1931) makes this film a classic 1930s horror film. The acting of Lionel Atwill also helped. Filmen kører om 65 minutter.
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