The Devil Bat (1940)
“He gave his enemies a gift. The bats did the rest.”
Streamed free from the Internet Archive · no signup, no cost — this film is in the public domain.
Synopsis
Dr. Paul Carruthers, a brilliant but embittered chemist in the small town of Heathville, feels cheated of the fortune his cosmetics-company employers built on his work. For revenge, he breeds ordinary bats into giant killers, conditioning them to attack anyone wearing a special aftershave he hands his enemies as a "test" product. As the bodies pile up, a wisecracking Chicago reporter and his bumbling photographer arrive to crack the mystery. The chase builds to a climax in which the doctor is undone by his own deadly creation.
Cast
About the Director
Jean Yarbrough — Jean Yarbrough was a prolific journeyman director who specialized in low-budget horror and comedy, later helming several Abbott and Costello pictures. Known for working fast and cheap — a perfect fit for Poverty Row — he directed 'The Devil Bat' as the first horror film produced by PRC, helping establish the studio's brisk, economical house style.
Why It’s Free: The Public-Domain Story
'The Devil Bat' is in the public domain because its copyright was never renewed, as the law of the era required for films of that period. Once the original term lapsed without renewal, the film entered the public domain — after which numerous truncated, poorly edited home-video versions proliferated.
Behind the Scenes
PRC, a young Poverty Row studio, moved into horror — a genre the majors had largely neglected at the time — and signed Bela Lugosi on October 19, 1940, to star in its first horror picture as he mounted a career comeback. True to PRC's reputation for shooting fast and cheap, production began barely a week after Lugosi signed. The film premiered November 11, 1940, and was re-released in 1945 on a double bill with 'Man Made Monster.' It was restored from original 35mm elements in 1990.
Did You Know?
- It was the very first horror film produced by PRC and became the studio's biggest horror box-office success.
- The cast includes Arthur Q. Bryan — the voice of cartoon character Elmer Fudd — as Joe McGinty.
- PRC effectively remade the story as 'The Flying Serpent' (1946) and produced a follow-up, 'Devil Bat's Daughter' (1946).
- Lugosi's villain weaponizes a humble aftershave — victims literally apply their own death.
Reception & Legacy
As PRC's greatest horror box-office success, the film helped launch the studio's horror line, and genre historian Tom Weaver rates it among Lugosi's best PRC pictures. Today it is a cult favorite among Lugosi fans and a quintessential example of Poverty Row horror, remembered for its gleefully absurd premise.
The Bat
A Bucket of Blood
The Brain That Wouldn't Die
The Terror