Devil Bat

Film: The Devil Bat (1940)

Alias: None

Type: Man-Made

Location: Haunted Home/Civilized area

Height/Weight: That of an Old-World Vulture.

Affiliation: Neutral and used for Evil

Summary: Back when Lugosi played Dracula, it seemed like he and things involving bats would remain inseparable. Well, look where we are now, with Bela playing a mad scientist making giant bats to exact revenge. How wonderful.

History: Dr. Paul Carruthers is very respected by his community, but it just isn't enough. According to him, he's been getting under-paid and under-appreciated by his associates at a cosmetics company. So, what better thing to do with his time than create a shaving-lotion that attracts giant electricity-empowered fruit bats? After all, bats make for perfect assassins, as proved by absolutely no one! Then again, whatever works. And it did.

Notable Kills: The bat's main tactic is divebombing people like they got hit by someone's runaway kite.

Final Fate: The first one is shot with a pistol, while the next one is blasted by a shotgun. Though the latter manages to kill his own creator after he unintentionally takes some lotion to the neck himself.

Powers/Abilities: If someone has the special lotion on his/her neck, the bat will sniff it out, no matter how far the target.

Weakness: Anything conventional.

Scariness Factor: 1-To the kid who obviously had to donate his kite to make this ugly thing, we can only pity you. A stiff prop from start to finish, the Devil Bat looks like the kind of thing you find at a dollar store. It doesn't help that all the close-ups are that of an adorable harmless fruit bat. The sounds the bats make also sound like a madman sneezing and/or hang-gliding.

Trivia: -The largest known species of bat is the Giant Golden-Crowned Flying Fox, otherwise known as a fruit bat. At least Bela did his research in terms of size. Any more would imply that he knew these bats ate, oh I dunno, FRUIT!!!

-This film was one of the first to be released by the Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC). It was cheap and quickly made, but it delivered according to audiences and critics.