Some of those who have seen "The Bat Whispers" claim that it's dated - well, they should keep in mind that it's a REMAKE (and in fact, very true to the original concerning the plot) of the silent movie "The Bat"; if you're not a great friend of silents and don't like the 'hammy' acting style silent actors HAD to use to convey their feelings and intentions without words, then you might call "The Bat" dated. But "The Bat Whispers" - despite the absolute faithfulness to the original, and to the stage play on which both movies are based - has got quite an innovative style for its age.
Contrary to the silent film, which was shot largely in the traditional style regarding camera techniques and other technical features, "The Bat Whispers" introduces to the mystery genre of the 30s, which had just begun to thrive at the time of its making, new camera angles which confuse and scare the audience even further; and of course the sound that was 'missing' in the original version provides us with all kinds of creepy noises like bats screaming, wolves howling, thunder - and of course the housemaid's constant screams of terror! Sound also made it easier for the scriptwriters to convey the rather twisted plot to the audience; and the dialogs are in NO way old-fashioned, neither do the actors overplay (except maybe for Chester Morris, who at times seems to take his role TOO seriously). In fact, besides Grayce Hampton as the wacky, but enormously courageous lady writer who becomes the heroine this time, Una Merkel as her niece surprises everybody who has seen a certain number of movies from the era in a most positive way: instead of the silly, squeaking little girl she usually was cast as, here she plays a sensitive, even clever young woman who only breaks down when things really become TOO horrible to bear...
And, of course, the dialogs also give more room to the comical element - the way the lady and her maid quarrel and tease each other all the time isn't only hilariously funny, but also pretty modern for the time! And yet, those elements don't take anything away from the tense atmosphere and the suspense - because all the time you feel that any moment a thunder might crash or a shot might be fired, or a mysterious shadow might appear menacingly on the wall...
So, the balance of comical relief and moments of extreme suspense is held perfectly, the direction is supreme and the technical quality of the picture very high for the standards of the early 30s. Now, regarding the 'old mansion mystery' plot - that may not be 'en vogue' at the moment (but it's almost sure to return someday; Hollywood screenwriters are slowly running out of new ideas...); but the audience DOES seem to be very fascinated by 'escapist' movies: today the fashion are ghost ships, resurrecting mummies and vampire love stories; compared to that, "The Bat Whispers" is a VERY realistic crime movie with a VERY real killer!
Contrary to the silent film, which was shot largely in the traditional style regarding camera techniques and other technical features, "The Bat Whispers" introduces to the mystery genre of the 30s, which had just begun to thrive at the time of its making, new camera angles which confuse and scare the audience even further; and of course the sound that was 'missing' in the original version provides us with all kinds of creepy noises like bats screaming, wolves howling, thunder - and of course the housemaid's constant screams of terror! Sound also made it easier for the scriptwriters to convey the rather twisted plot to the audience; and the dialogs are in NO way old-fashioned, neither do the actors overplay (except maybe for Chester Morris, who at times seems to take his role TOO seriously). In fact, besides Grayce Hampton as the wacky, but enormously courageous lady writer who becomes the heroine this time, Una Merkel as her niece surprises everybody who has seen a certain number of movies from the era in a most positive way: instead of the silly, squeaking little girl she usually was cast as, here she plays a sensitive, even clever young woman who only breaks down when things really become TOO horrible to bear...
And, of course, the dialogs also give more room to the comical element - the way the lady and her maid quarrel and tease each other all the time isn't only hilariously funny, but also pretty modern for the time! And yet, those elements don't take anything away from the tense atmosphere and the suspense - because all the time you feel that any moment a thunder might crash or a shot might be fired, or a mysterious shadow might appear menacingly on the wall...
So, the balance of comical relief and moments of extreme suspense is held perfectly, the direction is supreme and the technical quality of the picture very high for the standards of the early 30s. Now, regarding the 'old mansion mystery' plot - that may not be 'en vogue' at the moment (but it's almost sure to return someday; Hollywood screenwriters are slowly running out of new ideas...); but the audience DOES seem to be very fascinated by 'escapist' movies: today the fashion are ghost ships, resurrecting mummies and vampire love stories; compared to that, "The Bat Whispers" is a VERY realistic crime movie with a VERY real killer!