A masked criminal who dresses like a giant bat terrorizes the guests at an old house rented by a mystery writer.
Production
The bat-suit design influenced Batman's creators—yes, really.
Direction
West's shadow work rivals German Expressionism on a budget.
Director
Roland West
George Beranger
Gideon Bell
Charles Herzinger
Courleigh Fleming
Emily Fitzroy
Cornelia Van Gorder
Louise Fazenda
Lizzie Allen
Arthur Housman
Richard Fleming
Robert McKim
Dr. Wells
Jack Pickford
Brooks Bailey
Jewel Carmen
Dale Ogden
Sôjin Kamiyama
Billy the Butler
Eddie Gribbon
Detective Anderson
Tullio Carminati
Detective Moletti
Lee Shumway
The Unknown
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Bob Kane and Bill Finger saw this in 1930 and straight-up stole the bat imagery for their comic. No lawsuit, just vibes.
West filmed this simultaneously with a sound version called 'The Bat Whispers' in 1930—same sets, different casts, total madman behavior.
US
