The Bat (1926)

The Bat is a 1926 American silent horror mystery thriller comedy film directed by Roland West and starring Emily Fitzroy, Jack Pickford, Jewel Carmen, Robert McKim, Arthur Housman, Louise Fazenda, Tullio Carminati and Eddie Gribbon.

Plot
A mystery novel writer rents a house and he and his guests are terrorized by a criminal that dresses like a bat.

Cast

 * Emily Fitzroy - Miss Cornelia Van Gorder
 * Jack Pickford - Brooks Baliey
 * Jewel Carmen - Miss Dale Ogden
 * Robert McKim - Dr. H.E. Wells
 * Arthur Housman - Richard Fleming
 * Louise Fazenda - Lizzie Allen
 * Tullio Carminati - Detective Moletti
 * Eddie Gribbon - Detective Anderson
 * George Beranger - Gideon Bell
 * Charles Herzinger - Courtlegh Fleming
 * Sojin Kamiyama - Billy the Bulter
 * Lee Shumway - as the Unknown

Production
Director Roland West made his cast work at night. "Given the quiet of the studio at midnight, when no other companies are working, and plenty of spooky music from an orchestra, the players really are in a mood to simulate dark deeds".

Remake
Film remkes:
 * Director Roland West remade his film four years later as The Bat Whispers (1930), with Chester Morris and Una Merkel, and also released by United Artists.
 * A 1959 remake, The Bat, starring Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead, was released by Allied Artists.