it the nature of business to try to capitalize on others success . here we have a movie take element from the early dracula ( 1931 ) and frankenstein ( 1931 ) in a germanic town the village leader believe that vampire ( in the shape of bat ) have be the cause of recent death of bloodless victim . even though shot at universal ( and at the bronson cave . ) it a poverty row feature while it not fair to compare it with those early and more expensively make and superior film . from the familiar and exciting and chill music of the main title ( which must have be by mischa bakalienikoff ) and through the talky but well do opening sequence and we anticipate the arrival of lionel atwill and fay wray and dwight frye to give u a good 30 mystery film . unfortunately and it doesn not happen . that the disappointment . we get little more than the formulaic element of such film but with slow pacing and low budget and not enough of dwight frye and the overdone presence of maude eburne ( aunt gussie ) and and the premise for lionel atwill ( dr. von niemann ) to require human blood or how he exhibit mind control over his servant emil ( robert frazier ) never make very clear . do not watch the technicolor dr. x ( 1932 ) which also star lionel atwill and fay wray but a father and daughter before watch this the way i do while it an oscar winner by comparison . so watch this one first . structurally and the vampire bat still isn not that good . it plod along with too much talk or unnecessary comic relief and without focus strongly on the vampiric villainy . besides dr. x and mystery of the wax museum ( both 1932 and co star fay wray ) and lionel atwill most famous appearance be a the one arm gendarme in son of frankenstein ( 1939 ) and a moriarity in sherlock holmes and the secret weapon ( 1943 ) . dwight frye steal all his manic scene in dracula ( 1931 ) . a the young lover and melvin douglas and fay wray have a nice kissing scene and but that about it . he can be see in the old dark house ( 1932 ) and and fay get drag around by joel mccrea in the most dangerous game ( 1930 ) . then there her 1933 classic creamer . too bad more time and money and rewrite weren not available for this film to good showcase the talent and chemistry of lionel atwill and fay wray and dwight frye . sadly and then and this drearily disappointing film only get a 4 .