The Devil Bat (1940) is a black-and-white horror movie which was produced by Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) and directed by Jean Yarbrough. The film stars the well known horror actor Béla Lugosi, along with Suzanne Kaaren, Dave OBrien, Guy Usher, Yolande Mallott, and Donald Kerr.
The story involves a small town cosmetic company chemist (Lugosi) who is upset at his wealthy employers, because he feels they have denied him his due share of company success. To get revenge, he breeds giant bats. He then conditions them to kill those wearing a special after-shave lotion he has concocted. He cleverly distributes the lotion to his enemies as a "test" product. Once they have applied the lotion, the chemist then releases his Devil Bats in the night, which kill his two former partners and three members of their families. A hot shot big city reporter gets assigned by his editor to cover and help solve the murders. He (OBrien) and his bumbling photographer (Kerr) begin to unwind the mystery.........
Béla Lugosi as Dr. Paul Carruthers
Suzanne Kaaren as Mary Heath
Dave OBrien as Henry Layden
Guy Usher as Henry Morton
Yolande Mallott as Maxine
Donald Kerr as "One-Shot" McGuire
Edward Mortimer as Martin Heath
Gene ODonnell as Don Morton
Alan Baldwin as Tommy Heath
John Ellis as Roy Heath
Arthur Q. Bryan as Joe McGinty
Hal Price as Police Chief Wilkins
John Davidson as Prof. Percival Garland Raines
Wally Rairdon as Walter King