Bat Out of Hell (1966) User Reviews

When they knew how to make a mystery.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 3 June 2017]

Diana and Geoffrey have wealth but not happiness, his assistant Mark is carrying on with Diana, and the pair plot to kill Geoffrey. When Mark shoots him and goes the dispose of the body, he's gone, and a string of phone calls from beyond the grave begin.

I am a big fan of all things Francis Durbridge, and over the years his work has been adapted many times, Paul Temple and Melissa arguably the most famous works. Bat out of Hell is very typical of his style, with twists and turns galore. His work was popular all over the world. Surely it's time some of his books were remade.

John Thaw and Sylvia Syms are both particularly good, it's always nice e to see their early work. Thaw is loaded with charisma, Syms was very glamorous, and was always a fine actress.

Overall there is more than enough for whodunnit fans to keep them intrigued until the end, the red herrings do a good job in throwing you off the scent, maybe a bit slow for some, but overall I really enjoyed it.

7/10.

An ingenious vintage mini-series from Francis Durbridge

[robert-temple · 8/10 · 10 December 2023]

This 1966 mini-series for the BBC has been restored and its five episodes last two hours. Francis Durbridge (1912-1998) was one of the cleverest thriller writers. He is most famous for his character Paul Temple, Detective. Durbridge always comes up with more twists and turns and surprises than other writers. Here he does not disappoint. Dudley Foster brilliantly plays the dour police inspector who is trying to solve an impossible crime. The two plotters are Sylvia Sims and John Thaw, both very good. It is strange to see Thaw as a young man, so utterly different from the famous Inspector Morse which he later became. In this series, we have a dead man who comes to life, a dead man who then becomes dead, a schemer behind a schemer behind a schemer. And there is the mystery of what does 'Bat out of Hell' mean? It is inscribed on a woman's bracelet. Hard to figure. And then a woman who owns a sweet shop is murdered. Now why was that? Were her wine gums too strong? Or was her fudge not sweet enough? I doubt that anyone will figure this one out in advance, it is worse than a Rubik Cube.