I saw this film as a work in progress at the 1999 Austin Film Festival in Austin, TX. At that time, even though a work in progress, I rated the this film in the top 3. If memory serves I saw about 36 films at that festival. With the exception of "Attack of the Bat Monster", and "Princess Mononoke," I can not remember any other film I saw at the festival. I highly recommend this film to any fan of comedy or '50's Sci Fi movies.
12 Reviews
Fun
cmarzee3 August 2000
If you enjoy satirical horror, & who doesn't, this one's neato torpedo to spend a little time with.
Apparently one can still get satisfaction with the horror genre. There's a good crop of new horror/com-horror indie films that know how to get it right, and this one deserves deserves to be at the top of fans must see list.
Where were these clever movies when I had to see Kung Fu movies on every teenage date I had?
Apparently one can still get satisfaction with the horror genre. There's a good crop of new horror/com-horror indie films that know how to get it right, and this one deserves deserves to be at the top of fans must see list.
Where were these clever movies when I had to see Kung Fu movies on every teenage date I had?
A loving tribute to 1950's Sci-fi movie makers.
DEREKFLINT18 June 2003
Every now and then a fitting tribute to some genre (like RUSTLERS' RHAPSODY was to 1940's to 1960's Westerns) comes along, and for those of us who are fans, it's a great experience! ATTACK OF THE BAT MONSTERS is, for this 1950'S SCI-FI fanatic, a little slice of Heaven on Earth! I'm not familiar with all the details of it's production - I heard it was done as a college thesis(?) - but I thourougly enjoyed it! Well written and with some really nice references to films and filmmakers we have come to know and love, and some good performances. Certainly, a loving tribute! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! Good luck finding a copy!!!
Absolutely delightful
gort-812 October 2007
If you have any affection for 50's monster movies, you'll love ATTACK OF THE BAT MONSTERS. It's a valentine to the low-budget slapped together movies of a bygone era, most especially to the Lord of Low-Budgets, Roger Corman.
A low-budget film crew have realized that they have equipment and a location for a couple of extra days. Why not make another feature? That's exactly how Corman came to direct THE TERROR, in 1963 with Jack Nicholson and Boris Karloff. That movie was spontaneously filmed when Corman realized he had some leftover sets and a couple of days to spare after shooting THE RAVEN.
ATTACK OF THE BAT MONSTERS gracefully walks a fine line of celebrating bad movies without, itself, becoming a bad movie. It's not for everyone, but if you like the nasty old drive-in movies of that era, you'll love this one!
A low-budget film crew have realized that they have equipment and a location for a couple of extra days. Why not make another feature? That's exactly how Corman came to direct THE TERROR, in 1963 with Jack Nicholson and Boris Karloff. That movie was spontaneously filmed when Corman realized he had some leftover sets and a couple of days to spare after shooting THE RAVEN.
ATTACK OF THE BAT MONSTERS gracefully walks a fine line of celebrating bad movies without, itself, becoming a bad movie. It's not for everyone, but if you like the nasty old drive-in movies of that era, you'll love this one!
Attack of the Bat Monsters
kaybarr3516 November 2003
Kelly Green's first feature is a thinly-disguised account of the making of a Roger Corman three-day quicky back in the 50s. Fans of the life and legend of Corman, and of Z-movies in general, will not only have a rollicking time - they'll probably have heard some of the tales that went into the making of this appropriately low-budget answer to Tim Burton's Ed Wood. Those who aren't fans will simply enjoy the ingenuity and wit of this tribute to a style of filmmaking that produced classics like The Day the World Ended and Attack of the Crab Monsters, the REAL quicky about telepathic man-eating giant crabs whose title is lovingly evoked here. Funniest single gag: the one about the B-girls and the duct tape. Funniest running gag: a prior opus, The Snake Woman, produced by the same company, the very mention of which makes everyone in the picture turn white with fear and shame - something really horrible must have happened on that one. If there's any justice in the world, someone will give Greene the money to film a prequel about the making of The Snake Woman so we can find out just what it was. Anyone have 18 bucks?
A great movie to go along with ED WOOD and MATINEE
flitcraft16 January 2003
Highly recommended! I loved this film when I saw it at a film festival last year and desperately want to see it again. I can't believe someone hasn't picked it up yet! The film is clearly referring to ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS, or maybe LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, since it was made in only three days. What I loved about it was that, aside from being generally hilarious, it has moments of real pathos. I also loved the fact that I didn't recognize any of the actors, though they were all excellent. It really added to the film's authenticity. My goal is to buy the DVD and do a drive-in triple feature some night with my friends - ED WOOD, MATINEE, and ATTACK OF THE BAT MONSTERS!
An true gem---the best film about indie filmmaking yet!
ardeth32-17 October 2003
"Roger Corman, American International Pictures, Paul Blaisdell, Floyd Crosby, Charles B. Griffith, Paul Birch, Beverly Garland, Lon Chaney, Jr., John Carradine, Bronson Canyon...."
If any of these mean anything to you, either singly or in association, you'll consider this film miraculous and heaven-sent. Even if you know nothing about them , you'll find this an extremely witty, insightful, and, above all, reverent homage to 1950's independent monster movie making.
Genre aficionados will be in a state of gleeful disbelief at the amount of cinematic lore screenwriter/director Greene has so craftily woven into this nifty story. However, as mentioned earlier, subject knowledge is not a prerequisite for enjoyment.
All aspects of Attack of the Bat Monsters are first-rate. The cinematography is crisp, the editing seamless (also by Greene), and the locations are evocative. The acting is uniformly fine, with standout performances by Michael Dalmon and Bill Wise. Above all, though, it's the great script and astute direction that make this film.
Do yourself a favor and go out and find Attack of the Bat Monsters. Steal it if necessary. I saw it at the Midnight Marquee Classic Filmfest in Alexandria, VA, back in 2000, and the audience went nuts over it. Certainly the best film I've ever seen about independent film making, and the first to pay tribute to Bronson Canyon (near the Hollywood sign and Griffith Park), the site of literally hundreds of productions since the silent era. And the ultimate irony is that this brilliant tribute to filmmaking on Hollywood's fringe was not even shot in California---it was shot in Texas.
If any of these mean anything to you, either singly or in association, you'll consider this film miraculous and heaven-sent. Even if you know nothing about them , you'll find this an extremely witty, insightful, and, above all, reverent homage to 1950's independent monster movie making.
Genre aficionados will be in a state of gleeful disbelief at the amount of cinematic lore screenwriter/director Greene has so craftily woven into this nifty story. However, as mentioned earlier, subject knowledge is not a prerequisite for enjoyment.
All aspects of Attack of the Bat Monsters are first-rate. The cinematography is crisp, the editing seamless (also by Greene), and the locations are evocative. The acting is uniformly fine, with standout performances by Michael Dalmon and Bill Wise. Above all, though, it's the great script and astute direction that make this film.
Do yourself a favor and go out and find Attack of the Bat Monsters. Steal it if necessary. I saw it at the Midnight Marquee Classic Filmfest in Alexandria, VA, back in 2000, and the audience went nuts over it. Certainly the best film I've ever seen about independent film making, and the first to pay tribute to Bronson Canyon (near the Hollywood sign and Griffith Park), the site of literally hundreds of productions since the silent era. And the ultimate irony is that this brilliant tribute to filmmaking on Hollywood's fringe was not even shot in California---it was shot in Texas.
I heartily recommend this inventive, funny movie.
dharmata218 January 2003
I heartily recommend this movie, which won Best Narrative Film at Hollywood's Dances With Films indie film festival in the year 2000. Set in southern California in 1959, ATTACK OF THE BAT MONSTERS follows
the exhausted but resourceful Chuck Grayson (Michael Dalmon) as he scrambles
to meet the challenge thrown down from on high by his boss, the penny-pinching producer-director Francis Gordon (Fred Ballard). That challenge? -- To put
together and shoot an entire "creature feature" in a scant three days, using the grouchy, exhausted cast and crew who have just finished filming "Monster From the Mineshaft." Why just three days? Because MFTM wrapped three days early and Gordon, a
selfish, demanding character patterned after the notorious real-life low-budget indie filmmaker Roger Corman, intends to milk his equipment, talent and permits at the rock quarry for every last ounce of movie making. Chuck's biggest difficulties consist of coming up with a title, a script, a monster and an affordable star (i.e., washed-up and cheap) to boost the marquee value of the movie. For the script, Chuck recruits a hop-head beatnik writer, played by Robert Bassetti, to write as they shoot. To make the monster, he coaxes a
mad-scientist-like sociopath portrayed by Bill Wise. For his "name" actor, Chuck reels in the boozy, seedy Larry "The Cat Creature" Meeker, Jr. (Douglas Taylor). You get two movies for the price of one here, for as ATTACK OF THE BAT
MONSTERS gets filmed, you get to see clips from the final black-and-white
product, which in style and content (down to the thriller music by Tim Bushong) is a hilarious pastiche of all those drive-in movies of yesteryear that crammed
together science-fiction, outlandish monsters and (for the European market) some bare-breasted titillation. ATTACK OF THE BAT MONSTERS offers numerous comic sequences that build
to a rollicking climax, and the entire cast is fun to watch. Robert Graham, as the aged Shakespearian actor reduced to playing the wise old scientist, is both funny and touching. Ryan Wickerham, as Chuck's macho, fun-loving best friend and
hunkish leading man, is amusing throughout, and Casie Waller, as Gordon's
burnt-out "scream queen" girlfriend, shines in several scenes, especially the one where she teaches an extra the finer points of screaming for film. The tension between Fred Ballard's Gordon and Michael Dalmon's Chuck Grayson provides a
couple of genuine moments of pathos. In fact, Ballard and Dalmon are in a sense the two straight men for the wacky assemblage of misfits they're herding. Shot on a frayed-shoestring of a budget in and around Austin, Texas, the film does a fine job of creating the period and locale. Nicely lensed in Super-16mm by Tom Hennig. The Bat Monster herself is laugh-out loud funny and is the creation of Joe Castro, who has also displayed his talents in such genre films as
HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP (produced by the real Roger Corman), and
BLOODFEAST 2: ALL U CAN EAT.
the exhausted but resourceful Chuck Grayson (Michael Dalmon) as he scrambles
to meet the challenge thrown down from on high by his boss, the penny-pinching producer-director Francis Gordon (Fred Ballard). That challenge? -- To put
together and shoot an entire "creature feature" in a scant three days, using the grouchy, exhausted cast and crew who have just finished filming "Monster From the Mineshaft." Why just three days? Because MFTM wrapped three days early and Gordon, a
selfish, demanding character patterned after the notorious real-life low-budget indie filmmaker Roger Corman, intends to milk his equipment, talent and permits at the rock quarry for every last ounce of movie making. Chuck's biggest difficulties consist of coming up with a title, a script, a monster and an affordable star (i.e., washed-up and cheap) to boost the marquee value of the movie. For the script, Chuck recruits a hop-head beatnik writer, played by Robert Bassetti, to write as they shoot. To make the monster, he coaxes a
mad-scientist-like sociopath portrayed by Bill Wise. For his "name" actor, Chuck reels in the boozy, seedy Larry "The Cat Creature" Meeker, Jr. (Douglas Taylor). You get two movies for the price of one here, for as ATTACK OF THE BAT
MONSTERS gets filmed, you get to see clips from the final black-and-white
product, which in style and content (down to the thriller music by Tim Bushong) is a hilarious pastiche of all those drive-in movies of yesteryear that crammed
together science-fiction, outlandish monsters and (for the European market) some bare-breasted titillation. ATTACK OF THE BAT MONSTERS offers numerous comic sequences that build
to a rollicking climax, and the entire cast is fun to watch. Robert Graham, as the aged Shakespearian actor reduced to playing the wise old scientist, is both funny and touching. Ryan Wickerham, as Chuck's macho, fun-loving best friend and
hunkish leading man, is amusing throughout, and Casie Waller, as Gordon's
burnt-out "scream queen" girlfriend, shines in several scenes, especially the one where she teaches an extra the finer points of screaming for film. The tension between Fred Ballard's Gordon and Michael Dalmon's Chuck Grayson provides a
couple of genuine moments of pathos. In fact, Ballard and Dalmon are in a sense the two straight men for the wacky assemblage of misfits they're herding. Shot on a frayed-shoestring of a budget in and around Austin, Texas, the film does a fine job of creating the period and locale. Nicely lensed in Super-16mm by Tom Hennig. The Bat Monster herself is laugh-out loud funny and is the creation of Joe Castro, who has also displayed his talents in such genre films as
HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP (produced by the real Roger Corman), and
BLOODFEAST 2: ALL U CAN EAT.
Clever and delightful film that shines with affection for 1950's B monster movies
lisafranklin20 December 2003
I saw "Attack of the Bat Monsters" at a "Monsterfest" convention (yes, I am that geeky) in Washington, D.C. a few years ago. After having spent the day in the exhibit hall viewing "Wasp Woman" posters, models for sale of the "Creature from the Black Lagoon" and "Bucket of Blood" 8x10 glossies, it felt particularly perfect to then watch Kelly Greene's "Bat Monster". It was apparent that Mr. Greene, the director and writer, also had the same love as I of B movies from the 1950's. His film filled in some of the blanks as far as how these films were made. The films' characters and Greene's writing brilliantly portrayed the frenzied writer, director and actors of those films and the quick turnaround time and measly budgets allotted to them. The dialogue between characters is witty and has a rhythm to the patter that is edgy. This makes the switch between the movie and the movie that the main characters are shooting within the movie even funnier - clever dialogue at counterpoint with the forced, stumbling lines that makes part of B movies so damned lovable. Greene did an excellent job on this film and I look forward to seeing his next project.
This needs to be streaming on Netflix
jesse-1614425 October 2023
It's an homage to the films of the 50's and 60's in my opinion. Something I could watch over and over to find new things. It's comedy horror at its best. The entire cast is spot on, the writing and the settings were I don't know.. Captain Kirk visits another world, Douglas Taylor who I recognized from Dazed and Confused was perfectly cast and his subtle nuances that you can really only appreciate upon the second viewing are what you would expect from only a seasoned talented actor.
The plot is actually interesting and the fact it was shot in under a week is mind blowing. This should be re-released so a new generation of throwback fans can appreciate it.
The plot is actually interesting and the fact it was shot in under a week is mind blowing. This should be re-released so a new generation of throwback fans can appreciate it.
Terrific, affectionate tribute. Highest recommendation!
docsavag11 July 2003
If you grew up in the 1950s and/or 1960s and watched the classic sf/horror movies produced during that time period, you will absolutely love this clever, witty and above all, affectionate tribute to those great monster movies of days gone by. A terrific script, great performances and top-notch direction by newcomer Greene, make this one to watch and enjoy over and over again. If you love Roger Corman movies, if the name AIP makes you weak in the knees, if you want to see what low-budget filmmaking was like in the late 1950s, see this movie. Though it's extremely funny in many places, this is not a spoof. Don't come looking for some campy send-up of movies that the MST3000 thinks are objects of ridicule. This film is far smarter than that crowd. This film deserves to be picked up for wide-spread theatrical distribution at best or available on home video. A true genre classic. Don't miss it!
What's not to love about this endearing film?
ggxena6 October 2003
Every sci-fi lover should track down a copy of this movie, a loving tribute to the Roger Corman-era of film-making. Just as we all held our breath for the first glimpse of The Creature as he poked his gilled head out of the Black Lagoon, the Bat Monster himself is worth the price of admission. Very clever writing with rich character development ... with a Scream Queen to rival the greats! I'm only sorry I didn't see it at a drive-in. Find this film.
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