I caught this just to see Agnes Moorehead. She's been a fave of mine since childhood when she played the witchy, tart tongued mother in law from hell, Endora, in Bewitched.
And here, as mystery writer Cornelia van Gorder, she does not disappoint. Her and her personal assistant / maid / "lady in waiting" Lizzie (Lenita Lane) move into a country estate for the summer. The house -- owned by a sociopathic bank president and embezzler who is killed on a fishing trip -- has been plagued by a serial killer, The Bat, who dresses in all black, a ski mask and fedora, and uses a talon glove to slash the throats of victims. Another signature move: he releases rabid bats to terrorize whoever is left!
Well Cornelia is having none of this! She acts as an arch, witty, Alpha-mother hen to various staff and female guests to keep them safe, while trying to solve the Bat crimes, AND write a novel based on the goings on at the house. Vincent Price has a disappointingly minor role as the town coroner, local MD, and, yes, bat researcher and good friend of the wicked bank president.
There is also an overeager, always present detective who is, oddly, a major shareholder of the bank and on its board of directors. (Imagine Joe Friday on the board of a Los Angeles bank). An English butler / driver with a "past." A housekeeper hired from the town. The banker's nephew / real estate agent who seems to have way too much money. A goody two-shoes bank secretary who has a secret. A bank treasurer wrongly accused of embezzlement and his new wife. And another, not so competent, detective.
Add in two surprise fires. Trap doors. Hidden rooms. Missing blue prints. A major financial crime. Hints of hidden treasure. Six dead bodies plus two killings off screen. Red herrings every 10 minutes. Then fail to explain the characters' motives or much about their linkages to one another and you get this mess.
It's as if a complex melodramatic novel about a small town like Peyton Place were chopped up into a too-short movie with way too many characters. Lots of holes and unanswered questions. Thank God for Agnes who keeps the snippy comments coming and the house guests / visitors all stirred up.
And note: if you can watch the B&W version. The Amazon colorised print is just awful -- all brown and grey and sepia toned.
And here, as mystery writer Cornelia van Gorder, she does not disappoint. Her and her personal assistant / maid / "lady in waiting" Lizzie (Lenita Lane) move into a country estate for the summer. The house -- owned by a sociopathic bank president and embezzler who is killed on a fishing trip -- has been plagued by a serial killer, The Bat, who dresses in all black, a ski mask and fedora, and uses a talon glove to slash the throats of victims. Another signature move: he releases rabid bats to terrorize whoever is left!
Well Cornelia is having none of this! She acts as an arch, witty, Alpha-mother hen to various staff and female guests to keep them safe, while trying to solve the Bat crimes, AND write a novel based on the goings on at the house. Vincent Price has a disappointingly minor role as the town coroner, local MD, and, yes, bat researcher and good friend of the wicked bank president.
There is also an overeager, always present detective who is, oddly, a major shareholder of the bank and on its board of directors. (Imagine Joe Friday on the board of a Los Angeles bank). An English butler / driver with a "past." A housekeeper hired from the town. The banker's nephew / real estate agent who seems to have way too much money. A goody two-shoes bank secretary who has a secret. A bank treasurer wrongly accused of embezzlement and his new wife. And another, not so competent, detective.
Add in two surprise fires. Trap doors. Hidden rooms. Missing blue prints. A major financial crime. Hints of hidden treasure. Six dead bodies plus two killings off screen. Red herrings every 10 minutes. Then fail to explain the characters' motives or much about their linkages to one another and you get this mess.
It's as if a complex melodramatic novel about a small town like Peyton Place were chopped up into a too-short movie with way too many characters. Lots of holes and unanswered questions. Thank God for Agnes who keeps the snippy comments coming and the house guests / visitors all stirred up.
And note: if you can watch the B&W version. The Amazon colorised print is just awful -- all brown and grey and sepia toned.