As any cat will tell you, there’s something inherently magical about an object dangling on a string. This is the operating principle of the bat puppet. If a film is dragging, a bat puppet is a sure way to perk things up, in a strong film, a bat puppet will add to the fun. It’s hard to go wrong with a bat on a string.
Let’s remember some of the great bat puppets:
Suspiria (1977)
Dazzling sets in eye-searing color. A hypnotic score by Goblin. A neon peacock lamp that doubles as weapon. Dario Argento’s Suspiria doesn’t need a bat puppet, and yet it delivers one anyway.
After being excluded from a schoolwide trip to the Bolshoi and flushing her dinner down the toilet, ballet student Suzy Bannion is besieged in the bathroom by a large and very persistent bat. He flaps. He squeaks. He scuttles across the floor after becoming entangled in the toilet chain. He may not be the cherry on top of Suspiria’s sundae, but he’s certainly an extra squirt of whipped cream.
The House by the Cemetery (1981)
Ghostly, gory, and, of course, maggoty, The House by the Cemetery, the third film of Lucio Fulci’s Gates of Hell Trilogy, is best when viewed at 2AM. One of the more memorable sequences happens after the family finally gets the forbidden cellar of their new home open.
After venturing downstairs, Lucy is set upon by a raggedy yet highly motivated bat puppet. Her husband Norman, whose affair with the new babysitter is strongly implied via silent extreme closeups of their eyes, pauses for a tellingly long moment before intervening, only for the bat to latch onto him instead. Norman drags the melee upstairs to the kitchen, grabs some scissors and repeatedly stabs the bat that’s stuck to his hand, causing geysers of blood and splattering Bob, his haunted son. It’s enough to make everyone completely forget to question why the cellar door was nailed shut in the first place.
Scars of Dracula (1970)
I tried to avoid Dracula movies, but Scars of Dracula is our exception. There’s continuity with the Hammer films in that Dracula usually resurrects from whatever position he gamed-over in last week, but Scars takes place in its own alternate universe.
Scars opens with Dracula fully dusted in a chamber that’s inaccessible to anyone who isn’t a bat puppet. Fortunately one such fuzzy hero swoops in, regurgitates a generous helping of blood into the Dracula dust, and unleashes Christopher Lee for some surprisingly gory Hammertainment and plenty of bat puppets.
Black Sunday (1960)
Mario Bava’s gothic jewel Black Sunday isn’t short on mood or elegance, and as a bonus it deploys a bat puppet with genuine plot purpose. Professor Kruvajan and his young protege Andrej venture into the tomb of local vampire-witch Asa after their carriage blows a wheel.
Andrej quickly gets a bad vibe and wisely leaves, but Professor Kruvajan stays behind only to be swooped by massive bat puppet. An ill-aimed swat of his cane smashes the massive stone cross and protective glass that help keep Asa bound. With the bat neutralized, Professor Kruvajan then proceeds to pilfer the holy icon buried with Asa, pry off her security mask, and bleed on her for good measure, none of which can be blamed on the bat.
Shout! Studios has kindly uploaded the entire film to YouTube for free. The lead-up to the bat sequence begins about 9 minutes in.
The Kiss of the Vampire (1963)
It’s never convenient to unexpectedly run out of gas, but, as The Kiss of the Vampire demonstrates, it’s arguably worse when it happens in full view of the local vampire cult leader’s telescope.
Much like our friends the bat puppets, the mysterious party invitation newlyweds Gerald and Marianne subsequently receive and naively accept comes with visible strings attached and suddenly Gerald finds himself mounting a rescue with help from the only other guest at the inn, who luckily happens to be a seasoned vampire hunter. Come for the classic Hammer storybook vibes. Stay for the deus ex bat puppet finale.
