Film Review: Bats (1999)

Bats are among the most frightening creatures you can find in nature, although the actual harm that they can inflict on humans is usually very limited. All that might change, if we are to believe to the authors of Bats, 1999 horror film directed by Louis Morneau. When two lovers near small town of Gallup, Texas encounter unusually large bats the incident ends with them being killed in very gruesome way. Sheriff Emmet Kimmsey (played by Lou Diamond Phillips) is forced to call experts for help. Zoologist Dr. Sheila Casper (played by Dina Meyer) with her assistant Jimmy Sands (played by Leon) arrives to town and they conclude that the series of killings were committed by apparently mutated flying animals. All that has something to do with Dr. Alexander McCabe (played by Bob Gunton), scientist who has experimented with flying foxes, large species of Indonesian bats and altered their DNA, deliberately making them not only intelligent but aggressive towards humans. Two specimens have escaped from the lab and began to infect local bat population. With the city invaded by bloodthirsty bats every night, Kimsey and the team must find the roost over the day and destroy the bats before US military destroys the town in order to prevent contagion.

Bats was the first production of Destination Films, division of Sony Pictures Entertainment specialised in low budget genre films. It was developed, written and produced with unusual speed and released very quickly, easily covering its budget at the box office. This, strictly technical, achievement doesn’t mean that the film is particularly good. Critics after the premiere actually considered Bats to be one of the worst films of the year. This verdict is a way too harsh, but the film nevertheless failed to live to its potential. Scriptwriter John Logan, who would have plenty of successes (like Gladiator) in next two decades, fills the film with all the cliches you might find in “creature feature” films – lovers that become first victims, mad scientist, military that doesn’t know what it is doing forcing protagonists to correct its mistakes etc. Logan here and there adds brief moment of dark humour, many of which revolve around character of Jimmy Sands, obviously designed as some kind of comic relief. Director Louis Morneau, however, decides to play such material straight, more in tune with dark and depressive thrillers like Se7en. Furthermore, some of the bat attack scenes are poorly directed making them confusing for the audience, and the bats are too puppet-like. The cast, that includes Dina Meyer in the thankless role of bombshell scientist and character actor Bob Gunton in another great performance as insane villain, does a decent job but it can’t improve general impression. Bats ends as horror film that can be recommended only to less demanding fans of the genre. In 2007 a sequel Bats: Human Harvest was produced for Sci-Fi Channel.

RATING: 4/10 (+)

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