For many years, The Bat was one of the most mysterious lost films. As the first of three film versions of the Broadway play, the film was extraordinarily successful, due in part to its continuous succession of special effects. When it was added to the list of lost films, its fame grew in proportion. In 1987, the UCLA Film and Television Archive learned of the existence of a sole copy of the film, belonging to a private collection. Though The Bat cannot be considered a stunning film, it remains striking for its «old-dark-house» genre which is still effective, its sets and bizarre camera work, and the excessive scenes with effects. Seeing The Bat, genius of crime, in action as he scales buildings and jumps from high places with his cape and fearsome mask, it is easy to see where young Bob Kane found the inspiration to create, a decade or so later, the athletic, mysterious man, dressed identically, but on the part of the law: Batman, the comic-book hero.

UCLA Film and Television Archive: 2nd Annual Festival of Preservation, 1989

«Eeeeee! The Bat! It’s thrilling. It’s chilling. It’s a scream of laughter and spookiness. Your spine quivers and your hair stiffens every moment. Perfectly written, originally by Mary Roberts Rinehart and Avery Hopwood and scenarized by Julien Josephson, this Roland West production is simply superb. Each detail dovetails properly into every other. Lights flash, guns are fired, secret panels swing, and the laughter and the creeps alternate till you chew your fingers in excitement and delight. The involved plot is centered around a criminal with the bat as his trademark and his operations in a Long Island household. Beyond that we refuse to tell. But when The Bat flies in your neighborhood, don’t fail to see it and take the youngsters, if it’s not too late at night.»

«Photoplay», May 1926