reported that Julien Josephson had completed the screenplay adaptation of The Bat. The Trade Review reported that Josephson allegedly had "written the screen story of The Bat without changing the general plot, but has added mystery complications calculated to baffle even the hundreds of thousands who have seen the stage play,” with West going so far as to claim that "The picture will be a complete surprise even to those who have seen the stage play." The prop department was directed by Ned Herbert Mann, who constructed the miniatures for the film: the buildings and "the Bat" in flight. The interior of the mansion was constructed at the United Artists' Hollywood sound stage under the direction of William Cameron Menzies. Scenic artist Harvey Meyers was enlisted to paint shadows on the sets to enhance the somber atmosphere of the more suspenseful, dark scenes that are later into the film. Cinematographer Arthur Edeson, assisted by then-newcomer Gregg Toland, was enlisted to shoot the film. Around the time of filming, much of the film's production was shrouded in mystery, in accordance with the secrecy behind the identity of "the Bat" character, with many of those involved in the filming being obliged to take an oath to not reveal any details of the story publicly and with West disallowing visitors onto the set. West also made his cast work at night, stating that "Given the quiet of the studio at midnight, when no other companies are working, and plenty of spooky music from an orchestra, the players really are in a mood to simulate dark deeds." Reception Motion Picture World George T. Pardy called The Bat "a box-office knockout" and became one of West's best-received films. The New York Times dubbed the film as "both entertaining and exciting" and Photoplay dubbed the film as "It's thrilling. It's chilling. It's a scream of laughter and spookiness." Legacy The film was considered to be one of the "most coveted" lost films for decades, until a print was discovered in the 1980s and restored by film director and archivist Robert Gitt for the UCLA Film and Television Archive. Remakes Film remakes Director Roland West remade his film four years later as The Bat Whispers (1930), with Chester Morris and Una Merkel, and also released by United Artists. A 1959 remake, The Bat, starring Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead, was released by Allied Artists. TV adaptations Broadway