Bats (1999)

User Rating:

3.3/10   

Director:

Louis Morneau

Writer (WGA):

John Logan (written by)

Release Date:

22 October 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Horror

Tagline:

Where can you hide?

Plot:

Genetically mutated bats escape and it's up to a bat expert and the local sheriff to stop them.

Plot Keywords:

Bat | Experiment | Mad Scientist | Teen Couple Eaten | Bat Attack

Cast

Lou Diamond Phillips	...	Sheriff Emmett Kimsey
Dina Meyer	...	Dr. Sheila Casper
Bob Gunton	...	Dr. Alexander McCabe
Leon	...	Jimmy Sands
Carlos Jacott	...	Dr. Tobe Hodge
David McConnell	...	Deputy Wesley Munn (as David Shawn McConell)
Marcia Dangerfield	...	Mayor Amanda Branson
Oscar Rowland	...	Dr. Swanbeck
Tim Whitaker	...	Quint
Juliana Johnson	...	Emma
James Sie	...	Sergeant James
Ned Bellamy	...	Major Reid
George Gerdes	...	Chaswick
Kurt Woodruff	...	Major #2
Joel Farar	...	Bartender
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Grady Justice	...	Army soldier (uncredited)

Directed by
Louis Morneau

Writing credits (WGA)
John Logan		(written by)

Produced by
Brent Baum	....	executive producer
Bradley Jenkel	....	producer (as Brad Jenkel)
Leif Larson	....	associate producer
John Logan	....	executive producer
Dale Pollock	....	executive producer
Louise Rosner	....	producer
Steven Stabler	....	executive producer (as Steve Stabler)

Original Music by
Graeme Revell

Cinematography by
George Mooradian

Film Editing by
Glenn Garland

Casting by
Laura Schiff

Production Design by
Philip Duffin		(as Phillip J.C. Duffin)

Set Decoration by
Cynthia Epping

Costume Design by
Alexis Scott

Makeup Department
Jillian Glass	....	special makeup effects artist
Chris Hanson	....	special makeup effects artist
Gina Homan	....	key makeup artist
Erin Lyons	....	key hair stylist (as Erin B. Lyons)
Alan Tuskes	....	makeup effects crew

Production Management
Lisa Rodgers	....	post-production supervisor
Louise Rosner	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ty Arnold	....	second assistant director
Marco Black	....	first assistant director (as Marco E. Black)
Michael Hennessey	....	second second assistant director

Art Department
Angel Acosta	....	property master
Mike Boudreau	....	assistant property master
Terry Campbell	....	swing gang
Kathy Crandall	....	lead person
Rick Curtis	....	scenic artist
Kevin Farrell	....	storyboard artist
Julie Fife	....	head scenic artist
Julie K. Horton	....	on-set dresser
Tina McClure	....	production assistant: art department
Heather Olson	....	scenic artist
Rick Polikowski	....	propmaker
Warren Sewell	....	art researcher
Vince Shorter	....	swing gang
Chuck Smart	....	construction foreman
Ray A. Versluys	....	construction coordinator (as Ray Versluys)
Bill Hay	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Pembrooke Andrews	....	adr editor
Pembrooke Andrews	....	dialogue editor
Thor Benitez	....	adr mixer
Thor Benitez	....	foley mixer
Matthew C. Beville	....	adr mixer
Matthew C. Beville	....	foley mixer
Brent Brewington	....	boom operator
Jeff K. Brunello	....	sound effects editor
Harry Cohen	....	supervising sound effects designer
Paul Curtis	....	sound effects editor
Andrew DeCristofaro	....	supervising sound editor
Elisabeth Flaum	....	sound effects editor
Bill Fox	....	sound effects editor
Marshall Garlington	....	sound re-recording mixer
Adam Gillick	....	sound effects editor
John Garret Gorman	....	sound recordist
Rebecca Hanck	....	sound effects editor
Andrew Holt	....	sound effects editor
Shawn Kennelly	....	adr mixer
Shawn Kennelly	....	foley mixer
Mark Lanza	....	sound effects editor
Jason Lezama	....	adr editor
Jason Lezama	....	dialogue editor
George E. Marshall Jr.	....	boom operator (as George Marshall Jr.)
Michael A. Morongell	....	sound re-recording engineer (as Michael Morongell)
Matthew Morris	....	sound effects editor
Vince Nicastro	....	foley artist
Nancy Nugent	....	foley editor
Michael Payne	....	adr supervisor
Stephen P. Robinson	....	sound effects editor (as Steve Robinson)
Joan Rowe	....	foley artist
Sean Rowe	....	adr recordist
Sean Rowe	....	foley recordist
Ann Scibelli	....	sound effects editor
D. Chris Smith	....	sound effects editor
Liz Sroka	....	additional predubs
Frederick H. Stahly	....	adr editor
Frederick H. Stahly	....	dialogue editor
Chris Staszak	....	adr recordist
Chris Staszak	....	foley recordist
John C. Stuver	....	adr editor
John C. Stuver	....	dialogue editor
Ken Teaney	....	sound re-recording mixer
Eric Thompson	....	assistant dialogue editor
Stephen Tibbo	....	sound mixer (as Stephen A. Tibbo)
Tim Walston	....	sound editor
Tim Walston	....	sound effects editor
Jeffrey R. Whitcher	....	sound effects editor (as Jeff Whitcher)
Eric Williams	....	sound effects editor

Special Effects by
Eric Allard	....	special effects coordinator
Mark Arcolio	....	special effects crewman
Brent W. Bell	....	special effects foreman
Howard Berger	....	makeup effects supervisor
Rick Bongiovanni	....	lab technician
John Cluff	....	special effects crew
Chiz Hasegawa	....	coordinator: KNB EFX Group
Gregory Nicotero	....	makeup effects supervisor
Scott Patton	....	sculptor
Robert Hahn Pfister	....	special effects crewman
Michael Roundy	....	special effects crewman
Ryan Roundy	....	special effects technician
Ronald Walkshorse	....	special effects crew
Vaughn Williams	....	special effects crewman (as Von Williams)

Visual Effects by
Krista Benson	....	compositor
D. Walt Cameron	....	digital compositor
Clay Dale	....	visual effects
Andrea D'Amico	....	visual effects producer
Gina Di Bari	....	animation supervisor
Tommy Dorsett	....	visual effects editor: POP Film
Phillip Giles	....	digital animator
Justin Hammond	....	digital artist
Brian Hanable	....	digital effects compositor
Tom Helmers	....	animator
Cynthia Hyland	....	effects compositor
Shant Jordan	....	3D visual effects supervisor
Laurel Klick	....	visual effects supervisor
Jason Netter	....	visual effects executive producer
Susan Norkin	....	visual effects producer
Michael Pecchia	....	compositor
Patrick Perez	....	visual effects supervisor
Robert C. Powers	....	animator
Mark Sawicki	....	optical camera
Elaine Essex Thompson	....	visual effects coordinator
Charles Unkeless	....	animator (as Charlie Unkless)
Bob Wiatr	....	digital effects compositor
Kevin Gendreau	....	digital artist (uncredited)
Brandon McNaughton	....	digital compositor (uncredited)

Stunts
Ted Barba	....	stunts
Ivan Bates	....	stunts
Kurt Bryant	....	stunt coordinator
Darren A. Caperna	....	stunts (as Darren Caperna)
Skip Carlson	....	stunts
Peter Epstein	....	stunts
Kathy Jarvis	....	stunt double: Dina Meyer
Brad Jessey	....	stunts
Billy Judkins	....	stunts
Terri Sue Judkins	....	stunts
Bill McIntosh	....	stunts
Cole S. McKay	....	stunts (as Cole McKay)
Carl Milinac	....	stunts
Eddie Perez	....	stunts
Don Shanks	....	stunts
Patrick J. Statham	....	stunts (as Pat Statham)

Camera and Electrical Department
David Blundell	....	rigging gaffer (as Dave Blundell)
Sean Patrick Crowell	....	key grip
Allen Dial	....	electrician
Charles Hart	....	rigging key grip
Chip Hart	....	rigging grip
Fred Hayes	....	still photographer
Jason Hornbeck	....	camera operator
Gary Johnson	....	camera trainee
Kelly Klindt	....	electrician
John Koth	....	best boy grip
Michael J. Latino	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera (as Mike Latino)
Fritz Lindbeck	....	best boy electric
Cullen Lockwood	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Richard Maxey	....	dolly grip (as Rick Maxey)
Mike Mickens	....	camera operator
Mike Mickens	....	director of photography: second unit
Brian Giuseppe Morena	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Nick Neino	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera (as Nicholas Neino)
Theo Stephanne	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Jason Walser	....	grip
Garlan Wilde	....	gaffer
Wayne Wulfenstein	....	electrician

Animation Department
Josh Prikryl	....	animator

Casting Department
Elizabeth Cier	....	extras casting
Cate Praggastis	....	local casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Nancy Ceo	....	assistant costumer
Glenn Ralston	....	costume supervisor
Amy Jean Roberts	....	set costumer

Editorial Department
Dexter N. Adriano	....	assistant editor (as Dexter Adrianos)
Carmel Davies	....	assistant editor
Bob Ducsay	....	additional editor
Gloria Kaiser	....	color timer
David Matusek	....	post-production assistant
Meghan L. Noble	....	associate editor (as Meghan Noble)
Tanya T. Phipps	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Carol Sue Baker	....	music supervisor
Mark Curry	....	music mixer
Jonathan Hafter	....	music supervisor
Ashley Revell	....	music editor
David E. Russo	....	orchestrator (as David Russo)
Tim Simonec	....	orchestrator

Transportation Department
William 'Fleet' Eakland	....	transportation coordinator (as Fleet Eakland)
Eric Solmonson	....	transportation captain (as Eric Solomonson)

Other crew
Michael Barnes	....	financial legal services
Timmie Brennan	....	assistant location manager
John Goodwill	....	key office production assistant
Nancy Govednik	....	first assistant accountant
James Hirahara	....	puppeteer
Marc Irvin	....	puppeteer
Jill Josephson	....	stand-in
Thea Kerman	....	legal services
Luke Khanlian	....	puppeteer
Andrew Langton	....	location manager (as Andy Langton)
Mark Maitre	....	puppeteer
Douglas W. McHenry	....	post-production accountant
Jake McKinnon	....	puppeteer
Jennifer Miller	....	location scout
Mike Miner	....	production assistant
Gregory Nicotero	....	puppeteer (as Greg Nicotero)
Karen Radzikowski	....	production assistant
Timothy Ralston	....	puppeteer
Audra Rodgers	....	production secretary (as Audra Cervantes)
Dan Rudert	....	aerial coordinator
Dan Rudert	....	helicopter pilot
Shannon Shea	....	puppeteer
Delphine Slezak	....	script supervisor
Mike Steaheli	....	set medic (as Mike Staehli)
Christi Tidman	....	production accountant
Rorie D. Van Klaveren	....	office production assistant
Jerry West	....	stand-in
Lynnanne Zager	....	adr voice
Judy Sharinger	....	completion and delivery supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Destination Films

Distributors

• Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International (2000) (UK) (theatrical)
• Alliance Atlantis Communications (Canada)
• Columbia Pictures (USA)
• Columbia TriStar Films (France)
• Destination Films
• Sony Pictures Video

Special Effects

• K.N.B. Effects Group (special makeup and animatronic effects)
• Netter Digital Entertainment (visual effects)
• POP Film

Other Companies

• Absolute Negative Cutting  negative cutting
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  cranes
• Clairmont Camera  camera equipment provided by
• Custom Film Effects  titles and opticals
• E=mc²  video displays
• EFX Systems  digital sound
• Entertainment Post  telecine services
• Holmes Enterprises  military vehicles
• Hoover Animal Productions  animals
• Hoover Animals  animals
• Lumeni Productions  main title card designed by
• Michelson Food Services  catering
• Midnight Rainbow Security  security
• R.C. Baral & Co.  post-production accounting
• Redman Movies and Stories  grip and lighting equipment
• Wilshire Stages, The  re-recording facilities

Also Known As:

Blood Moon (USA) (original script title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some graphic, bloody bat attacks.

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS-ES | Dolby Digital EX

Certification:

Malaysia:18SG (uncut version) | Malaysia:U (cut version) | Netherlands:16 | South Korea:12 | USA:R (DVD version) | Australia:M | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Chile:TE | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Mexico:B | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #37019) | Philippines:PG-13 | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

American Fork, Utah, USA

Company:

Destination Films

Trivia:

The original two bats in the film were brought from Indonesia.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Most fecal matter gives off methane, a flammable gas. Emmett lights a flare in the middle of the guano pit, which would normally set off the methane, yet nothing happens.

Quotes:

Jimmy Sands: Houston, we've got a problem.

Movie Connections:

References Apollo 13 (1995)

Soundtrack:

Don't Let The Doorknob Hit Ya

Meanwhile Back In The Bat Cave

Bats, a film that should have premiered on the Science Fiction channel on cable, somehow got a theatrical release. If it had been made fifty years earlier I can definitely see Boris Karloff or Bela Lugosi in the part that Bob Gunton plays as the mad scientist.

The scariest thing about Bats is not the creatures themselves although they are the ugliest looking things this side of the Black Scorpion. The scariest part of the film was Bob Gunton's portrayal of the mad scientist who created this race of killer omnivirous Bats. He's identified as working for the Center For Disease Control. I was watching this figuring out how this creep got government clearance.

Yet Gunton is the most enjoyable thing in this film. And you got to love the fact that he had all these government facilities to work with, he's not hidden away in some laboratory in an old castle the way Karloff and Lugosi used to be. He's bred this race of flying fox bats from Indonesia which are aggressive to begin with and they've taken up residence in a bat cavern in Lou Diamond Phillips's county where he's the sheriff.

After several suspicious deaths with mutilation, the cause is identified and zoologists Dina Meyer and Leon Robinson are brought in to clean out the bat cave. If you care about how and if they do it by all means watch the film and the hint is, think blob.

Bats will never go down as a great science fiction classic, but it does have a certain campiness to it. And Gunton is a hoot.