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The Bat (1959)
The Bat (1959)
1959 | Horror, Mystery
8
6.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Vincent Price (0 more)
The Bite
The Bat- is the fourth film adaptation of the story, which began as a 1908 novel The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart, which she later adapted (with Avery Hopwood) into the 1920 play The Bat. The first film version of the play was the 1926 American silent film The Bat. The film version was adapted by playwright Crane Wilbur, who also directed.

This one has Vincent Price in it, which is a huge plus in my books. He is such a excellent, fantasic and phenomenal actor. He is one of my favorites. He is also one of my favorite horror actors.

The plot: A killer called "the Bat" has claimed many lives in the small town inhabited by novelist Cornelia van Gorder (Agnes Moorehead) and her maid, Lizzie (Lenita Lane). As Cornelia implores Dr. Malcolm Wells (Vincent Price) to help her ailing maid, $1 million in the town's bank goes missing. With greed and fear reaching new heights, police Lt. Andy Anderson (Gavin Gordon) goes to Cornelia's house to investigate additional murders committed by the Bat.

Its a creepy, scary and classic movie.
  
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Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated The Staircase in TV

Jun 27, 2018 (Updated Nov 27, 2018)  
The Staircase
The Staircase
2018 | Crime, Documentary
8
8.0 (25 Ratings)
TV Show Rating
Tells the entire story, from the very beginning of the case until now and provides some closure. (0 more)
Pretty Captivating
I went straight into watching the Staircase immediately after watching Evil Genius and initially was underwhelmed due to the simplicity of this case in comparison to the case in Evil Genius. However, after sticking with the show after a few episodes, I found myself more invested and binged the entire series over the next few days. I never watched the original 9 episodes when they originally aired back in 2004, which I was actually glad of as it allowed me to take in the entire story in a few sittings from start to finish.

There are a lot of interesting characters in this doc and it is really them that keep your interest throughout. Michael Peterson is interesting to watch and listen to, regardless of whether or not you think that he is guilty of the crime he is accused of committing. The rest of the Peterson family are also interesting and it is eye opening, - if slightly harrowing, - to see all of these people go through this decades spanning ordeal. Michael's lawyer, David Rudolph is also pretty entertaining and it is compelling to watch him work.

Out of all of the docs I watched recently, this one provides the most closure and tells the most complete story, which makes sticking with all of it's 13 episodes feel satisfying.


I wanted to add a wee bit onto this review after I went to see David Rudolph speak in Glasgow last night during his, 'Inside The Staircase,' World Tour. It was an interesting night and well worth going to as a fan of the documentary. David brought with him some unseen clips from the show and some unseen autopsy photos. After seeing this fresh evidence, I personally am convinced that the Owl Theory is the most plausible scenario at this point. At first, I thought that the Owl Theory was absurd, but after David laid out all of the evidence to support the theory last night, I don't see how it could have possibly played out any other way. Regardless, this is still a very interesting case and the documentary is well worth a binge if you haven't already seen it.
  
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (2019)
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (2019)
2019 | Crime, Drama, Family
Nancy Drew first starting investigating mysteries in River Heights in 1930. She has changed little in all of her connotations. Growing up in the 70s and 80s, I met her young in life. This new movie tried to mix her wholesome identity with some millenial ingenuity with very bad results. It isn't that she is no longer relevant, just her Hidden Staircase story is. The film plays very much like a Scooby-Doo mystery with all Velma and no Shaggy or Scooby. A stubborn old woman played by the still vibrant Linda Lavin's house is being haunted. Also, River Heights is a potential site for a new train. Nancy Drew is introduced as a viligante fighting for the less popular girls. All of this makes for a movie that is of little interest to modern girls or women who grew up on Nancy Drew in the 80s. Luckily, little was spent to market this dud.
  
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Sarah (126 KP) rated The Staircase in TV

Aug 10, 2018  
The Staircase
The Staircase
2018 | Crime, Documentary
8
8.0 (25 Ratings)
TV Show Rating
Good start-to-finish coverage of the matter (0 more)
The last few episodes are dragged out a little (0 more)
A Compelling Watch
All are punish'd.

The final words of The Staircase, taken from the last scene of Romeo & Juliet, seem particularly fitting for the series.

This series is centred on the untimely death of Kathleen Peterson, wife of author Michael Peterson.

For fans of true crime documentaries such as Making a Murderer, Evil Genius and Wild, Wild Country, this may seem something of a "slow burn"; however, from the initial report of Kathleen apparently tumbling down the stairs, we are quickly taken on a journey which spans several decades, two continents and which reveals lies and betrayal the likes of which seem more fitting of a crime thriller novel than a real life crime drama.

As with pretty much of these true crime series', we are left with a lot of unanswered questions; what makes The Staircase different is that it actually takes from the initial 911 call right up to the closure of the case.

What this start to finish coverage of the matter does give is a stark indication of the sheer length of time (and amount of money) that justice can take - if, indeed, one considers that justice was in fact served in this matter - and the toll that can take.

The level of coverage - of coaching of the witness pre-Trial, interviews with the Judge following the conclusion, and pretty much everything in between - allows us great insight into the US judicial process, as well as a close look at the Defendant himself and his family.

While each and every viewer will undoubtedly form their own opinion as to the guilt or otherwise of Michael Peterson - even though we aren't privy to all of the evidence, investigations, etc of the prosecution team - this series is certainly serves as an insight into the criminal justice process in the United States and how it can affect entire families.

My only criticism would be that the last few episodes seem to have been really dragged out - including lots of long, lingering shots of Michael Peterson, perhaps to reinforce how he had aged and suffered over the course of the series. In my opinion, it really could have been reduced by several episodes which would have actually made the whole thing flow better.

As regards guilt, one line towards the end of the series really stood out to as being the most honest thing said by anyone: "is there ever anyone in this family who isn't performing?"