Synopsis

When genetically altered bats escape from a secret laboratory, the creatures descend on Gallup, Texas, turning the isolated town into a killing ground. Zoologist Sheila Casper joins Sheriff Emmett Kimsey to investigate the attacks and uncover the experiment behind them. As the swarm grows more aggressive, the pair must devise a way to destroy the bats before the infestation spreads beyond the town.

Factoids & Trivia

• Released on October 22, 1999, Bats was the first film distributed by Destination Films.

• The screenplay was written by John Logan, who later became known for Gladiator, The Aviator, Hugo, and several Star Trek films.

• The production combined practical creature work from KNB EFX Group with computer-generated bat effects created by Netter Digital Entertainment and Pop Film.

• The film was made as a theatrical nature-horror picture rather than a direct-to-video release. It opened in more than 2,500 U.S. theaters and earned about $10.2 million domestically.

• The visual-effects approach was designed to make the attacks feel large in scale, using fast camera movement and aggressive editing to suggest that entire swarms were striking at once.

• A television-movie sequel, Bats: Human Harvest, followed in 2007.