🦇 Summer Slash 7 – BATS (1999) And Halloween H20: Mutated Mayhem, Franchise Madness & Bat Puppet Carnage
Welcome back to Summer Slash, our annual horror movie marathon where things get bloodier, weirder, and more nostalgic with every episode. This time, we’re cracking open the lab doors on BATS (1999), the genetically engineered creature feature you might’ve caught on SYFY during a sleepover, and pairing it with a sharp revisit of Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later—yes, the one where Jamie Lee Curtis gets PTSD... again.
🧬 Genetically Mutated Bats... in Texas?!
Released at the tail end of the ‘90s monster movie boom, BATS stars Lou Diamond Phillips as a Texas sheriff trying to stop a swarm of mutant bats created by some reckless scientists. With Dina Meyer (Starship Troopers) as the bat expert and Bob Gunton (The Shawshank Redemption) as the shady mastermind behind the experiment-gone-wrong, the movie delivers on everything a late-night creature feature should: corny dialogue, decent action, and bat puppets that look like they belong at Chuck E. Cheese after dark.
🕹 Favorite Moments From BATS:
A deputy gets cornered in an arcade/bar by the titular creatures (10/10 on the camp scale).
The bats exhibit self-aware villainy—which either means they’re smart or the writers had too much fun.
Yes, they hide in a car muffler and engine block. And yes, it’s just as dumb as it sounds.
But BATS moves fast. The pacing is relentless, and honestly, that might be the movie’s biggest strength.
🧠 Horror Trivia and Fun Facts:
Lou Diamond Phillips has a low-key horror résumé beyond this: Route 666, The Night Stalker, The Big Hit. Dig deeper and you’ll find some gems.
Dina Meyer has carved out a solid niche in genre cinema, from space bugs to Saw traps.
The comic relief? That’s Leon, who you might recognize from Cool Runnings, Above the Rim, and The Chi.
Also: A real-life bat expert, Dr. Gary McCracken, once criticized this film’s depiction of bats, saying it plays on fear and misinformation. He's not wrong, but sometimes horror is about exploiting the unknown.
🎃 Back to Haddonfield – A Look at Halloween H20
While we’re talking about ‘90s horror oddities, we had to throw on Halloween H20. This sequel was meant to celebrate 20 years of Halloween, and it brought back Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode in what should have been the final showdown with Michael Myers.
Here’s the Deal with the Halloween Franchise:
The original timeline goes: H1, H2, H4, H5, H6 (aka the Thorn Universe).
Halloween III has no Myers, just killer masks and Stonehenge magic.
Then Rob Zombie rebooted it with Halloween (2007) and Halloween II (2009).
The modern trilogy—Halloween (2018), Kills (2021), and Ends (2022)—exists in what we call the “Coreyverse.”
H20 exists in its own bubble, one that tried to blend Scream teen horror with Myers’ legacy. It mostly works… until it doesn’t.
Favorite H20 Bits:
Dumbwaiter kill? Iconic. (There’s a whole list of horror dumbwaiter deaths if you're curious.)
LL Cool J trying to publish romance novels while surviving a slasher movie? Yes, please.
Josh Hartnett as Laurie’s son is... well, he’s there. He’s very there.
Ending feels final—until it wasn’t.
Watching H20 today, it makes the newer Halloween films seem better written (kind of). But it’s still a worthy piece of horror history.
🎥 Home Video Headlines:
RIP Michael Madsen, the badass character actor known for Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill, but apparently remembered by many as “the dad from Free Willy.”
Netflix renews Tires for Season 3.
The Bear is coming back for Season 5, and we’re still stressed just thinking about it.
🩸 Fan Service & Franchise Fatigue
We also dipped into some forgotten horror lore—like the Friday the 13th TV series, which didn't feature Jason Voorhees at all, and how Saw 3D nearly broke us. Summer Slash demands we watch the 7th entry in various horror franchises, and Saw 3D is... an endurance test.
🔚 Final Thoughts on BATS
Is BATS binge-worthy? Yes—especially if you're into retro horror with charm and cheese. The puppets, pacing, and weird science make it fun, even if the rewatch dims the shine a bit. Watch it once for the kills and again for the cringe.
🎧 Want More Horror Talk?
Catch the full episode of Summer Slash 7: BATS on Binge-Watchers Podcast, available on all major platforms or watch the video on YouTube here. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and ring the bell 🔔 so you never miss an episode.
We’ll be back with more movie mayhem—including The Creeping Flesh and Saw 3D (ugh).
Until next slash... stay batty. 🦇
