WHOA DADDY!! Zombie Zane here live and direct from the pit of hell otherwise known as the seven six one oh seven. Another day of record breaking heat. SUCK IT! In any case, we’re gonna close out the week here at DEAD END HORROR with another movie review. As you may or may not know, this week Sasha and I’ve been talking Bela Lugosi. So I figured I’d end the week with the 1942 horror classic ‘THE CORPSE VANISHES.’ Have you seen it? No? Not to worry, I’ll tell ya all about it. Kick on back for a sec, grab a cold beverage and allow me to educate.
As I said, "THE CORPSE VANISHES" is a 1942 American horror/whodunit type of deal. It stars the ever so eerie Mr. Bela Lugosi, Elizabeth Russell, and Luana Walters. It was directed by Wallace Fox and became available in 2009 on DVD. Now that you got the particulars, let’s get to the plot, yes?
Basically the movie breaks down as follows: Bela Lugosi plays a horticulturalist by the name of Dr. Lorenz. Now the good doctor’s wife is aging and needs fluids taken from young virgins (no, not those fluids! Get you mind out of the gutter!) To retain her eternal youth and beauty. Dr. Lorenz finds these poor unsuspecting virgins and drugs them, kidnaps them, and takes them back to the mansion so he can extract what he needs for his wife. And there ya go. Not much to it. I mean after all this is only about 64mins so what really can happen in that small amount of time?
But here is a little nugget of knowledge that I found pretty fuckin cool. This movie is loosely based on the true story of Elizabeth Bathory, a sixteenth century Hungarian countess and serial killer who was said to preserve her beauty by bathing in the blood of young virginal women. Neato mosquito! Not only did you get a movie review, but a lil bit of history to boot. I rule!
Ok, again with these older movies I don’t really have any stats for you. No gore, no bush-boobs or butt, no severings, but again, consider the time this movie came out. But I can give you my score...I give this classic horror film a 3 out of 5. It wasn’t that bad contrary to what Mystery Science Theater 3000 said.
Well that’s all I got for now. Not a bad way to close out the week. Oh, and be sure to peep out Sasha’s stuff as well. She’s back to doing her reviews on Masters of Horror. I think this week she’s talking about Jenifer. MOH doesn’t have shit to do with old school classic horror, but who cares. It’s our blog and our rules. SUCK IT. (Again, I can’t quit saying that. It’s funny.) So next week we’re gonna be continuing on with our old school theme, not sure what yet but you can bet yo ass it’ll be good. I mean we do rock after all. So until next time, take care, stay a-scared, and I am out.
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MOH episode 4 is titled Jenifer (I spelled it right...1 N my friends) is directed by Dario Argento and came out in 2006. Detective Frank Spivey comes across a man trying to murder a young girl. Frank saves her but quickly realizes that the girl is horribly disfigured. He looks past her disfiguration when she starts to seduce him, even though some fucked up shit starts happening. But when things start to go to far for Detective Spivey, and theres only one thing left to do...
The story begins with Detective Spivey and his partner sitting in their squad car eating Chinese when Spivey decides to get out and take a look around. He hears someone scream and turns to find a man dragging a young girl away. He sees the man take out a knife and hold it in the air, getting ready to stab the girl. Spivey tells the man to put the knife down but the man tells him it's too late. Before the man can stab her, Spivey shoots him and with his last dying breath the man says "Jenifer".
He unties her and notices that she is horribly disfigured ( && I mean that...chick has a MAJOR butter face). And while untying her he gets a cut on his hand from her fingernail ( And he is obsessed with the cut throughout the entire show thinger..it's gross.) Anyway back at home his wifey decides to try and seduce him, and he ends up turning her on her stomach and just takin it!! And while he was doing that he was having flashbacks of shooting the guy and Jenifer bent over a barrel. (Guess which flashback turned him on ehh?). He talks to the psychologist and asks about Jenifer and how she is doing. He finds out that Jenifer is an orphan and is possibly mentally challenged. The psychologist tells him that Jenifer that is in a mental institution and he decides to go visit her.
He is taken into the shower room where Jenifer is (Total boob shot) and she sees him and runs to him. He decides that she can't stay there so he takes her back to his house. His family sees her the following morning and of course, they freak out. His wife tells him that he has to take her somewhere else and just before she leaves the room, Jenifer grabs his wife and tries to kiss her (or maybe bite her...idk!!) He takes her away from the house and drives around, trying to figure out where he can take her. While trying to figure something out he stops the car and is trying to decide what to do when Jenifer starts getting a little frisky. He tries to start the car but she grabs his hand and then pulls her dress down and puts his hand on her boobs. She then starts kissing and undoes his pants and rides him like a pony (ooh sorry, was that crude?? ehh.)
After that little tryst Frank brings her back home to his house and claims that no one would take her and he wants her to stay there until he can find a place. They hear a crashing sound and go into the bathroom to find Jenifer eating their cat and playing with its intestines...EWWW! Franks wife freaks out and ( Of course, wouldn't you spaz if you found some butter face chick munching on your cat too?) calls a cab and leaves. Later that night while Frank is sleeping, Jenifer comes into his room and does Frank, yet again.
The following day while Frank is gone, Jenifer sees the little girl from the neighbor hood outside playing in a pool and when Frank comes home he finds Jenifer in the basement eating the little girl. He grabs Jenifer and chokes her a little before letting go and collapsing on the floor crying. The next day he is at the side show where he propositions the owner and asks him if he'll take Jenifer. He gives the owner a set of keys to his house so he can go in and take Jenifer while Frank leaves town for a few days. Frank goes home to see if she had been taken away yet. He doesn't see any sign of her and believes she is gone, that is until he opens the refrigerator door and finds the owner of the freak shows body in it, all chopped into pieces. He buries the body in his backyard and gets Jenifer and they get into his car and leave.
He takes them into the woods to a secluded cabin so no one can find them. Frank gets wasted and tells Jenifer that there is a little town a few miles away from the cabin and that hes going to try to find a job and asks her to stay in the cabin while hes gone. The following day Frank goes into town and sees a help wanted sign in the window of a store. Rose, the owner of the stores gives him the job and asks if he can start that day. While Frank is helping Rose with inventory, Jenifer is hiding behind a building watching them. Later that night while Roses son is at a party, he stumbles across Jenifer in the woods. She runs away from him and he follows her. Frank arrives home but can't find Jenifer. He goes to the basement of the cabin and finds Jenifer eating Jack, Roses son.
Frank ties Jenifer's hands together and grabs and ax and leads Jenifer into the woods. He ties Jenifer to a tree and just as he's ready to chop her head off, a hunter in the woods tells him to stop. Before Frank has a chance to explain the hunter shoots him in the chest. He unties Jenifer and tells her it's going to be ok. And with his last dying breath, Frank mutters "Jenifer".
WOW!! I actually liked this episode of MOH. The few that I've seen have kinda been snooze fests, but this one was good. I think overall I'd give it a solid 3 out of 5. It's got everything you need in a horror movie all crammed into about 58 minutes. You've got blood and guts, murder, sex, and 2 out of the 3 B's (That is boobs, butt, and box of course!). I think so far this is definitley my favorite MOH episode. And since you're here, don't forget to check out Zanes review of The Corpse Vanishes, starring Bela Lugosi. And yeah, you know what I'm about to say, check back next week for all new stuff, here at Dead End Horror.
Well hello there! =) Sasha Slaughter here with you && since this is old school horror month, I'll be reviewing White Zombie, starring none other than Bela Lugosi of course. White Zombie came out in 1932 and was made in just 11 days with a budget of $50,000 and was filmed on what was left of the sets of Universal's Dracula and Frankenstein. So you go on ahead and relax && enjoy my take on this 1932 classic mmm'kay???
The movie takes place in Haiti with Neil and Madeline on their way to Mr. Beaumont's house, a man whom Madeline met on her way to Haiti. She told him that she and Neil were planning to get married and he offered to have the wedding at his home, and said he'd make Neil an agent at his company. They are in the carriage when they come upon a large group of people in the middle of the road, chanting and burying something. They ask the driver what’s going and he tells them that they are having a funeral in the middle of the road because people travel the road often and it will keep people from stealing the bodies. On the way to Mr. Beaumont’s, they stop briefly and a man reaches into the carriage and steals Madeline's scarf before the driver says that he sees zombies and they take off. The driver warns them of the undead corpses that roam at night and that are made to work at the sugar mill, but they don't believe him and dismiss his claims.
Upon at arriving at Beaumont’s home, they meet Dr. Bruner, the preacher who is set to marry them. He feels there is something going on at Mr. Beaumont’s and advises the young couple to leave quickly after they are married. Beaumont goes out to greet Neil and Madeline and after talking briefly, Madeline and Neil are shown to their rooms. Neil looks outside and sees Beaumont get into a carriage with someone and then leave. Beaumont arrives at the sugar mill where he sees zombies working and doing chores. He is taken into a back room to talk to Murder (no really, that’s his name in the movie!). Beaumont tells him that he is in love with Madeline and wants her for himself.
He goes to him for help because Murder happens to be a voodoo master who turns people into zombies with the power of his mind (BAD-ASS!). Beaumont said he is willing to pay anything to make Madeline his. Murder gives him a small vial of white powder and tells Beaumont to put it in wine or maybe on a flower. Beaumont acts shocked and says there must be some other way and leaves to get to the wedding. As he is walking Madeline down the stairs, he tells her that he loves her and wants her to be with him. She asks not to ruin anything and before she gets ready to marry Neil, Beaumont apologizes and offers her a flower, with the powder on it, she smells it and then puts it in her bouquet. After the ceremony they are having dinner when Neil gets up to do a toast. Madeline was joking around and saying she sees love and happiness in her wine glass, and then she sees eyes in the wine and claims she sees death. While this is happening, Murder is outside carving a candle into a statue of Madeline and then starts to melt it. As the statue is melting, Madeline collapses and dies.
They hold a funeral for her and Neil leaves. He starts to see her everywhere he looks and decides to go look for her. Beaumont and Murder go into the graveyard where Madeline is buried and Beaumont is introduced to Murder's zombie slaves. The zombies open the door of the place where Madeline's coffin is and they open it up. Just then they hear Neil screaming Madeleine’s name and they take the coffin and hurry away before Neil finds them. Neil stumbles into where Madeleine’s coffin was and discovers that its missing. He goes to the only other person he knows, Dr. Bruner. He thinks that maybe Madeleine’s body was stolen or maybe she wasn't really dead. He suggests that perhaps Madeleine’s body was stolen, or that she was drugged and buried alive on purpose.
Bruner also suggests that it was Beaumont who did it but Neil isn't so sure. Beaumont and Madeline are back at Murder's home when he admits to her that he regrets doing what he did because now she is soulless and has empty eyes that no longer shine. Beaumont tells Murder that he wants Madeline brought back to life again but Murder tells him that she'd hate him for what he did to her. Beaumont insists that he'd rather her hate him than have to see her the way she is. Murder offers Beaumont wine and then he realizes that he'd been poisoned with the same stuff that he used to poison Madeline. As the poison sets in, Murder reveals that he has plans for both Madeline and Beaumont, and that they could be of good use to him.
Bruner and Neil decide to go look for Madeline. They get a Witch doctor that Bruner knows to help them find the way to Madeline. The Witch doctor tells him that its not a good idea and wont go any further with them. They finally reach what Bruner calls The house of the dead, but Neil is too weak to go on, so Bruner goes alone. Meanwhile, Madeline is starting to act different, like she is starting to remember things or can sense that Neil is nearby. Neil wakes up and starts yelling for Madeline and then follows Bruner into the house. Neil goes into a room and finds Murder and Beaumont sitting at a table, with Beaumont unable to speak. Neil passes out and Murder finds him and makes Madeline come to where downstairs and grab a knife. He then makes her walk over to where Neil is passed out, and she raises her arm in the air, getting ready to stab him when someone behind her grabs her arm and she drops the knife and runs outside.
Neil comes to and finds Madeline sitting outside, just then, Murder appears and calls his zombie servants to kill Neil. He tries shooting them and just as he's about to fall over a cliff, Bruner comes and knocks Murder out. The zombies all fall over the cliff and for a brief second, Madeline smiles at Neil and then her face goes blank again. Murder wakes up and tries to escape, and just as he reaches the top of the steps, Beaumont comes up behind him and pushes him into the water below, and then he jumps also. Madeline looks at Neil and recognizes who he is and of course they all live happily ever after! (Ok, so I added the happily ever after...so what?)
Well for starters, I think this is actually the oldest movie I've ever watched. I really didn't know what to expect. It was good. What I liked about it was that the movie didn't overwhelm you with a lot of dialogue, instead it actually shows what’s happening rather than telling you, which is different. There was no blood, but I really wasn't expecting much, or any for that matter. The zombies in this movie didn't eat people, instead they were mind controlled. I love me some zombies, and I prefer that they tear people apart and fuck stuff up....but it was the 30's soo I guess the whole mind control thing makes sense because it was a lot more tame. Overall I'd give this movie a 2.75. It was a decent film for being 79 years old. It kept my attention and Murder was uber creepy looking..gave me the willies! So there you have it, my thoughts on White Zombie.
And while you're here, don't forget to check out Zombie Zane’s reviews of Invisible Ghost and the Corpse Vanishes, you'll be glad you did =) Thanks!
YEP-YEP-YEP-YEP-YEP, Let’s do it once again. Zombie Zane here as usual coming to ya live and direct from the seven six one oh seven. Goddamn could it be any hotter in this place? Summer has a grip on us and let me tell ya Jack, it doesn’t look good. But hey, I ain’t here to talk about the weather. Nope. I’m here to talk old school horror with you. This month at DEAD END HORROR, we’re kicking it old school. This week in particular, we’re talking Bela Lugosi. For those tools out there who don’t know who he is, read Sasha’s article and educate your dumb ass. Did that sound harsh? Sorry. In any case, I’m here to tell you about the film, ‘INVISIBLE GHOST.’ Ever seen it? No? Well hell, kick on back a sec and let me share with you my take on this 1941 classic.
‘INVISIBLE GHOST’ is a 1941 horror film starring Bela Lugosi, Polly Ann Young, John McGuire, and directed by Joseph H. Lewis. It was distributed by Monogram pictures and was released in April of 1941 making it one old motherfucker. But that’s not to say it isn’t good. Told ya, these old school films were the building blocks of today’s horror films. Plus there wasn’t CGI back then and it was the actors that carried the film. Not a bunch of stupid ass wrestling robots and computer generated crap. It was all about the acting. Yeah, it was over the top, but shit, it was the early days of film, what can you expect. Anyway, I’m getting off point. Let’s get to the plot.
This film stars Bela Lugosi as Charles Kessler a man living with his daughter while longing and hoping for his wife’s return. She’s been gone for some years and it’s breaking his heart. One night, during a bad storm, he sees her looking through one of the windows. Now upon seeing her, he flips the fuck out, goes into some kinda trance and murders the maid!! He totally chokes her ass out! Now, the poor maids boyfriend is framed for the killing and he ends up dying while in police custody. Ya follow me so far? Ok. Now the maid’s boyfriend has a twin brother (fucking really?) So he shows up at the mansion to help figure out the strange death of his brother. So now ya got the twin brother and Kessler’s daughter working in tandem to figure out who the real killer is and clear the name of the maid’s boyfriend.
Overall I liked this movie. Bela Lugosi was his usual creepy-creep-creep self. And when he would trance out, his eyes were wicked scary! They did a great job with all that. Plus some of the choking scenes were pretty violent for that day and age. I mean now not so much, but back then...
Usually I give you some stats and some numbers at this point, but these old movies aren’t like the ones today. No nekkidness (yes, I can spell naked) No fuck scenes, not much blood ya know they just kinda imply all that shit. So really no numbers here. We’ll be back doing newer shit in a couple weeks.
So, I guess that about covers ‘INVISIBLE GHOST.’ Oh wait!! My score! I give this Bela Lugosi picture a cool 3 out of 5. His acting alone carries this film. And be sure to read Sasha’s review of ‘WHITE ZOMBIE.’ Another kick ass Lugosi offering. I guess that’s all I got for ya today. So until next time, take care, stay a-scared and I am out. SUCK IT! (I’m on a kick where I say that all the time. Why? I don’t know. It’s funny and I can’t help it.)
Here we go, here we go, here we go, yo! Let’s do this motherfucker! Zombie Zane here once again. And once again I’m coming at ya live and direct from the fuckin seven six one oh seven. Otherwise known as the glass furnace. Man, is it hot. Summer is in full effect here y’all. And it ain’t leavin’ anytime soon. So since it’s so damn hot, why not kick on back for a bit and see what we got going on this week. I’m sure you’ll like it. If not, SUCK IT!
Ok, as I mentioned, this month is gonna be dedicated to old school horror. Now when I say old school, I mean shit from the 20's, 30's, 40's and 50's. Now don’t bitch and piss and moan. There’s some good shit to be seen. Classic stuff. Hence the purpose for this here article. After you read this, you will know the top ten old school horror movies of all time. Trust me, I’m a professional. So how about we stop with the foreplay and get to the good stuff, yes? One more thing, after you read this, be sure and check out Sasha Slaughter’s
bio on the great Bela Lugosi. That’s some shit you wanna look in to. Ok, without further ado, here’s my list:
ZOMBIE ZANE’S TOP TEN OLD SCHOOL HORROR MOVIE CLASSICS
10. Coming in at the 10 spot is the silent classic (yes, I said silent) ‘DR JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE.’ Now this is not to be confused with the other 1920 Hayden film. That one is only 40 minutes long. This one, too, came out in 1920 but it has John Barrymore in it. And it’s longer than 40 minutes. It’s based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella, (The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) which, by the way, was a great remake with Tony Todd (Candyman) but that’s a whole other story. In any case, this classic tale of split personality has spawned cartoons and shitloads of remakes. But this is where it all began. Not wild about silent films, but I still enjoyed it (thanks to beer and some vodka shots) I give ‘DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE’ a middle of the road 2.5 out of 5.
9. At the nine we have another silent film. (Quit your bitchin.’) This one stars Lon Chaney as Quasimodo. The hunchbacked bell ringer. Obviously I’m talking about Universal’s 1923 classic, ‘THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME.’ This was Universal’s most successful silent film grossing about 3 million bucks. Now that’s a shitload of cash!! Who knew? Anyway, we all know the plot so I’ll spare you the details let’s just get to the ranking. I liked this film. Again, not a fan of silent movies but the ones on this list are for real worth it. I give ‘THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME’ a solid 2.5 out of 5. Great make-up, great acting, and awesome set design.
8. How about we continue with the silent film trend and throw in 1925's ‘THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA’ which also features Lon Chaney. Ok, I know, enough of the silent films. But again, these are good movies. Without these, horror today would be so different. So give ‘em a chance, yes? Anyway, the plot is familiar to everyone so again I’ll skip it let me just say that this film is definitely worth a watch. Lon Chaney is a bad motherfucker. I give this Universal Studio gem a 3 out of 5.
7. At number seven I have (and no, it ain’t a silent film) another offering from Universal Studios. How about ‘CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON.’ I’ve mentioned this film in another article which you may or may not have read so if you haven’t shame on you. Read it after you read this one. This film is from 1954 and was the first film to be shot in 3D. Pretty cool huh? So grab your 3D glasses, get some popcorn and enjoy. I give this trend setting movie a nice 3 out of 5.
6. "IT’S ALIVE!! ALIVE!!" That’s right baby! Coming in at the six we have Mary Shelley’s classic ‘FRANKENSTEIN.’ This is also another Universal picture and was released in 1931. It stars Boris Karloff as the monster and was directed by James Whale. I reviewed this movie in my article, ‘Meet My Monster’ so if ya wanna know more about bop on over to the archives and give it a read. This is fo sho an old school classic and it gets a 4.25 out of 5 from me. Again, this film spawned sequels, and tons of remakes so you might wanna look into watching this one.
5. Halfway done. Hope you’re enjoying the list so far. For the five spot I am putting in 1941's ‘THE WOLF MAN.’ This film is full of star power! Ya got Lon Chaney Jr. as the werewolf, ya got Claude rains, and ya got Bela Lugosi. Need I say more. This was actually Universal’s second werewolf film. ‘Werewolf of London’ was the first and it was very successful. So with all that said, I give this iconic film a 4.5 out of 5. It’s a must watch when talking old school horror.
4. In 1931 one of the most duplicated ever horror films hit the big screen. I’m talking the classic horror film, ‘DRACULA.’ Produced by Universal and starring Bela Lugosi this vampire movie actually had people fainting from the horror on the screen. No shit. To this day, ‘DRACULA’ is preserved in the National Film Registry and as you know, this film started the whole vampire craze. So you Twatlight fans out there, can thank Universal Studio’s and Bram Stoker for introducing vampires to American audiences. ‘DRACULA’ gets a 4.75 out of 5. This is a MUST watch for horror fans.
3. Have you ever wanted to be invisible? I have. In 1933 Claude Rains got to do just that in H.G. Wells’ ‘THE INVISIBLE MAN.’ This film is an adaptation from Wells’ 1897 novel of the same name. This film was also directed by our buddy James Whale who, if you were paying attention, also directed ‘Frankenstein.’ This film also was preserved in the US Film Registry by the Library of Congress by saying this film is historically, culturally, and aesthetically significant. Neat huh? I give this sci-fi/horror film a 4.75 out of 5.
2. Jesus Christ this is taking for fucking ever! Who knew a top ten list was gonna be a career move. Ok, sorry. Not to be a bitch, but damn! My fingers are...You don’t wanna hear it. I understand. Let’s get back to the list. At the two spot I have the 1932 Universal produced ‘THE MUMMY.’ This iconic horror feature stars our man Boris Karloff and was directed by Karl Freund. Now this movie has spawned all kinds of sequels and shit. Most of them being not too bad. You remember all the Mummy movies with Brendan Fraser? Hell yeah, this ‘32 classic is the reason for it. I would have to say, Dracula movies excluded, that ‘The Mummy’ has created more sequels and prequels than any other old school horror film. ‘THE MUMMY’ gets a 4.75 out of 5.
1. Ok, now for the numero-uno film of old school horror. Now this film is not a Universal Studio production like the others on this list. Sorry to break the trend but...And yes, it’s another silent film. And if you don’t like well...SUCK IT! The final film in our list of ten is the 1922 German Expressionist film, ‘NOSFERATU.’ Directed by F.W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok. This film is uber creepy! Now the music does tend to get on my nerves, but nevertheless this film is one bad motherfucker. Just the images alone are still, to this day, haunting. It is for sure a must see. I give ‘NOSFERATU’ a perfect 5 out of 5! When you talk classic vampire movies, this movie is always mentioned as one of the best if not best. So if you can procure a copy of it, get it and watch it.
Well, there it is. Zombie Zane’s top ten old school horror films. Be sure and check out Sasha’s stuff as well. She’s got some good shit on the slab that you will wanna read. As for me, I’m done here. So until next time, take care, stay a-scared and I am out.
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Bela Lugosi, whos real name was Bela Ferenc Dezso Blasko, was born in Lugos, part of Austria-Hungary, on October 20, 1882. He was the youngest of four children and was raised in a Roman Catholic family. At the young age of twelve, Lugosi dropped out of school, and seven years later at the age of ninteen is when he started his acting career. His earliest known performances were in provincial theaters from 1903-1904. He played small roles in several plays and operettas, and after some time, moved on Shakespeare plays and other major roles. He moved to Budapest in 1911 and played dozens of roles with the National Theater of Hungary from 1913-1919. During World War 1, he served as an infantry lieutentant in the Austro-Hungarian Army where he rose to the rank of captain of the ski patrol and would eventually be awarded for being wounded on the Russian front.
Lugosi's first flim appearance was in the 1917 movie Az ezredes (Known in English as The Colonel). While appearing in Hungarian silent films Lugosi often went by the name Arisztid Olt. Lugosi starred in 12 films in Hungary between 1917 and 1918 before leaving for Germany. Because of his activism in the Actors Union in Hungary during the time of the Hungarian Revolution of 1919, he was forced to flee his homeland. He went to Vienna then Austria and finally settled in Germany where he continued acting. He appeared in a small number of films including adaptations of Karl May novels such as Auf den Trummern des Paradieses (On the Brink of Paradise) and Die Todeskarawane (The Caravan of Death). Lugosi left Germany in 1920 intent on emigrating to the United States, he would eventually travel to New Orleans as a crewman aboard a merchant ship.
He entered the country at New Orleans in December 1920. He made his way to New York where he was legally inspected for immigration at Ellis Island in March 1921. He declared his intention on becoming a US citizen in 1928 and then on June 26, 1931 he was naturalized. He worked as a laborer upon his arrival to the US and then entered the theater in New York City's Hungarian immigrant colony. With a few fellow Hungarian actors, Lugosi formed a small stock company that toured Eastern cities, playing for immigrant audiences. He acted in his first Broadway play in 1922, it was called The Red Poppy. There were more parts that were offered to Lugosi, they came between 1925 and 1926. They included a five month part in the comedy/fantasy The Devil in the Cheese. His first American role came in the 1923 melodrama The Silent Command.
Lugosi was approached in the summer of 1927 to star in the Broadway prodcution of Dracula adapted by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston from Bram Stoker's novel. The production was a hit, running 261 performances before touring. He was soon called to Hollywood to star in early talkies (the opposite of a silent film). Despite his performance, Lugosi was not the first choice of Universal Pictures to play Dracula when the company optioned the rights to the Deane play and began production in 1930. It was a long standing rumor that Lon Chaney was Universal's first choice, and that Lugosi was only chosen due to Chaney's death shortly before production.
Because of his association with the character of Dracula, Lugosi started to play other roles as a horror villian, starring in such movies as Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Raven, and Son of Frankenstein and the independent film White Zombie. Due to his thick Hungarian accent, Lugosi was limited to certain roles that he could play. Lugosi did however attempt to try out for other roles. He lost out to Lionel Barrymore for the role of Rasputin in Rasputin and the Empress, C. Henry Gordon for the role of Surat Khan in Charge of the Light Brigade, and Basil Rathbone for the role of Commissar Gorotchenko in Tovarich. He finally got a break when he got the role of the elegant and hot tempered Gen. Nicholas Strenovsky-Petronovich in International House.
Five films at Universal- The Black Cat, The Raven, The Invisible Ray, Son of Frankenstein and Black Friday (and also two minor cameo roles in 1934's Gift of Gab) and two RKO Pictures, You'll Find Out and The Body Snatcher-paired Lugosi with Boris Karloff. Lugosi was inevitably viewed as second best compared to Karloff and it was reported that Lugosi was openly resentful towards Karloff for his long term success and ability to get good roles beyond the horror arena. Karloff and Lugosi were also reported to have at one point been good friends. Universal attempted to give Lugosi more heroic roles, as in The Black Cat, The Invisible Ray, and even a romantic role in the Adventure of Chandu.
Lugosi encountered many problems with his career in the 1930's. Universal changed management and because of a British ban on horror films, they were dropped from the production schedule. Lugosi often found himself consigned to Universal's non-horror B-film unit, and at the times the small roles he played he was used for "name value" only. Though Lugosi was experiencing a severe career decline, he accepted many leading roles from independent producers such as Nat Levine, Sol Lesser, and Sam Katzman. Because these roles were often low budget thrillers, it showed that Lugosi was less discriminating than Karloff when it came to choosing roles. The exposure not only helped Lugosi financially, but artistically as well. He tried to keep busy with stage work, but eventually had to borrow money from the Actors' fund to pay hospital bills when his only child, Bela George Lugosi was born in 1938.
Universal gave Lugosi's career a second chance when he starred in Son of Frankenstein in 1939 as Ygor, who used monsters for his own revenge. That same year, Lugosi got a role in the major motion picture Ninotchka, a comedy. The small role could have been the turning point for Lugosi, but instead he ended up back on Hollywood's Poverty Row, playing leads for Sam Katzman. Due to injuries he sustained while in the Military, Lugosi developed chronic sciatica. At first he was treated with remedies such as asparagus juice, the doctors then decided to increase his medication to opiates. Eventually Lugosi would develop an addiction to pain killers, primarily Morhpine and Methadone. This addiction caused dwindling screen offers. Finally, in 1943 he played the role of Frankenstein's monster in Universal's Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman, which contained dialogue. And in 1948 Lugosi played Dracula for the second and last time in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. By this time, Lugosi's drug use was so widely known that the producers weren't aware that Lugosi was still alive, so they penciled in Ian Keith for the role.
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein would be Lugosi's last "A" movie. For the remainder of his life he would appear in obscure low-budget features. From 1947 to 1950 he performed in summer stock, often in the productions of Dracula or Arsenic and Old Lace, and during the rest of the year often made appearances in a touring "spook show" and on television. While in England to play in a six month tour of Dracula in 1951, he also co-starred in the comedy Mother Riley Meets the Vampire (Also known as Vampire over London and My Son, the Vampire). Upon returning to America Lugosi expressed his interest in doing comedies. Independent producer Jack Broder decided to give Lugosi a chance and casted him in a jungle themed comedy called Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla. Soon after, another opportunity appeared when Milton Berle invited Lugosi to appear in a sketch on Texaco Star Theater.
Later on in his life, Lugosi received star billing in movies when filmmaker Ed Wood, who happened to be a fan of Lugosi, found him living in obscurity and near poverty. Wood offered Lugosi roles in his films such as Glen or Glenda, and as a Dr. Frankenstein-like mad scientist in Bride of the Monster. During post production of Bride of the Monster, Lugosi decided to get treatment for his drug addiction, and the premiere of the film was intended to help pay for the hospital expenses. But when Frank Sinatra heard of Lugosi's plans to get well, he helped with the expenses and visited Lugosi at the hospital. Following his treatment, Lugosi made one final film in 1955 called The Black Sheep, for Bel-Air Pictures. Much to his disappointment however, his role in the film was that of a mute, with no dialogue.
Lugosi had several wives over the course of his life. His first was Llona Szmick in 1917 but later divorced her in 1920 due to political differences with her parents. His second wife was Llona von Montagh, they married in 1921 and divorced in 1924. His third wife was wealthy San Fransisco widow Beatrice Weeks, whom he married in 1929, but she filed for divorce just a mere four months later, citing that Clara Bow was the "other woman". He married his fourth wife in 1933. She was nineteen year old Lillian Arch, the two had a child, Bela George Lugosi in 1938. The two divorced in 1953, partly due to the jealousy he felt when his wife got a job with the handsome Brian Donlevy. And Lugosi's fifth wife was Hope Lininger, they married in 1955. She was an avid fan of his and often wrote him letters while he was in the hospital recovering from an addiction to Demerol.
Lugosi died of a heart attack on August 16, 1956 while lying on a couch in his Los Angeles home, he was 73. He was buried wearing one of his Dracula stage play costumes, per the request of his son and fourth wife, in the Holy Cross Cemetary in Culver City, Calfornia. One of Lugosi's roles was released posthumously. Ed Wood's Plan 9 From Outer Space(Originally named Grave Robbers from Outer Space). It featured footage of Lugosi interspersed with a double. Before Lugosi's death, Wood had captured a few minutes of silent footage of him in his Dracula cape, for a planned vampire picture, but was unable to find financing. When he later though of Plan 9, Wood wrote the script to incorporate the footage of Lugosi and hired Tom Mason to double for Lugosi in additional shots.
In 1979 the Lugosi vs Universal Pictures decision by the California Supreme Court held that Bela Lugosi's personal rights could not pass to his heirs, and the court ruled that under California law any rights of publicity, including rights to his image, terminated with Lugosi's death. Three Lugosi projects were featured on the television show Mystery Science Theater 3000. The Corpse Vanishes appeared in episode 105, the serial The Phantom Creeps appeared throughout the season, and the Ed Wood production of Bride of the Monster in episode 423. There is a statue of Lugosi that can be seen on the corners of the Vajdahunyad Castle in Budapest and the cape Lugosi wore in the 1931 film Dracula is still around today, it is in the ownership of Universal Studios. And if you go to the Ellis Island of Immigration Musuem in New York, you'll see a thirty minute play that focuses on Lugosi's illegal entry into the country and then his arrival at Ellis Island to enter legally.
So there it is, all you need to know about the one and only, Bela Lugosi. And heres a little side note for those of you who don't know this, but Rob Zombie's band White Zombie actually named their band after the 1932 classic film White Zombie starring Bela Lugosi as a tribute...how cool is that??
And as another little side note, we're doing something a little different this week at Dead End Horror. Zane and I will each be posting one article a day starting Wednesday and we'll post through Friday. So don't forget to check us out! I'll be doing a movie review of White Zombie and reviewing Masters of Horror Episode 4: Jenifer. And Zane will be reviewing 2 Bela Lugosi films and doing a top 10 list of classic horror movies. So check us out huh???
