Bela Lugosi: Which Is Your Favorite Film?

[Scott]

This is a tribute page to Horror Icon Bela Lugosi. How many of these films have you seen and which is your favorite? Post your favorite Lugosi photos and comments about his films.



My top ten favorite Bela Lugosi films are:

• Dracula
• White Zombie
• Island of Lost Souls (Sayer of the Law)
• The Raven
• Wolfman (gypsy)
• Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein
• The Ape Man
• Plan 9 From Outer Space
• Bride of the Mosnter
• Phantom Creeps (Serial)

Out of all those films Bela Lugosi made I've only saw 24 of them.

[RCMerchant]

WOW! Now you did it!!! I'm  HARDCORE Lugosi fanatic!
1.the RAVEN
2.White ZOMBIE
3.BRIDE of the MONSTER
4.DRACULA
5.A+C meet FRANKENSTIEN
6.the DEVIL BAT
7.SON of FRANKENSTIEN
8.Glen or GLENDA
9.the APE MAN
10. MURDERS in the RUE MORGUE

[Scott]

Fogot to put in THE CORPSE VANISHES which is one of his poverty row films into my top 10 Bela Lugosi list. A must see for Lugosi fans.



DEVIL BAT and THE APE MAN are also big favorites of mine. Especially THE APE MAN which is to funny.

[Andrew]

"The Black Cat" for me.  I really need to pick that one up, as it is part of the Bela Lugosi collection (if memory serves).  You have Lugosi and Karloff facing off, with a storyline that is very dark at times.  I have not seen that film in probably 20 years and it sticks with me.  Took a while to figure out what the title was too.

[peter johnson]

Okay, on the ones listed, definitelyThe Black Cat.
However, you don't list several of his comedy roles from the '30s:
Ninotchka, with Greta Garbo -- an excellent minor role --  . . . and . . .
"INTERNATIONAL HOUSE!!", With George Burns, W.C. Fields, Cab Calloway, Gracie Allen, etc. etc. --
Gratuitous sex jokes, Marijuana jokes, slapstick, murder, great jazz . . .
I always try to steer people to this overlooked Hollywood gem -- As a Lugosi fan, you owe yourself!  Bela plays the cliche jealous husband, for intentional laughs --
love
peter .

[peter johnson]

hey! I'm starting to get the hang of the new commands here!
Yours in surprise
peter crane/denny johnson

[RCMerchant]

I find it interesting that back in the day, Lugosi seemed to take a backseat to Karloff,especially in the films that the co-starred in. IN BLACK FRIDAY,the BODYSNATCHER, the INVISABLE RAY, and even in the BLACK CAT,where Karloff has the meatier role. Even in ads for the RAVEN, though Lugosi obviously is the main focus,Karloff got higher billing.One film in particular where Lugosi is a supporting player,yet steals the show ,was SON OF FRANKENSTIEN. Bela as Ygor upstages everyone else, even Basil Rathbone,who gives a great performance as DR.F.,looking like he's on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Great movie all around!

[Scott]

To my knowledge I don't believe I've seen THE BLACK CAT. Hopefully TCM plays it as it is known to be a classic.

Doesn't look like Lugosi had a big role in INTERNATIONAL HOUSE, but it sounds like a film of interest with BURNS AND ALLEN, W.C. FIELDS, and even CAB CALLOWAY.

[Scott]

Two of my favorites are ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN and ISLAND OF LOST SOULS

[RCMerchant]

I enjoyed WHITE ZOMBIE alot.Its like a Brothers Grimm story come to life...it's even hard to determine which era it's set in....I first saw it on channel 34,a PBS channel out of Indiania,It was a old horror movie festival of some sort, and they were having a money drive of some sort...what I really find amazing is that even little kids who never even HEARD the name bela Lugosi,or seen the movie,imate the Lugosi voice when they talk like Dracula. He's a culteral icon....like Mickey Mouse ,JFK,and CHarles Manson.

[Scott]

It was just on TCM last month and I watched the first 10 minutes over again.



Here you can watch the whole film on Youtube. The quality was much better on TCM.

WHITE ZOMBIE

[Katie]

I know you all don't hear from me too often, but I have to admit my favorite Bela movie has to be Plan 9.  I just love the quote, "Sometime in the night when I get a little lonely. I reach over and touch it.  Then I don't seem so lonely anymore." I know that is not the exact quote, but you get the idea.

[Flangepart]

 HAIL, BELA!
Whats not to love about THE APE MAN? Bela gets hairy, and i get a perfect "Roll your MST!" And the weird guy who shows up along the way...Da huh!?
Bela...DA man....

[peter johnson]

No, not a big part in International House -- but then nobody has a very large part in it, as it's an ensemble piece/everyone gets to do their own bit -- Franklin Pangborn has bits with Burns & W.C. Fields.  It's sometimes billed as a "W.C.Fields" film, but that' isn't strictly accurate, though he does create most of the physical mayhem.
Lugosi does his bit and does it well -- I cite both this and Ninotchka because nobody thinks of Bela in comedy, but he could play for a laugh as well as anyone.
peter johnson/denny crane

[Scott]

Your the second person I've heard about the film NINOTCHKA in the past month. Hope TCM plays it sometime.

Putting both INTERNATIONAL HOUSE and NINOTCHKA on the poll list. Thanks Peter Johnson.

You can change your vote by first removing original vote then re-voting.

Flangepart, I cracked up when I saw Bela transform into THE APE MAN.