Bela Lugosi’s 10 Best Horror Movies, Ranked

One of the most celebrated names associated with the genre, the late and great Bela Lugosi is considered horror royalty to this day. Starring in some of the most revered cinematic offerings that the golden age of horror had to offer and known for his frequent collaboration with horror icon Boris Karloff, the Hungarian-American actor announced his arrival on the Hollywood scene during the 1930s with Tod Browning’s Dracula – a legendary role he is now practically synonymous with – and has never looked back.

Although he often lamented the fact that he was forever considered a villain, courtesy of his thick accent and imposing physical appearance, Lugosi embraced this status quo by bringing to life a series of the genre’s most enduring dastardly characters.. While many of his films were decidedly less than perfect, the actor provided the foundation for many of horror’s most archetypal character templates, producing a series of acclaimed performances that have stood the test of time.

10

The Crow (1935)

Directed by Lew Landers

Although it may be loosely inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s poem of the same name, Lew Landers’ The Crow brings to life a new nightmarish story. The 1935 film features Lugosi in the lead role of Dr. Richard Vollin, a sadistic neurosurgeon obsessed with Poe. who secretly maintains an infernal torture chamber inspired by the author’s works in his basement.

Casting Lugosi alongside horror icon Boris Karloff, Landers’ film had lofty aspirations but received a lukewarm critical response upon release, with many critics arguing that Karloff was miscast in his role as bank robber Edmond Bateman. Despite this state of affairs, The Crow redeeming aspect was universally accepted to be Lugosi’s disturbing performance as the villain Vollin, horrifying and captivating the audience in equal measure with his Machiavellian plot and abject lack of morality.

9

The Invisible Ray (1936)

Directed by Lambert Hillyer

1936 The Invisible Ray is known as the rare Lugosi outing that features the actor in a non-villainous role. Lambert Hillyer’s film finds the actor playing Dr. Felix Benet, a brilliant doctor who clashes with Boris Karloff’s Janos Rukh. The main antagonist of Hillyer’s film, Karloff’s character is slowly driven mad by the insidious effects of a mysterious element known as “Radium X.”

A refined blend of science fiction and horror that was well received by critics, The Invisible Ray highlighted the fact that a Béla film could still be excellent even in cases where he didn’t play a despicable villain. While the horror icon doesn’t have much to do other than serve as a sympathetic foil to Rukh as he begins his descent into madness, Lugosi’s enviable screen presence and charisma serve to make the most of what is a minimal role in the proceedings. . .

8

Mark of the Vampire (1935)

Directed byTod Browning

Another vampire-centric offering from Dracula director Todd Browning, 1935 Vampire’s Mark is one of horror’s first genre-subverting offerings. Loosely inspired by Browning’s silent film London after midnight, The film chronicles the investigation of Professor Zelen, an occult expert who is called to the scene of a series of alleged vampiric attacks in Prague., only to uncover an elaborate web of deceit and subterfuge.

Lugosi’s trademark eerie presence as “Count Mora” along with a compelling narrative and some haunting cinematography from James Wong Howe combine for a first-rate horror experience that holds up to this day. Vampire’s Mark the choice to implement a twist ending was years ahead of its timea decision that could easily have caught fire, but which serves to underline the quality of the film almost a century after it was conceived.

7

The Human Monster (1939)

Directed by Walter Summers

Also referred to as London’s dark eyes, 1939 The Human Monster sees Lugosi take on what is arguably his most irredeemably evil role. An adaptation of Edgar Wallace’s novel of the same name, Walter Summers’ film saw the actor take on the role of Dr. Feodor Orloff, a morally bereft scientist who kills a series of hapless individuals for insurance money before dumping their corpses in the Thames.

Lugosi is excellent as Orloff, perfectly capturing the essence of his sinister charge with the elegance audiences expected from the actor after his star turn in 1931. Dracula. While the rest of the film is bogged down by some particularly uninspiring sets and a series of wooden performances, the actor’s inspired turn as Orloff keeps the proceedings going until the film’s macabre conclusion.

6

The Body Snatcher (1945)

Directed by Robert Wise

Although Lugosi’s career was in decline when The body snatcher was released in 1945, his supporting role in Robert Wise’s Picture is one of his most underrated works. Based on a short story by Robert Louis Stevenson of the same name The body snatcher follows the exploits of an unhinged doctor who hires a grave robber to obtain bodies for him to experiment on.

Lugosi plays only a relatively minor role in the proceedings; his character, Joseph, is duly murdered by Boris Karloff’s John Gray after trying to blackmail him. With that said, The body snatcher is such an excellent work of cinema that it eclipses many of the productions in which Belle played a more prominent character. Wise’s film may not be considered one of the actor’s most famous roles, but it is undoubtedly one of the most impressive performances in which he has appeared.

5

The Black Cat (1934)

Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer

The first of eight films with Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi1934 The black cat is one of the best collaborations between the two horror icons. Named after Edgar Allan Poe’s short story of the same name, Edgar G. Ulmer’s film follows a mystery novelist and his honeymooning new wife, who soon find themselves embroiled in a nightmarish satanic cult in a Hungarian castle.

Stepping into the shoes of World War II veteran Dr. Vitus Werdegast, Lugosi shines in this revenge-filled horror adventure from start to finish. Presenting graphic themes such as torture and necrophilia in a practically unprecedented way at the time of its release against the backdrop of a nail-biting plot, The black cat is a legitimately unnerving watch and remains one of Lugosi’s most underrated works.

4

White Zombie (1932)

Directed by Victor Halperin

Contentious, the first feature-length zombie film ever made, the well-received 1932 horror film White Zombie pushed Lugosi into the macabre role of Murder Legendre. A cowardly voodoo master who owns a sugar factory operated entirely by the zombified remains of anyone foolish enough to oppose him, Victor Halperin’s picture chronicles Legendre’s despicable efforts to turn a young girl into one of his undead minions. through the use of his black magic.

Comic choice of character names aside, Lugosi is gloriously evil in his role as Murderdelivering one of the most memorable performances of his career as the treacherous sorcerer. The limited amount of dialogue granted to the actor in this film actually works in its favor; Lugosi’s hypnotic presence and perpetual smirk do the heavy lifting, combining to produce one of his most memorable roles.

3

Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)

Directed by Robert Florey

A chilling adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s 1841 short story which was heavily censored upon its initial release, Robert Florey Murders in the Rue Morgue served as a springboard for Lugosi’s subsequent classification as cinema’s premier horror villain. The actor plays Doctor Mirakle, a charlatan scientist who runs a carnival show that kidnaps Parisian prostitutes and performs twisted scientific experiments on them in an attempt to create a companion for his talking monkey, Erik.

While Murders in the Rue Morgue suffers from the stilted dialogue and awkward performances typical of her contemporaries, the lasting cultural impact of Belle’s performance cannot be overstated. Lugosi’s unnerving performance as Mirakle arguably provided the archetypal “mad scientist” of modern cinema, a role that laid the foundation for several of the most enduring and celebrated characters in cinema history.

2

Son of Frankenstein (1939)

Directed by Rowland V. Lee

Lugosi’s most celebrated performance outside of Dracula saw him take on the role of Ygor in Rowland V. Lee’s film Son of Frankensteinthe acclaimed third film from Universal Pictures Frankenstein film series. A hunched over blacksmith walked away with a broken neck after a botched hanging, Lugosi is virtually unrecognizable as Ygor; a situation that worked to the benefit of the famously stereotypical actor.

Effortlessly besting credentialed co-star Boris Karloff in the role of Frankenstein’s Monster, the actor’s gifted performance carries one of early horror’s most enduring cinematic offerings with textbook ease. Son of Frankenstein is the rare example of a franchise film that maintains the original quality of its source material despite being the third film in the series – a status quo that is largely due to Lugosi’s excellent work as Ygor.

1

Dracula (1931)

Directed byTod Browning

Arguably horror’s most iconic and instantly recognizable supernatural villain, Count Dracula is a role that many acclaimed actors have tried and unequivocally failed to do.. This is largely due to Bela Lugosi’s inimitable performance as the Prince of Darkness in 1931. Draculaa genre redefinition that remains unsurpassed to this day, despite countless imitations.

Earning the role after his acclaimed performance in a Broadway adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel, Lugosi is riveting as Dracula from start to finish. The actor steals every scene in which he appears, affecting a fascinating cocktail of elegant charm and dread in a timeless performance that serves as the basis for one of the genre’s most seminal offerings and the greatest Dracula film of all time. In many ways, Bela Lugosi he was a victim of the success of his own performance; the actor never came close to surpassing the dizzying heights reached during his renowned bow.