Some actors become iconic thanks to portraying a certain part and subsequently, they have a hard time overcoming the part’s shadow. That was the case for Bela Lugosi who became famous when he played Count Dracula in the 1931 horror movie Dracula. Born in 1882 in what would later become Romania, Lugosi has been acting in the movies from 1917 until his death in 1956.
Even though he has over a hundred movies under his belt, most people recall Dracula when they hear Lugosi’s name. However, Bela Lugosi has appeared in multiple different roles. The best horror movies starring Bela Lugosi will entertain all fans of the genre.
5 The Wolf Man (1941)
Even though he’s connected to Dracula, Bela Lugosi appeared in movies about other iconic horror creatures as well. The Wolf Man is one of them. As the movie’s title suggests, it tells the story of a man who can turn into a werewolf. Unlike other werewolves, Lawrence Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr.) isn’t happy with his condition and struggles with it.
The movie features one of the most impressive werewolf transformation scenes of all time. Lon Chaney Jr. doesn’t disappoint as the titular Wolf Man. The movie includes other actors known for portraying horror creatures. Most notably Claude Rains (The Invisible Man, 1933), and, of course, Bela Lugosi, who plays Bela, the son of the woman who predicts Larry Talbot’s transformation and scary fate to him.
4 The Body Snatcher (1945)
Bela Lugosi didn’t appear only in horror movies working with a strong supernatural element. The Body Snatcher has its basis in reality, which doesn’t make the story any less scary. It centers on Doctor McFarlane, who buys dead bodies from the cab driver John Gray. McFarlane doesn’t care where Gray gets the bodies, and Gray doesn’t talk about it. But when the supplies run out, Gray decides to get the bodies McFarlane asks for by killing people.
Bela Lugosi plays the supporting part of Joseph, McFarlane’s assistant and like other characters in the movie, he too meets a tragic end. Lugosi proves that he leaves a strong impression even in a limited space. His performance, as well as the other solid actors (such as Boris Karloff as Gray), combined with the movie’s atmosphere and fast pace, make for a horror movie that deserves more attention from the audience than it had gotten.
3 Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
Bela Lugosi only played his most famous part, Dracula, twice in his life. The second time, it happened in this horror comedy, which wasn’t characteristic of Lugosi. The movie tells the story of two post office workers, Abbott and Costello. Costello is convinced that Dracula and the Frankenstein monster are real, but Abbott doesn’t believe it. Despite that, the duo ends up helping Lawrence Talbot who’s none other than the Wolf Man.
The movie is one of the best horror creature team-ups, and the cast gives excellent performances, from Lon Chaney Jr. as Talbot to Bela Lugosi, whom this movie allows to show off a more humorous side of his acting range. Overall, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein aged well and has the power to entertain the audience today just as well as it did at the time of its release. Reader's Digest magazine even included the movie among the 100 funniest movies of all time.
2 Island Of Lost Souls (1932)
Some of the best horror movies Bela Lugosi starred in were based on successful novels. H.G. Wells wrote the novel The Island of Dr. Moreau and this movie adapted it into a horror story about a scientist performing experiments on an island. The movie centers on Edward Parker, a sailor who crashes on the island and discovers Dr. Moreau’s secrets.
The two leading roles went to Richard Arlen (Edward Parker) and Charles Laughton (Dr. Moreau), but Bela Lugosi makes for a noticeable figure as well. He plays one of the less fortunate inhabitants of the island. Even when he doesn’t speak, his eyes help him convey the intensity of the scene, similar to Dracula.
1 Dracula (1931)
Unsurprisingly, Bela Lugosi’s best-ranked horror movie is also the one that made him immortal in the eyes of all horror fans. This adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula takes some creative liberties with the book but not as much as some other adaptations. It’s an atmospheric story, made even more impressive by Lugosi’s performance. Even though Dracula isn’t a talkative person, his presence alone is enough to drive fear into the hearts of his victims. As a result, all other performances pale in comparison to the titular character.
The movie was a success, so much so that it saved Universal Pictures from going bankrupt. What some horror fans might not know is that the movie is primarily inspired by a Dracula theater play, not the original book. Before the role of Dracula went to Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney, known for portraying another iconic horror figure, the Phantom of the Opera, was considered for the part.