As Halloween creeps ever closer, MCI is looking at the monsters we loved to hate as kids. Whether you were a “hide-behind-the-sofa” or a “peep-from-the-cushion”, horror film monsters terrified and delighted us all. So today we take a look at Vampires.
The man that many film vampires modelled themselves on was the late, great Bela Lugosi. Lugosi was born in Hungary and moved to America to find his fortune in 1919. He was discovered in 1927 when he played Dracula on Broadway and left for Hollywood. He starred in the film Dracula in 1931, and his name became synonymous with the horror genre from then on.
The slicked back hair, the heavy dark brow and those brooding aristocratic looks gave us the vision of Dracula that we all recognise today. His heavy Hungarian accent only added to Dracula image. From The Count in Sesame Street to Leslie Nielsen in Dracula: Dead and Loving It, their portrayal was all based on Lugosi.
So on Halloween, when you pop in the fangs and slick your hair back, cast a thought to Bela Lugosi, the Hungarian-American who started it all.
Have a fang-tastic weekend, everyone!