The Halloween Top 13: Number 1: Dracula starring Bela Lugosi

Happy Halloween to all you moon men and ladies out there. As the night of terror is upon us, may things move though the night. Ghosts and goblins, ghouls and witches, vile monsters who long to leave your bodies in ditches, but don't you worry because you've been invited to a Halloween party. A party thrown by that evil moon despot and sinister move reviewer, The Lightning Bug. As you are magically transported to the party you arrive just in time to hear the band begin to play.

Hey, Hey, Moonies. It's the Lightning Bug. Yeah hardly recognized me in my new costume, right? Yeah I got a million of 'em. But look at you I mean that's great you're..... ahh yeah, right that's so cool. Well, I'm thrilled so many of you could join us. This here is strictly a B.Y.O.B. party because some of our guests, well, they never drink... wine. I've got a full evening planned for us with lots of Halloween activities. We're going to have some music from some children of the night, and what sweet music they are going to make. We're going to have some tricks and treats, and we're going to have tonight's number one film on the countdown.

There was never a shade of doubt in my mind when I started this list. There was no other movie that had so affected my being as a movie goer and fan, but so impacted the Holiday, the genre, and the culture. It took the amalgamation of a virtually unknown foreigner, a silent film director, and raving madman to make this film a classic. I am pleased to bring to you my all time favorite Halloween movie.


Dracula(1931) starring Bela Lugosi, Dwight Frye, Helen Chandler, Edward Van Sloan. Directed by Tod Browning.

Synopsis

Renfield, who is this weaselly little real estate man, travels to Transylvania to enter into a business partnership with an obscure count named Dracula. Once there Dracula starts feeding off the poor schmoe like he was a five hour energy drink. Long story short, the Count buys himself an abandoned abbey. After a quick boat ride to England, Dracula is off making a new home, and Renfield is off to Seward’s sanitarium. Dracula makes himself known to Dr. Seward, and meets the Doctors daughter, Mina, her fiancee, John Harker, and Mina's friend Lucy. The trampier of the two girls, Lucy, immediately falls for the Count. Dracula goes to her in her bed that night and drains her dry.

After feasting off her friend, Dracula's sights are firmly on Mina now. However when a visiting scientist, Van Helsing, analyzes the crazed Renfield's blood, he starts to suspect there is a vampire in their midst. It's soon proved to him that Dracula is the vampire in question, and it's up to John and Van Helsing to stop the Count before they lose Mina to eternity.

Film Facts

--There was a Spanish language version shot at the same time as Dracula using the same sets, only at night. The Spanish version, Drácula, is both seen as more deftly made as far as from a a technical standpoint. I do admire both films, but the only place the Spanish version really gets me is in Eva, their version of Mina, who was played by the super hot Lupita Tovar.

--Bela Lugosi did not learn his lines for Dracula phonetically as has been reported. By the time the Dracula movie was made, Bela had lived in the states for about 10 years.

--Karl Freund, the cinematographer on Dracula, was responsible for lighting Lugosi's eyes with two pin-lights to show off the vampire's stare. Freund went on to direct yesterday's Fran Goria Top 5 Pick, Mad Love with Peter Lorre.

--Lugosi only portrayed the Count one other time in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstien.

--There is no blood, no fangs, and no bite marks to be found anywhere in this vampire flick.

Why Do I Love It?

There are so many reasons I love this film, but before I get into them, I just want to say that I do love this Dracula movie more than all others. However, I am a sucker for a Dracula movie. So I may take a moment to talk about some of the fine men you see on the picture up there. First things are first though.

Dracula. Bela Lugosi. They are synonymous. Even kids that don't know the name know the image. The pale faced man with a black cape, a tuxedo, slicked back hair, and a big honkin' medallion. I can't count the number of times I went out for Halloween dressed as a vampire. When I said a vampire, my mother knew exactly who I meant. You see Bela Lugosi was my gateway drug.



I had already had a fascination with old movies practically as long as anyone can remember. Before the era of the VCR when my birthday was coming up or something, I could get my Dad to fire up the old Super 8 projector. We would get Chaplin films or Buster Keeton, but before too long Dad brought home a digest version on Dracula. I was enraptured. When a few years passed and video came in, I finally got my first chance to put a voice to the strange countenance of Dracula. I was sold. I scoured bookstores for biographies of Lugosi, and as Goodtimes began producing their cheap-o videos in the eighties, I would buy anything with the Lugosi name on it. Through that one film, I found the Universal catalog and a world of genre film awaited me. I've watched films all my life that I can honestly say were all because of Dracula.


The film itself honestly has it's up and downs. The beginning third of the film set in the Count's castle manages to be moody and atmospheric, but once the Count reaches England he disappears for most of the second act. This would be a travesty in most films, but in this case it gave the other star of
the film time to shine. Dwight Frye a.k.a The Man with the Thousand Watt Stare takes over the film in Lugosi's absence. He manages to portray madness and pathos in a simple character who's main drive seems to be to eat a ton of rats. Renfield is both an absolute basket case and the most hilarious thing on the screen. Unlike other Universal horror features where the comedy feels shoehorned in (i.e. the sassy maid in Frankenstien), Frye manages to do it in the blend of his performance. I think this is a crucial element to the success of the film.

The other real star of the film is Tod Browning. For all that has been
made of the involvement of German cinematographer Karl Freund, I find it hard to believe that Browning did not have his hand in there. Tod had waited for years to get this movie made. In fact originally it was slated to be a silent picture and star Lon Chaney Jr. However time and Chaney's own heath did not allow this to happen. Instead Browning made this early talkie with the unease of a man in unfamiliar waters, but with the grace of an auteur able to express so much without words. The long shots of Dracula coming down his steps to greet Renfield, the fog rolling through windows and enveloping Dracula's bride, the big finale with Renfield's unhappy ending. Those scenes show more than they tell, and that is what Browning gave to Dracula.


The story of Dracula of course lends itself to remakes. By 1958 Hammer was releasing The Horror of Dracula. Christopher Lee slipped into the cape and became the first Count to draw blood, even if it was that certain shade of orange. Lee proved to be a very different kind of
Count. Where Lugosi would raise a brow or make crazy hand gestures, Lee's Dracula was bounding over tables and tossing folks around. In 1972 the Count got funky in Blackula with Charles Macaulay and proved that Dracula wasn't just a sucker. Drac received a duel sucker-punch in 1979 with the release of Dracula with Frank Langella and Love at First Bite with George Hamilton. While the ubertanned Count holds some appeal, Langella is the George Lazenby of the Dracula family. Much loved, much loathed, and at the end of the day probably crap. It was twelve more years before another major Dracula production. This time in 1992 the story was tackled by Francis Ford Coppola in his Bram Stoker's Dracula. Gary Oldman, the modern man of a thousand faces, plays the Count as an ancient, animalistic, dapper, and completely depressed being. While I find Oldman engaging the rest of the cast is lacking; that is with the exception of Anthony Hopkins at the top of his game as the madcap Van Helsing.


So why did I tell you folks all of this? Why do I love Dracula? There are the sentimental reasons that I've already touched on. There is the pure joy of the acting and film making involved in the process. The rich history and permeation into the culture of an icon. Lugosi played the Count 1.5 times (I can only count the Abbott and Costello movie as a half) and became him, and that is what every Dracula movie is going to be up against for the rest of time. I love Dracula because it got me here, and I love you folks because you made it here with me. You made it to the end of the Top 13, and I thank everyone who stuck with me. I've still got more to share with you tonight. Still got a special Top Five List and a few goodies for you to feast your eyes on. First things First....

Bug Rating

Now for some Treats, first off a Castle Films 16mm Digest version of Dracula. >


DRACULA (1931) Castle Films 16mm Digest
Uploaded by super8monsters

Now then here's a short film I found that I thought you folks might like, Here's Betty Boop meets Dracula starring Bela Lugosi.




And finally before the Top 5 List The Halloween Favorite. That all time happy funtime party band, Bauhaus.





Tonight's final Halloween Top 5 List for the Official The Lightning Bug's Lair Halloween Top 13 Showcase and Cavalcade of Stars is brought to you by the lovely the talented, the perpetually confused and dangerously cute Miss Directed. For those of you who don't know Miss Directed is my lovely wife. (Before you ask why she isn't Mrs. Directed or, cough, Mrs. Bug, it's because even for the queen of the moon going to the social security office is no fun.) The lovely Miss Directed is my constant joy, and she is actually the one who carved the LBL Pumpkin you see up top there. She's a great gal, and of course she loves her genre flicks. So I'm very happy to give you Miss Directed's Top 5:

5. Army of Darkness-For serious somebody just burn that book.

4. Nightmare on Elm Street- Red Bull and No Doz for Everyone.

3. Night of the Living Dead- We're Not unreasonable, I mean no one's going to eat your eyes.

2. Carrie- That there religious right sure knows how to raise some kids.

1. Rocky Horror Picture Show- Aww, transvestites are sweet.

That's my girl. I knew there was a reason I married that woman. Well, apart for the whole love thing. Thanks for the list, babe.

So that just about brings our party to a close. It's been a great 13 days and I hope everyone gets a huge sack of candy tonight. I know me, Miss Directed, and Fran are hitting the town, and anything that says Fun Size on it is in jeopardy. So thanks to all you folks that read these posts. Thanks to everyone who commented, submitted a list, linked this somewhere, told someone about it, read my goofy captions, you folks are great. Visits to the site have doubled here in the last month and I hope some of you folks that came for Halloween stick around. I've got more stuff coming up in November with Turkey Days, The Dollar Deals, and Men of Action Days. More on that coming up soon so check back.

Thanks again folks, and Happy Halloween.

-The Lightning Bug

The Halloween Top 13: Number 10: The Bride of Frankenstein

Hello again, and welcome back as the countdown keeps going on, and we reach number ten. From the tropical locales of yesterdays selection, we turn now to a more Gothic setting, and one of the famous pictures to come out of the Universal monster movies. In 1931, Frankenstein had shocked the world and the studio heads with it's box office success. The suits soon demanded a sequel to the creature feature and there were several rejected drafts including one where the monster became educated and carried on his creators research and one where Henry Frankenstein built a death ray to hold the world hostage. Luckily neither of these were used because the studio also wanted the man behind the camera, James Whale, to come back. He agreed to do so for complete creative control, and finally he approved a script by playwrights Edmund Pearson and William J. Hulburt. It contained many of the elements of earlier versions, and was based out of a lesser known story toward the end of Mary Shelley's novel. In the novel, the monster demands a mate of his creator, but ultimately Henry destroys the woman before he brings her to life. Not so with the movie version and thus the world now knows of.....

The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) starring Boris Karloff, Elsa Lanchester, Colin Clive, Ernest Thesiger, and Valerie Hobson. Directed by James Whale.

As the movie opens we are greeted by the author herself, Mary Shelley (Lanchester), sitting around with Lord Byron and her husband, the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. It is a dark and stormy night, and soon the conversation steers to the demure Mary's story of the monster and his mad creator. She reveals to the men that she has not yet told the whole story, and so begins our tale.

At the end of Frankenstein, Henry Frankenstein (Clive) and the monster (Karloff) were trapped in a burning mill, and the monster tosses his "father" from the peak of it. The villagers assume the monster has perished as well as his creator. Soon they learn that the monster lives, and somehow so has Henry. the scientist is grateful to still be alive and seems to have seen the error of his ways. He is eager to heal from his wounds and marry his beloved sweetheart Elizabeth (Hobson). However, Henry is visited by his old professor Dr Pretorius who wishes to form a partnership to continue Henry's experiments with artificial life. Pretorius has created life of his own in the form of several small people that he keeps in jars which he shows to Henry after they drink a toast to "a new era of Gods and Monsters". Henry however is reluctant and refuses to participate in the Doctor's scheme.

The monster roams the countryside in desperate need for food, but perhaps more importantly a desperate need to communicate. He is misunderstood as he attempts to speak to a shepherd girl who he has to then save from drowning. The townsfolk form one of their ever

popular angry torch carrying mobs and capture the monster. They take him to the local dungeon, but he is quickly free. Back into the countryside he meets up with a blind violin player whose music the monster finds soothing. They quickly form a bond, and the blind man even teaches the monster to talk as well as how to smoke a cigar. However some lost hunters come along and break up the monster's relationship with his "friend".

On the run again, the monster seeks refuge in a mausoleum where he encounters Dr. Pretorius. The scheming Doctor soon learns of the monster's longing for a companion and uses the monster for leverage to make Henry agree to make a bride for the creature. With no other choice, Henry must fire up the Cosmic Diffuser one more time, and as lightning crashes the words "It's alive" once more ring out in the night.

Film Facts

--Karloff broke his leg during the filming, but the metal struts used to give him the "monster walk" braced the leg until it could be properly set.

--The Bride of Frankenstein is the only one of the classic Universal monsters to have never killed anyone, and she has the shortest screen time of them all.

--The film had many problems securing it's release due to the censorship of the Hays Office, but perhaps the most bizarre case of censorship comes from Japan where they demanded Pretorius' tiny king in a bottle be cut as it "made a fool of a king".

--Many people feel that James Whale, who was openly gay, injected the script with elements of homosexuality. People point to the relationship between the blind man and the monster and Pretorius' "sissified" demeanor. Personally, I think they are reading too much into it.

Why Do I Love It?

As good as the original Frankenstein is, this movie marks James Whale's strongest film making. The film is shot beautifully, and the camera moves smoothly which is something seldom seen in films of the era. The performances are very strong as well with Karloff turning

in a very emotional portrayal of the monster. Karloff was against the monster speaking, but I feel that it adds an element of humanity to the monster that allows the audience to feel for him. It also allows the monster to utter one of the more famous lines in the Universal monster movies when he utters "We belong dead." It has real emotional impact, and magnifies the stirring conclusion. Colin Clive does very well reprising his role as well, and always entertains. When he gets in the lab and turns on those crazy eyes, he is magnetic. Ernest Thesiger inhabits the role of Pretorius in a way that Bela Lugosi and Claude Raines, who were both considered for the part, could not have achieved. It is simply a wonderful movie and is the perfect example of when script, cast, and director achieve something that truly has a life of it's own.

Bug Rating

Our top 5 List today comes from Simon McCorkindale, guitarist/occasional vocalist for Mary Shelley Overdrive. Check out their site at http://maryshelleyoverdrive.blogspot.com/ and you can download a couple of their EP's for free. I have them both and their album so I might be biased when I tell you folks that it kicks ass, but it does. Here's how Simon's list goes.

1: ALIEN: My absolute favorite movie, regardless of the season. Love the story, the actors, the production design, the pacing ... it's a perfect film from top to bottom.

2: THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN: Good, perverse fun. Violent, funny and unrepentant (even if Victor Frankenstein is a crybaby.)

3: THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD: I obviously like my horror with a heavy dose of sci-fi, and this film has both in spades. I love the John Carpenter re-make, but prefer to watch this one around Halloween.

4: CREEPSHOW: Not my favorite George Romero movie (that would still be the original Night of the Living Dead) but still one of my favorites. Creepshow is the greatest Halloween party you've never been to, complete with cheesy lights, phony-baloney costumes and camp acting. This movie is celluloid joy.

5: THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT: I don't care what anyone says, I love this movie. Those of us who caught it in the early days of its run were able to enjoy the film before the hype machine destroyed all audience expectations.

Great picks again and what a coincidence that Bride of Frankenstein was on there. It was almost like I planned it that way, but surely not, the Bug would never stoop to such cheap hucksterism. So come back and join us tomorrow for Number 9 on the list and more of your lists as well!

I'd also like to throw a special mention that The Lightning Bug's Lair along with a few other LAMB blogs were featured in an article on She Likes To Watch a blog written for the San Luis Obispo, Ca Newspaper, The Tribune. I'd like to extend my thanks to Sarah and let everyone know they should check out her blog through the Halloween season and beyond.