Bela Lugosi’s 10 Best Horror Movies, Ranked

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

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While he often lamented the fact that he was forever typecast as a villain courtesy of his thick accent and imposing physical appearance, Lugosi embraced this status quo by breathing life into an array of the genre’s most enduring dastardly characters. While many of his films were decidedly not perfect, the actor provided the foundations for many of horror’s most archetypal character molds, producing a number of acclaimed performances that have stood the test of time.

10 The Raven (1935)

Directed By Lew Landers

While it may be loosely inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s poem of the same name, Lew Landers’ The Raven breathes life into a nightmarish new story of its own. The 1935 film sees Lugosi take on the lead role of Dr. Richard Vollin, a sadistic neurosurgeon obsessed with Poe who secretly keeps a hellish torture chamber inspired by the author’s works in his basement.

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Related Every Boris Karloff & Bela Lugosi Movie, Ranked

Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi were two of the biggest horror movie stars of the Old Hollywood era, and they actually starred in many films together.

Casting Lugosi across from fellow 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. In spite of this state of affairs, The Raven’s redeeming aspect was universally agreed to be Lugosi’s unsettling performance as the villainous Vollin, horrifying and captivating audiences in equal measure with his Machiavellian plotting and abject lack of morality.

9 The Invisible Ray (1936)

Directed By Lambert Hillyer

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The Invisible Ray Science FictionHorrorThriller

The Invisible Ray, released in 1936, stars Boris Karloff as Dr. Janos Rukh, who discovers a powerful radium element with healing potential but dangerous side effects. As paranoia sets in, Rukh becomes consumed by suspicions of infidelity and seeks revenge using his own body as a lethal weapon.

Director Lambert Hillyer Release Date January 20, 1936 Cast Bela Lugosi , Boris Karloff , Frank Lawton , Frances Drake , Violet Kemble Cooper , Beulah Bondi , Walter Kingsford , Paul Weigel , Frank Reicher , Georges Renavent , May Beatty , Paul McAllister , Nydia Westman , Ynez Seabury , Robert Graves Runtime 79 minutes Writers John Colton Expand
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1936’s The Invisible Ray is renowned as the rare Lugosi outing that features the actor in a non-villainous role. Lambert Hillyer’s movie sees the actor play Dr. Felix Benet, a brilliant doctor who comes into conflict with Boris Karloff’s Janos Rukh. The driving antagonist of Hillyer’s picture, Karloff’s character is slowly driven mad by the insidious effects of a mysterious element known as “Radium X”.

A polished blend of science fiction and horror that was well received by critics, The Invisible Ray underlined the fact that a Béla film could still be excellent even in cases where he wasn’t playing a despicable villain. While the horror icon doesn’t have a great deal to do apart from serve as a sympathetic foil to Rukh while he begins his descent into madness, Lugosi’s enviable screen presence and charisma serve to make the most of what is a fairly minimal role in proceedings.

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8 Mark Of The Vampire (1935)

Directed By Tod Browning

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Mark of the Vampire GHorrorMystery

Mark of the Vampire, released in 1935, features a murder investigation in Prague centered around Sir Borotyn’s death. Suspicions fall on Count Mora and his daughter, believed to be vampires. As Professor Zelen, an occult expert, aids the inquiry, the victim’s friend Baron Otto seeks justice amid skepticism from authorities.

Director Tod Browning Release Date April 26, 1935 Cast Elizabeth Allan , Lionel Barrymore , Bela Lugosi , Lionel Atwill , Jean Hersholt , Henry Wadsworth , Donald Meek , Jessie Ralph , Ivan F. Simpson , Franklyn Ardell , Leila Bennett , June Gittelson , Carroll Borland , Holmes Herbert , Michael Visaroff , Egon Brecher , Robert Greig , John George , Louise Emmons , Eily Malyon , Guy Bellis , James Bradbury Jr. , Rosemary Glosz , Tiny Jones , Jane Mercer Runtime 60 minutes Writers Bernard Schubert , Guy Endore , H.S. Kraft , John L. Balderston Expand

Another vampire-centric offering from Dracula director Tod Browning, 1935’s Mark of the Vampire is one of horror’s earliest genre-subverting offerings. Loosely inspired by Browning’s silent film London After Midnight, the movie chronicles the investigation of Professor Zelen, an occult expert who is called to the scene of an array of purported vampiric attacks in Prague, only to discover an elaborate web of deceit and subterfuge.

Lugosi’s trademark eerie presence as “Count Mora” coupled 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. Mark of the Vampire’s choice to implement a twist ending was years ahead of its time, a decision that could have easily gone up in flames but instead serves to underline the film’s quality nearly a century after it was first conceived.

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7 The Human Monster (1939)

Directed By Walter Summers

Also referred to as The Dark Eyes of London, 1939’s The Human Monster sees Lugosi take on what is arguably his most irredeemably wicked role. An adaptation of Edgar Wallace’s novel of the same name, Walter Summers’ picture saw the actor step into the shoes of Dr. Feodor Orloff, a morally devoid scientist who murders an array of unfortunate individuals for insurance money before dumping their corpses in the Thames.

The Human Monster
became the first British horror film to receive an age rating of “H”. The “H” stood for “horrific” and was reserved for films deemed inappropriate for those under the age of 16.

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Lugosi is superb as Orloff, perfectly capturing the essence of his sinister charge with the panache that audiences had come to expect from the actor following his star-making turn in 1931’s Dracula. While the rest of the movie is bogged down by some particularly uninspiring set designs and an array of wooden performances, the actor’s inspired turn as Orloff keeps proceedings ticking over until the film’s macabre conclusion.

6 The Body Snatcher (1945)

Directed By Robert Wise

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The Body Snatcher NRHorrorThriller

The Body Snatcher is a 1945 film set in 19th-century Edinburgh, where cab driver Gray engages in illegal grave robbing. The story revolves around his contentious relationship with Dr. MacFarlane, a former associate who evaded justice, amidst the backdrop of medical ethics and criminal activity.

Director Robert Wise Release Date May 25, 1945 Cast Bela Lugosi , Boris Karloff , Henry Daniell , Edith Atwater , Russell Wade , Rita Corday , Sharyn Moffett , Donna Lee , Ted Billings , Robert Clarke , Mary Gordon , Milton Kibbee , Bill Williams , Bobby Burns , Aina Constant , Carl Kent , Ethan Laidlaw , Jim Moran , Larry Wheat Runtime 78 minutes Writers Philip MacDonald Expand

While Lugosi’s career was on the decline when The Body Snatcher was released in 1945, his supporting role in Robert Wise’s picture stands as one of his more underrated bodies of work. Based on a Robert Louis Stevenson short story 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 upon.

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Lugosi only plays a relatively minor role in proceedings; his character, Joseph, is duly murdered by Boris Karloff’s John Gray after he attempts to blackmail the latter. With that being said, The Body Snatcher is such a superb piece of film-making that it eclipses many of the productions in which Bela played a more prominent character. Wise’s film may not be regarded as one of the actor’s most famous roles, but it’s undoubtedly one of the most impressive outings that he appeared in.

5 The Black Cat (1934)

Directed By Edgar G. Ulmer

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The Black Cat Not RatedHorrorMystery

The Black Cat, released in 1934, recounts the tale of American honeymooners Joan and Peter who, following a road accident in Hungary, find refuge in the home of architect Hjalmar Poelzig. They are accompanied by Dr. Werdegast, who shares a mysterious and troubled history with their host.

Director Edgar G. Ulmer Release Date May 7, 1934 Cast Bela Lugosi , Boris Karloff , David Manners , Julie Bishop , Egon Brecher , Harry Cording , Lucille Lund , Henry Armetta , Albert Conti , John Carradine , John George , Albert Pollet Runtime 63 minutes Writers Peter Ruric

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The first of eight films to feature Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, 1934’s The Black Cat is one of the finest 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 new wife on honeymoon, who soon find themselves caught up with a nightmarish Satanic cult in a Hungarian castle.

Every Béla Lugosi and Boris Karloff Movie	IMDb Rating
The Black Cat (1934)	6.9
Gift of Gab (1934)	4.9
The Raven (1935)	6.8
The Invisible Ray (1935)	6.5
Son of Frankenstein (1939)	7.1
Black Friday (1940)	6.3
You’ll Find Out (1940)	6.1
The Body Snatcher (1945)	7.3

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Stepping into the shoes of WWII veteran Dr. Vitus Werdegast, Lugosi shines in this revenge-soaked horror outing from start to finish. Featuring graphic subject matter like torture and necrophilia in a manner that was practically unheard of 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 pieces of work.

4 White Zombie (1932)

Directed By Victor Halperin

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White Zombie PassedHorror

White Zombie, directed by Victor Halperin and released in 1932, is set in Haiti and follows a wealthy landowner who enlists a sorcerer to separate an American woman from her fiancé. The sorcerer, however, has his own plans, involving transforming the woman into a zombie.

Director Victor Halperin Release Date August 4, 1932 Cast Béla Lugosi , Madge Bellamy , Joseph Cawthorn , Robert Frazer , John Harron , Brandon Hurst , George Burr MacAnnan , Frederick Peters Runtime 69 Minutes Writers Garnett Weston , William B. Seabrook Main Genre Horror Expand

Contentiously the first feature length zombie movie ever made, 1932’s well received horror outing White Zombie thrust Lugosi into the macabre role of Murder Legendre. A dastardly voodoo master who owns a sugar mill entirely operated by the zombified remains of anybody foolish enough to oppose him, Victor Halperin’s picture chronicles Legendre’s despicable efforts to transform a young woman into one of his undead minions through the use of his dark magic.

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Related White Zombie: Why Tobe Hooper’s Remake Never Happened

Tobe Hooper almost directed a remake of the cult classic White Zombie, but production never made it past the writing stage.

Comical choice of character names aside, Lugosi is gloriously evil in his role as Murder, turning in one of the most striking performances of his career as the insidious witch doctor. The limited amount of dialogue bestowed upon the actor for this film actually works in his favor; Lugosi’s hypnotic presence and a perpetual wicked 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

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Murders in the Rue Morgue PassedCrimeHorrorMysteryRomance

Murders in the Rue Morgue, released in 1932, is a horror film set in 19th century Paris where a deranged scientist, played by Bela Lugosi, conducts gruesome experiments by abducting young women to inject them with ape blood, seeking to prove a controversial theory on ape-human kinship.

Director Robert Florey Release Date January 27, 1932 Cast Bela Lugosi , Sidney Fox , Leon Ames , Bert Roach , Betty Ross Clarke , Brandon Hurst , D’Arcy Corrigan , Noble Johnson , Arlene Francis , Ted Billings , Herman Bing , Joe Bonomo , Agostino Borgato , Iron Eyes Cody , Christian J. Frank , Charles Gemora , Harrison Greene , Charlotte Henry , Harry Holman , Edna Marion , Torben Meyer , Charles Millsfield , Monte Montague , John T. Murray , Tempe Pigott Runtime 60 minutes Writers Dale Van Every Expand

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A blood-curdling adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s 1841 short story that was heavily censored upon its initial release, Robert Florey’s Murders in the Rue Morgue served as the springboard for Lugosi’s subsequent typecasting as cinema’s foremost horror villain. The actor stars as Doctor Mirakle, a charlatan scientist running a carnival sideshow who abducts Parisian prostitutes and performs twisted scientific experiments on them in an attempt to create a mate for his talking ape, Erik.

While Murders in the Rue Morgue suffers from the stilted dialogue and awkward performances typical of its contemporaries, the lasting cultural impact of Bela’s starring turn cannot be overstated. Lugosi’s unnerving performance as Mirakle arguably provided the archetype for the modern cinematic “mad scientist”, a role that laid the foundations for a number of the most enduring and celebrated characters in cinematic history.

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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 Son of Frankenstein, the acclaimed third film in Universal Pictures’ Frankenstein movie series. A hunched blacksmith left with a broken neck after a failed hanging, Lugosi is virtually unrecognizable as Ygor; a state of affairs that worked to the benefit of the famously typecast actor.

There have been more than 180 films made about Frankenstein

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Effortlessly outshining credentialed co-star Boris Karloff in the role of Frankenstein’s Monster, the actor’s accomplished 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 installment in the series – a status quo that is due in no small part to Lugosi’s sterling work as Ygor.

1 Dracula (1931)

Directed By Tod Browning

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

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Related 10 Most Sinister Bela Lugosi Roles, Ranked

Bela Lugosi is a king of early horror, but what are the scariest roles he’s taken on? From Charles Kessler to Dracula, here they are ranked

Earning the role after his acclaimed performance in a Broadway adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel, Lugosi is mesmerizing as Dracula from start to finish. The actor steals every scene he appears in, affecting a spellbinding cocktail of elegant charm and dread in a timeless performance that serves as the bedrock for one of the genre’s most seminal offerings and the greatest Dracula movie of all time. In many senses, Béla Lugosi was a victim of his own performance’s success; the actor never came close to surpassing the dizzying heights attained during his name-making bow.

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