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Bela's Monster: Lugosi, The Monster, and FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN
"I created a Frankenstein Monster for myself." -- Bela Lugosi
In 1931, Bela Lugosi is on top of the world.
The film DRACULA is in release. A huge hit, it makes Bela an instant star. Though nearly 49 years old, the actor still has his striking good looks and compelling charisma. Women adore him--both on the screen and in his not-so private life.
But then, he's assigned the part of the monster in FRANKENSTEIN (1931).
He's resistant. Appalled. Insulted.
The very public eventuality? He doesn't make FRANKENSTEIN. But he plays the Monster years later in FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN (1943)
Both of these incidents haunt him for the rest of his life.
Along with Lon Chaney, Jr.’s portrayal of Count Dracula in SON OF DRACULA (1943), Bela's Monster is the most maligned acting job in Universal Monster’s Classic Horror canon. But does Lugosi truly deserve the harsh criticism he still receives among Monster Kids?
BELA'S MONSTER examines just that.
Along the way, we'll deal with Lugosi’s aborted attachment to FRANKENSTEIN, as well as his excellent take on Ygor in SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939) and THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN (1942).
We will discuss his scene-stealing reprisal of Dracula in ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN...particularly Dracula’s hypnotic control over the Monster.
But most importantly, we'll analyze Lugosi’s performance as the creature in FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN. The changes in character from the definitive Karloff version. The script. The shooting. And the unfortunate final cut of the film that robbed us forever of what might have been....
In 1931, Bela Lugosi is on top of the world.
The film DRACULA is in release. A huge hit, it makes Bela an instant star. Though nearly 49 years old, the actor still has his striking good looks and compelling charisma. Women adore him--both on the screen and in his not-so private life.
But then, he's assigned the part of the monster in FRANKENSTEIN (1931).
He's resistant. Appalled. Insulted.
The very public eventuality? He doesn't make FRANKENSTEIN. But he plays the Monster years later in FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN (1943)
Both of these incidents haunt him for the rest of his life.
Along with Lon Chaney, Jr.’s portrayal of Count Dracula in SON OF DRACULA (1943), Bela's Monster is the most maligned acting job in Universal Monster’s Classic Horror canon. But does Lugosi truly deserve the harsh criticism he still receives among Monster Kids?
BELA'S MONSTER examines just that.
Along the way, we'll deal with Lugosi’s aborted attachment to FRANKENSTEIN, as well as his excellent take on Ygor in SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939) and THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN (1942).
We will discuss his scene-stealing reprisal of Dracula in ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN...particularly Dracula’s hypnotic control over the Monster.
But most importantly, we'll analyze Lugosi’s performance as the creature in FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN. The changes in character from the definitive Karloff version. The script. The shooting. And the unfortunate final cut of the film that robbed us forever of what might have been....
447 pages, Hardcover
Published July 10, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 6, 2026
Bela's Monster was part of my Sept - Oct Halloween reads.....A real enjoyable bio of Bela Lugosi...his entire life up through Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)...Why writer Fleck didn't include Lugosi's final years through the Ed Wood period is beyond me, but, I still found the book to be a great read. I learned a lot about Bela I didn't know such as his military years (he was wounded three times), and learning his acting craft in both Hungary and across the States. The book concentrated most on his character Ygor from the period of The Son of Frankenstein, The Ghost of Frankenstein, and Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman where Lugosi played the Monster...-If you're a fan of the Universal Monsters like I am, especially the Frankenstein collection, then I highly recommend Bela's Monster....4.0 outta 5.0....
July 30, 2026
This is a big book [almost 600 pages] but the print is a nice size, for which I am grateful. It is practically a full biography of Lugosi with smaller bios of Karloff, Strange, Lon Chaney, Jr., et cetera. There is almost too much information, but I'd rather have info I don't need rather than need info I don't have.
I like it. In the bios the subjects have both their strengths and weaknesses revealed. As a Universal monster fan, I found it very interesting, well-written and full of many facts I never knew. Lugosi was both of victim of the system [studios, greedy bosses, jealousy and pettiness of others] and of his own vices [lust, pride, et cetera - the things that haunt us all].
I like it. In the bios the subjects have both their strengths and weaknesses revealed. As a Universal monster fan, I found it very interesting, well-written and full of many facts I never knew. Lugosi was both of victim of the system [studios, greedy bosses, jealousy and pettiness of others] and of his own vices [lust, pride, et cetera - the things that haunt us all].
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews