"Bela: Children of the Night" is a tragic, atmospheric drama that peels back the cape of Hollywood’s most famous monster to reveal the proud, broken man underneath. The film begins in 1931 with Bela Lugosi at the height of his powers—an aristocratic Hungarian theater star who conquers America as Dracula. He is charismatic, intensely , and convinced he is the next romantic lead of the silver screen. However, the narrative quickly descends into the nightmare of typecasting. The film explores Bela's pride as his greatest enemy; his refusal to play "mute brutes" (like Frankenstein's monster) allows his rival, the gentle and British Boris Karloff, to eclipse him. As the horror genre fades and the studios turn their backs, Bela spirals into a harrowing addiction to morphine to treat his chronic war injuries. The third act is a heartbreaking look at his twilight years: living in near-poverty, deluded by his own legacy, and finding a strange, exploitative, yet affectionate final friendship with the young, inept director Ed Wood. It is a story about an immigrant who wanted to be a star but was forced to be a monster until the end.
Story added by kaueoliveira on November 22, 2025
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