Hollywood nights: #4 "Bela Lugosi's Dead" Bauhaus (1979)

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Bela Lugosi is a horror movie icon. Even if you have never heard his name, you have seen and heard his oft imitated image and voice. The stage trained Hungarian actor attained screen immortality for his legendary performance as “Dracula” in 1931. His subsequent career was spent toiling in low budget horror pictures, some good and many bad. Bela Lugosi is not dead but alive every Halloween. Bauhaus is considered the originators of goth rock. The British post punk band existed from 1978 to 1983 with several much later reunions. Their influence is large. Lead singer Peter Murphy went on to a successful solo career (“Cuts You Up”). Guitarist Daniel Ask later co-founded Tones on Tail (“Go!”) and Love and Rockets (“So Alive”). What better way to lick off goth’s “children of the night” than with “Bela Lugosi’s Dead.” The group written uncharted single is nine minutes long in original form. The big boost was Bauhaus performing the song in the 1983 vampire movie “The Hunger” with David Bowie. The song lives on and on in numerous movie and TV soundtracks.