News
Bela Lugosi’s Screen-Worn ‘Dracula’ Cape Will Be on Display at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is currently under construction in Los Angeles for a planned grand opening sometime in early 2020, and THR reports today that one of the iconic horror movie relics that will be on display at the museum is the actual cape that the late Bela Lugosi wore in director Tod Browning’s 1931 horror classic, Dracula!
Lugosi held on to the cape up until the day he died – he was buried in a cape he wore for the Dracula stage production – and it was donated by Lugosi’s son Bela G. Lugosi.
“My father’s screen-worn cape has had a very special place in my life and in the lives of my children and grandchildren. In fact, it has been a part of my mother’s household and then my household since I was born—for over 80 years,” Bela G. Lugosi said in a statement published by THR. “It became clear that there is no better home for the cape than the Academy Museum, allowing movie lovers to view a piece of classic horror film history and enjoy Bela Lugosi’s acclaimed performance for years to come.”
“This outstanding acquisition simultaneously represents the character of Count Dracula as a cultural icon and the life and career of an extraordinary actor, Bela Lugosi. It is important to us as a museum to be able to restore and safeguard this artifact, especially knowing that much of the material history of the classic horror cycle has been lost forever. We are deeply grateful to the Lugosi family for entrusting us with a treasure that means so much to them,” said exhibitions curator Jessica Niebel.
Jack Nicholson’s red jacket from The Shining has also been acquired for the museum, along with the outfit worn by Kathy Bates in another Stephen King adaptation, Misery.
The best part about engaging with collaborative genre fiction on the internet is that anyone can get in on the action, with worldwide accessibility often resulting in absurd story beats that wouldn’t be possible if any single person was responsible for the entire narrative. And while Kane Parsons’ Backrooms film is definitely the young filmmaker’s own unique take on the infamous creepypasta, it’s fun to see other creators join the Backrooms sandbox now that the big screen adaptation is getting ready for a record-shattering opening weekend.
As if cleverly timed releases like Puppet Combo’s The Backrooms game weren’t enough (not to mention that Scary Movie poster poking fun at Parsons’ flick), McDonald’s official social media accounts have now released an analog horror video of their own celebrating the liminal terrors of the McRooms – complete with a familiar purple surprise at the end of the footage.
While it’s funny enough to see the world’s most recognizable Fast Food giant engage with internet-borne Found Footage thrills seemingly out of the blue, the video is actually referencing a long-running gag among the Backrooms fandom where creators jokingly talk about there being a fully functional McDonald’s restaurant hidden somewhere in level 0 of the infamous liminal labyrinth.
Now, would it be too much to hope for a moist-carpet-flavored McShake to tie in with the film?
Backrooms is now playing only in theaters from A24.
You must be logged in to post a comment.