BELA LUGOSI'S WHITE ZOMBIE TAILCOAT AND VEST

One of the more memorable villains from early sound horror films was Bela Lugosi's Murder Legendre in WHITE ZOMBIE (1932). The role fit Lugosi perfectly and he made the most of bringing out the mephistopholean wickedness that the character demanded.

His costume was a cross between undertaker and plantation master with his wide-brimmed had and long, dark clothing. Amazingly, years later, two of these pieces were found in a studio vault after 80 years and put up for auction. When the gavel dropped, the ensemble sold for an astonishing $100,000!

NOTE: There is one error in the lot details shown below: Lugosi made Universal's MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE before he was cast in WHITE ZOMBIE.

Lot 0783 Details:

783. Original Bela Lugosi tailcoat and vest from White Zombie.(UA, 1932) Bela Lugosi's followup to 1931's Universal Studio blockbuster, Dracula, was the ultra-low budget White Zombie, produced and directed by the Halperin brothers, setting the stage for a career that frequently bounced back and forth between A studio pictures and B movies. Lugosi played the infamous Murder Legendre, a Haitian plantation owner who turns his former enemies into zombies, whom he employs as slaves in his sugar mill. The 1932 film cemented Lugosi's reputation as a strangely seductive leading man. This iconic costume, consisting of dark blue three-button jacket with tails and five-button vest, each with internal United Costumers, Inc. tags handwritten "Lugosi" and "Bela Lugosi".The jacket was originally shot with a five-button design with the top button nearly reaching the collar. Studio tailors closed the holes (evident upon close examination) and the collar was modified for later use. The costume was worn by Lugosi in a key sequence, and was discovered buried in a studio vault where it had remained for the nearly 80 years since White Zombie finished shooting. Comes with a Warner Bros. certificate of authenticity.

AUTHENTIC VAMPIRE HUNTER'S KILLING DAGGER

If you are planning to go out vampire hunting this weekend you should probably considering taking with you something like what was just sold at auction ... an authentic vampire hunter's combination crucifix and dagger (no stakes needed).

The authentic 19th Century curio is 5 1/2" long and 3" wide -- not very large, but big enough to stick in a bloodsucker's heart, I'd say. It is described as having a "rich brandy-colored patina" and stops short by saying that the color may be the result of ancient bloodstains.

Originally said to be from The Royal Castle of Nuremburg, it was housed as an exhibit in Arne Coward's Museum Macabre in Honolulu, Hawaii, and retired into storage when the museum was sold to Ripley's Believe It or Not in 1979. Coward, a Norwegian, was a Nazi Concentration Camp survivor and began collecting oddities in 1946.

The piece was sold for $2,250 and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity by the son of Jacqueline Hutchins, Coward's co-creator of the museum which was open from 1972 to 1979. No provenance is claimed that the item was once in the possession of one, Dr. Van Helsing.

BONUS: Arne Coward's search for oddities for his "Museum Macabre" was the subject of this article from the Monday, January 6, 1975 edition of Florida's Lakeland Ledger. The article implies that his collection of artifacts were in an antique shop before the museum exhibition was opened.

A COLLECTION OF CHRISTOPHER LEE'S HORROR AND FANTASY FILM AWARDS

Another group of interesting items from Sir Christopher Lee's estate currently up for bid at auction is this group of fantasy and horror film awards. The lot includes awards from the Fantasy Festival in Rome (1990) and the Carl Laemmle Award from Monster Rally (1999).

Description of Lot #1330:
Sir Christopher Lee - Fantasy and Horror Film awards including: Fantasy Festival Award, Rome 1990; Sitges Fantasy Film Award 1983; Portugese Fantasporto Fantasy Film Award 1984; Carl Laemmle Award, Monster Rally 1999; Soffia Metropolis metal figure; Aixo Es Massa, Barcelona award; XII Fantasy Film award, 1985 and Sherlock Holmes presentation figure (8 items)Provenance: From the Estate of Sir Christopher Lee.

Starting Bid: £150 ($200 US)

HAMMER RELIC FROM THE ESTATE OF SIR CHRISTOPER LEE

A curious item has been put up for bid at auction. It is listed and reported to be a "maquette" (a sculptor's small preliminary model or sketch) from the 1959 Hammer Films production of THE MUMMY. To what purpose it was utilized in the film is anyone's guess.

The 15-inch figure is made of foam and covered in tape to replicate mummy wrappings. The minimum bid for Lot #1331 is $320 plus a seller's premium.

This relic from the Second Age of Classic Monster Movies is being sold through the estate of Sir Christopher Lee.

THE MONSTER MASKS OF PIEDRAS BLANCAS

One of my favorite B-list monster movies has always been MONSTER OF PIEDRAS BLANCAS. Made in a couple of weeks on a budget of about $50,000, it has remained true to its purpose -- a quickie shocker for the drive-in viewer with a cute girl and a nasty monster running amok.

Noted mask maker Cathy Tharp memorialized the Piedras Blancas monster by sculpting a likeness of Jack Kevan's original creation. I have seen this mask for sale at a few auction sites (pictures here are from liveauctioneers), but never available as a mass-produced item.

Another version of the Piedras Blancas monster mask with a price tag of $150 remains sold out at the Halloween-mask.com page.

Jeanne Carmen was the love interest in MONSTER OF PIEDRAS BLANCAS. Extremely photogenic, she never missed a chance to smile for the camera.