Lynne Sparks

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John Salak: Okay, so it's now late October, which means the football season is in full swing, the World Series [00:00:36] is at hand, the weather is getting cooler, and in most places leaves are falling off trees. It also means that Halloween is just about here, which ushers in a frightfully entertaining time of year.

Sure, the approach of October 31st brings trick or treating and costume parties, but it also encourages people to indulge in watching horror film. And why not? Who doesn't like a good scare? Apparently, only a few. Horror films are more popular than ever. In fact, about two thirds of Americans describe themselves as horror film fans, making these movies perhaps the most popular of all film [00:01:12] genres.

Okay, what's the draw though? Is it weird, unhealthy, morbid, or perhaps something worse to watch films about ghouls, goblins, ghosts, vampires, slashers, and zombies? Or maybe, just maybe, do these films stir up some hidden benefits? After all, they've been around for a century. Horror films first surfaced in Germany in the 20s with The Cabinet of Dr.

Kilgarry and Nosferatu. And then picked up steam when Universal Studios launched the golden age of spooky movies in the 30s and 40s. These included classics like Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, and The Wolfman, among [00:01:48] others. In the 60s and 70s, Hammer films added to the mix before more recent terror ticklers like The Night of the Living Dead, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the others.

The Walking Dead, Ghost Story, and The Conjuring, among so many, many, many more, drew legions of viewers. Ultimately, it's fair to say we love to be scared silly, and perhaps for some good reasons. Our upcoming guest is going to help us explore why. As the granddaughter of film icon Bela Lugosi, she is better positioned than most to lend some insights into Bela's life and work, and why so many of us are [00:02:24] drawn to his movies and to horror films in general.

So, I'd like to welcome everybody to this section of What the Health podcast. And as mentioned, we have an incredibly special guest today. Someone who I have known in all, full disclosure, off and on for probably a year, at least digitally and on the phone.

And as noted, we are Glad to welcome Lynn Lugosi Sparks, who is the CEO of Lugosi Enterprises, and from my personal standpoint, much more important than that is the granddaughter of the great Bela Lugosi one of the iconic actors in Hollywood and certainly best known by many people as Dracula.

[00:03:00] So Lynn, welcome to the broadcast.

Lynne Sparks: Thank you for having me.

John Salak: All right. And Lynn and I had spoken many times and even before this interview and she stressed, so I'm going to preface this. She stressed that while Lynn certainly knows a lot about her grandfather and his upbringing and the films he made and all this stuff, Lynn wants to make sure everyone knows that she doesn't want to be seen as a film historian, though she is incredibly knowledgeable.

And, Can speak for herself in her own perspective on Bella's work and what horror films mean to people and also what so many fans come up and talk to you is it fair to say, Lynn, you don't want to comment on behalf of [00:03:36] your grandfather. You can comment on behalf of yourself.

Lynne Sparks: Yes, because, unfortunately I didn't get to meet him.

And so while I have some stories that my dad has told me, and of course I've been working alongside the author of the biography, I do know things, but I can't speak about anything he told me personally or what he might have thought about something.

John Salak: And actually, because you just brought it up, I want you to give a little description of what Lugosi Enterprises is.

And I also want you to just tell us about the book that'll be coming out and where it's come from and its iteration. So, [00:04:12] and give us a little background on that.

Lynne Sparks: Okay. Well, the book itself is titled Bela Lugosi, The Man Behind the Cape, and it is right now tentatively scheduled to be released spring of 2024, don't have an exact date yet, but it's, being published by Clover Press sometime in 2024.

Anyway, the Lugosi Enterprises for people who might not know My father, Bela Gossi Jr. was an attorney by profession and when he was in law school brought a suit against Universal Studios because [00:04:48] they were using his father's name and likeness on merchandise and the court case lasted over 16 years and what it resulted in was the California Celebrity Rights Act legislation that California put in place that protected the name and likeness of a celeb, a deceased celebrity.

It made that right a property right that could pass to their heirs. And for that reason, my dad has had control over the commercial use of his. father's name and likeness, [00:05:24] and along with all other families of celebrities that have passed away. So that was a wonderful thing for families to be able to control those rights.

And it has allowed us to keep Bela Lugosi's legacy alive through projects and products that Really do his memory justice. we see a lot of people infringing on those rights, but less and less as we've done some very quality products and projects and put us ourselves out there as representatives, official [00:06:00] representatives of Bela Lugosi.

John Salak: And when you think of Bela Lugosi, there are a lot of great actors who came out of all the major studios in the thirties and forties.

And we're gonna touch a little bit on Bela Lugosi's earlier life in a moment and what shaped him. But I mean, he is such an iconic figure. That I can't think of many actors and certainly there are great actors, but who are as iconic is in terms of a single character and he put in a lot of different movies.

I don't think some people may not realize that, but when you do think of Dracula or you think of Bela Lugosi, vice versa, you think of one or the other, even if you don't maybe know his name, if you're a little [00:06:36] younger at first, you still see that and you realize it's your grandfather. And that's amazing .

Lynne Sparks: I know when I've been in fortunate enough to be, with fans at a convention or an event, and a lot of times people will have their children with them and you can see them looking at the images of Bela Lugosi and Dracula. And , the parents will say, that's the original Dracula.

So they're kids who have seen all of the attributes that Bela Lugosi created or that, of his persona, they then realized that was really an original person that they see, portrayed. The [00:07:12] Count Sesame Street's The Count or Count Chocula, all of these characters that the kids, and they'll, then it'll click.

John Salak: I read recently that someone else was actually targeted to be the first film Dracula. Yeah. Absolutely. And I, they picked your grandfather and I forget the reason. You probably know this or may have heard this.

And the point is your grandfather had this wonderful accent that then also sort of invigorated the character that quite frankly, someone from Britain or the US at that time with a flatter accent may not have made it such a rich character.

Lynne Sparks: Yeah. Well, there were several actors being considered for the role.

And [00:07:48] I think originally Lon Chaney senior was supposed to be the character, but he passed away, unfortunately, before, production was finalized. But no, you would think that those would be reasons, but you know, my grandfather created the role that he played, his very unique portrayal of Dracula on the stage and played it on Broadway for hundreds of performances.

And so you would think that Because it had such success on the stage that it would be a no brainer that he would be thought of [00:08:24] for that role, but he wasn't in fact, many other actors were thought of before him and he'd been trying to get that role a petition in himself, various ways.

And I think he even tried to deal with the Stoker estate and get the film made, himself. Somehow, he wanted to play that role on film. He felt that it should be him. So fortunately people from Universal finally saw him on stage and brought him, to Los Angeles for a, an audition.

I don't even think after that it was a hundred percent, [00:09:00] decided. I think there is some thought that maybe universal, this movie needed to be a success for them. It was a, very hard time for the studio and Bela didn't have a film recognition name. So I think they were hesitant to cast somebody who wasn't a film star at the time.

John Salak: It's funny to funny or if you think about it, the film came out in 1931 and this is sort of just at the cusp or a little bit of a couple of years after when we see the emergence of talkies. So, like, a character like Lon Chaney [00:09:36] Sr. had starred in a lot of silent films, so the impact of a voice, and certainly your grandfather's accent, again, is a fascinating element of that.

I think a lot of people don't realize that your grandfather was such an accomplished actor before. Taking on the role and working with Universal Studios and throughout, and not just in the States, but also his background. And I know he considers himself, or he considered himself Hungarian, the Romanians now consider him Romanian.

But perhaps you can enlighten us a little bit and in all fairness, I've actually been to Bela Lugosi's home in [00:10:12] Lugos, Romania and it's, it is amazing it's beautiful. It's in this town. Of course, the first two sections of the home, one side is now a flower shop. And I forget what the other side is, but it was a grand, it's a grand building in any event.

Can you tell us a little bit about your grandfather's background both in film and beforehand?

Lynne Sparks: He didn't play Dracula in the film until he was 49 years old.

Wow. Yeah. That's amazing.

So he had become, an established stage actor in Hungary, hundreds and hundreds of stage performances in Budapest alone.

So, he attained that [00:10:48] position with very hard work. He wasn't a professionally trained actor. He left home at 14 years old before finishing high to follow his passion for acting with no training. So, he really Fought his way up the ladder. From provincial theaters, to finally the national theater in Budapest to, be the actor that he was playing all kinds of roles, varied roles, all of the, classic roles.

And he wasn't always a horror actor, , right. Or an evil character, Shakespearean [00:11:24] roles and romantic leads. So, he prided himself on his stage acting skills. And I think that he was a perfectionist and he attained that by just meticulous rehearsals and practice. So, stage actors in Hungary were exempt from the war.

But he felt very strongly that he... And we're

John Salak: talking about the First World War. Yes, I'm sorry. I just want to clarify. No, I just wanted to clarify that.

Lynne Sparks: So he enlisted. I guess it was enlisted. He was an officer, First Lieutenant when the [00:12:00] war began. And he fought on the Eastern Front. He was wounded several times, hospitalized several times.

So it was brutal. I think that was a very, difficult time for him, but you know, when he didn't leave the army, he continued supporting it through various fundraising events for the troops in Budapest.

So when he came out, he basically had to start over and, fight for the roles that he wanted to have on the stage. So, it was hard work it was persistence. And then, he would meet in the [00:12:36] cafes with other actors.

And that's when our early films were starting and he was cast by. Some of the directors in films, and that's how he started in Hungarian film.

John Salak: And for people who don't realize, Budapest was quite, and still is, but was then quite a grand city in terms of Eastern Europe. It was a real Mecca. I know, and I'm phrasing this because a lot of Americans probably don't realize that they of course know Budapest.

But when did he come to the States?

Lynne Sparks: He organized one of the first. Actors unions in the world. He was an [00:13:12] advocate of the actors and he felt that, they weren't being treated right. They were suffering. And so, through his organizing, he ended up, On the wrong side of the ruling party at the time, and so forced to leave under threat of death and escaped to Vienna and then went on to Berlin and acted in films in Berlin before leaving from actually Trieste, Italy to the United States on a freighter.

Well, well, he entered the U. S. through New Orleans. [00:13:48] Oh, wow. I didn't realize that. He made his way to New York City where he eventually, officially went through Ellis Island.

John Salak: Okay. Is there a plaque there for him on Ellis Island? I mean, a nameplate?

Lynne Sparks: He didn't go in the usual way, but there's different dates on different documents of immigration. So even the Ellis Island historical society said it was an unusual chain of paperwork that is done after the fact, if you will.

John Salak: And just so for people who don't realize this, Lugosi was not his given surname, or his [00:14:24] surname. Correct. Lugosi is from the town, which was part of the Hungarian Empire and now part of Romania, Lugos, so he took his last name as his stage name,

Lynne Sparks: He used another name before he settled on Lugosi. And it was actually, and he even spelled Lugosi differently. So we have... Playbills and film credits where he's Aristide Olt and then he's Bale Lugosi, which spelled L U G O S Y and then Bale Lugosi as he appears.

Oh, wow.

John Salak: Do you know why he wanted the role of Dracula so badly? I mean, it obviously was good business. [00:15:00] It was a major play. And it was going to be made into a film. Was it something beyond that? Did he feel that he had created the character and wanted to carry it on?

Lynne Sparks: I know, he was enjoying the success of the stage play very much. And he had moved to Los Angeles. He wanted to be in films. So. He'd already acted in some films before Dracula and continued to play the role on stage.

So I think he just felt it was the next move in his career. And that it was the logical choice that he could portray the character that he created on film.

John Salak: And when you watch his [00:15:36] work and you've seen, I'm assuming all of his films at one point or another many times, what do you see in his characters and especially the iconic characters, but he's done so many.

Lynne Sparks: Right? Well, I think the overall takeaway that not just me, but other people like his work is that he had a magnetism, no matter what character he was playing that just it's like still to this day jumps off the screen.

And so I think that. whether the movie was a bad movie, a B movie, or one of , the universal films that he's famous [00:16:12] for. He always was the best part of every film. He gave every character his all. And I think you can see that in the characters that he played, that he is bringing his acting technique, the things that he perfected on the stage and he brought it to the film.

I think it's just that he was a master of his craft and unfortunately he didn't get to play the varied roles that I think he could play and that he very much wished to play on film.

John Salak: And towards the end of his career, he certainly played in a number of B [00:16:48] roll movies because they were cranking them out. And then some people know of your grandfather through the Ed Wood film. And in that film, he is...

Portrayed as having a serious drug problem, but you said you wanted at least to address this and clear this up, at least from your perspective and what you know. So, please feel free.

Lynne Sparks: I think that, you know, just quickly the Ed Wood film, while very good for a lot of reasons, didn't accurately portray my grandfather, but a lot of people consider it almost like a documentary about Ed and my grandfather.

So [00:17:24] while Ed Wood did a lot to, help my grandfather at the end of his life and kept him working He also, used him for his name and that for his own use, but anyway, in the film, they portray him as being a drug addict and that really isn't.

What my grandfather was like, he actually over his life was a health nut. He loved to hike. He loved to be outdoors. He drank sulfur water imported from Hungary. He, went to. [00:18:00] hot springs for health reasons. If he was having certain ailments, he would cure them with natural things, drinking asparagus juice and things like this.

So, he was somebody that health was important to him and he was not addicted to drugs like people think he was, or an addict. He, it was really a medically prescribed painkillers that he became, eventually became addicted to.

And then I think, my grandmother was with him during all those years and I think one of the reasons she wanted to have a big [00:18:36] part in the book, that we're putting out , the original interviews with her. Which were extensive. The author spent a lot of time. They traveled back to Germany and to Hungary together and did a lot of the research and she wanted the truth to be told, the good and the bad, because like, you say, any press is good press. He didn't do himself any favors in talking about his addiction and maybe exaggerating the length of time that he was addicted,

John Salak: yeah. It's good to bring that out because then again, for younger audiences, that is an element what's believed to be as personal.

Lynne Sparks: [00:19:12] I just want to add one thing about that is that after he and my grandmother got divorced, it was kind of, it was devastating to him and she was able to wean him off painkillers and, kept him healthy, right?

So when they got divorced, it was really devastating for him. And he did start using the painkillers more, but the important thing to know for young people is. That he addressed it and he admitted himself and at that time admitting yourself to the county [00:19:48] hospital Was very traumatic to do it wasn't like us celebrated wonderful, rehabs.

John Salak: There was some media attention around it as well.

Is that accurate? When he went in? Yeah. So it wasn't just tough enough for a private citizen. He's Bela Lugosi going into this. So there's going to be pictures in the press.

Lynne Sparks: He also used the opportunity to not only let people know that he was doing this brave thing, but also that he was going to get cured and it would be a boost and he would.

Go back to acting again. That [00:20:24] always his goal to keep working.

John Salak: And in terms of his work, and I think it's fair to say again, you never spoke to your grandpa. I never met your grandfather because he passed away before from your research, talking to your dad, talking to anybody who may have worked with him.

Do you ever think you felt trapped a little bit by the Dracula character? Because he was such an accomplished actor, and it I mean, look, everybody knows what he could have started in a million films that may have been more dramatic, but may not know the name today.

Lynne Sparks: Well, I mean, for myself looking at it and I think a lot of people feel the same way.

I mean, I feel that he [00:21:00] was born to, to play that role. I mean, not only was he from. An area very near to Transylvania where the folklore originated, and then his accent and everything about him, how courtly he carried himself for that role, but, I think initially he enjoyed the success, but very quickly realized that he was typecast.

I think a takeaway from my grandmother's opinion is that he just was never well represented in Hollywood. So you know,[00:21:36] he didn't have anyone fighting for those good roles for him or fighting for better pay. So whether it was, bad choices on his part on agents that he chose or not having an agent, I think.

A lot of the reason why, things happen the way they did was, at least my grandmother feels too, that he just wasn't properly represented. And, you always can look back on things in hindsight and say, I should have done this. I should have done that. So, I can't think about at the time what he was thinking about his choices, but I do know that he always wanted to have very, Varied roles.

He, [00:22:12] he knew from his acting career on the stage in Hungary that what he could do, what he was capable of doing, and he just wished he could have those roles. So, there's that one interview that I know people see often that's titled the ship's interview and he's coming back from England and the actor, the interviewer asks him, well, Dracula end for you. And he says no, Dracula never ends. Right.

Dracula lives forever. Yeah. Dracula lives forever. Yeah. So one of the other, elements that we wanted to get into is people are so drawn to horror [00:22:48] films and the classic horror films that came out in the thirties and the forties and, all the way up to date, it's possibly the most popular movie genre.

One, why do you think people are so drawn to both your grandfather's films, but you know, from. Horror films in general, and I know you can speak from meeting fans and you meet them all the time. I mean, horror fans, when they must know you're Bela Lugosi's granddaughter, it must be a great thrill for them, and they're fascinated.

So what do you think, what is the attraction?

I think because I, talk to most fans that appreciate the classic horror. [00:23:24] But really when you think about it, that's what started it all, and those films are still around and the actors are still popular because they touched on the monsters themselves.

People can sympathize with, and I think that's what's been missing in a lot of the remakes is this this ability to relate to the tragedy or of why they're a monster or what they have to go through. So I think in that aspect, in addition to people like being scared, people like, you know, the battle of good and evil I think that's what.

Attracts that people some people at least to horror films.[00:24:00] I'm not a huge fan of the slasher films Even though that those were the first ones like when I was a teenager, I saw Friday the third scared me to death. I still think somebody's gonna be under my bed, you know with a giant knife or something.

John Salak: It's probably your dog it's probably your dog but okay I'm

Lynne Sparks: not a fan of those so I don't really see a lot of the new Really gory films, but I do, I, myself, I like the spooky.

I like the scary films, things might jump out at you or supernatural, so I don't know what it, I can't really speak to what it is, but there, [00:24:36] there's something I know just the amount of horror conventions across the country every year. And the scale of Halloween, not only in the United States, but across the world is growing.

So there's something about it. I have to say that it's just got to be that when you know, what evil is, you maybe you appreciate good more.

John Salak: And certainly, in the universal studio films and certainly some of the other films, the monsters, if we can call the [00:25:12] monsters, the Wolfman Frankenstein less so the mummy, maybe Dracula they all had certain elements of sympathy to them, as you say, and there was always that battle against good and evil.

And in the end. Good one out. But of course, with Universal, the monsters always came back for the next say, you know, Frankenstein was frozen or Wolfman or somebody spilled blood on Dracula and he wakes up or something like that.

Lynne Sparks: Even the non universal films like Return of the Vampire, where he comes back, during the World War II, and his graveyard's bombed, and out he comes.

John Salak: right. Yeah, exactly.[00:25:48] You had a quote when we were speaking, and I'm sorry, I should have plagued you that I was going to ask you this. We talked about Dracula not necessarily being as sympathetic as maybe the Wolfman, who didn't want to be a Wolfman, or Frankenstein, who was made, all of a sudden he'd cast in this.

Dracula had some involvement in his own creation. But what was the quote about death that you cited?

Lynne Sparks: Oh boy, I wish I had that in front of me, but he's in the opera and he's speaking with Mina and Lucy. . And I think they're talking about [00:26:24] something about death. And he said he, it, the gist of it is to die to be really dead death would be glorious.

John Salak: . 'cause he can never die.

Lynne Sparks: Any fans out there who know all the words I know I just. I just completely messed it up, but

John Salak: And also to the great classic horror films were just wonderfully photographed and the actors are all so magnetic your grandfather and Karloff and Mancini Jr.

and so many others. There's also been a lot of research. I'm amazed at how much research is done as to why we're attracted to horror films. And certainly they're great movies and we'd like to [00:27:00] be scared, but also to the fact that there are health benefits to horror films.

This may be a stretch. I realize that for some people, but they talk about excitation transfer, adrenaline rushes that when they come down after seeing you feel relaxed and better the ability to live in alternate realities because of this, do you buy any of that?

And again, I recognize you're not a social psychologist or anything.

Lynne Sparks: Absolutely do. And you could say that about movies in general. So you do escape, right? That's if you can, if film is successful, if you can do that, your audience can [00:27:36] escape into whatever message your film is about.

But I think for horror, yes there's something that happens when you're scared and then you feel safe. I can definitely see where there might be health benefits from that perspective of a release of energy or a transfer of.

John Salak: Right. All right. Do you think horror films have evolved in a good way or a bad way? And I know you may not watch tons of horror films and certainly not slasher films, but do you think they've evolved or is it just production? That's maybe a little different?

Lynne Sparks: I don't think people will ever stop making horror movies, because of whatever this attraction is, we're talking to them, but as far as [00:28:12] them changing, I mean, I think that has to be attributed to the film techniques.

Right? And also our culture allowing so much more graphic, visual imagery. So in some ways, people gravitate more to the old films because they enjoy better imagining what they're describing, or what's happening off stage, rather than having it, in your face.

John Salak: Right, right. Well, you talked about it was Halloween, or Friday, the 13th that scared you when you're in high school.

Lynne Sparks: The 13th, the first one that was the [00:28:48] first like, horror movie other than like the classic Jaws . I don't know if Jaws is considered a horror movie, but I do not like to swim in the ocean because of that movie. Okay.

John Salak: Did you beforehand? Did you, would you? Oh, okay. The movie that had the impact for me was the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the original. I remember seeing that my senior year in high school. Right. And I was with my friends and I came out of the movie theater and I was shaking.

And It's the reason, and my friends already know this, it's the reason I didn't go to Texas Christian University. Well, funny thing is I went to Marquette [00:29:24] University in Wisconsin and I found out that the story was... Based on a character of 35 miles from Milwaukee, so I tried to get away from it and I couldn't.

Lynne Sparks: That might go to these things that with these films that we're talking to you about right now, if you and I are able to talk about the effect that they had on us at certain times in our life. We talk about why do people get drawn to them?

John Salak: I still remember the first time and I don't think it's a maligned film. I don't think it's given the credit. Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein with your grandfather and it is truly a great movie.

I think it's one of their best movies and I think it's just a wonderful movie in [00:30:00] general. I remember my daughter laughing at the end. It still holds up. It's still scary. I remember my daughter seeing that when she was eight or nine years old. I think we were on a plane coming back from London, and she had headphones on, and she's laughing out loud.

And everybody's looking at this little kid, who are you laughing at? She's simultaneously scared. What would you like people to think of Bella today? When you meet them, what, and again, you're not speaking for Bella, you're speaking for yourself and you're protecting the commercial images, which is very important, but also the legacy of who Bella was and what he meant to film.

Lynne Sparks: Well, I think that, aside from him being an icon [00:30:36] today in pop culture, which is such a significant mark of achievement for him that he never would've imagined.. that's what the situation. I would like people to get to know him a little bit, because of the icon that he is, that he was just really a hardworking person.

He loved his craft. He Stood up for people. He was one of the first members of the Screen Actors Guild here in the United States after representing the actors in Hungary. He supported the war effort to the detriment of his [00:31:12] career, actually, at some points and tried to support and bring Hungarian refugees from the war here to the United States and make sure they're okay. He did a lot as a human being and for the acting profession too. So I would like, people to realize that in addition to, respecting the icon that he is Dracula.

John Salak: But in the films that he made the book you mentioned Bela Lugosi, The Man Behind the Cape. You mentioned to me earlier that it will have 700 pictures in it. [00:31:48]

Lynne Sparks: Right now we're over 700 pictures and many of those are either rarely seen or a good handful never before seen because they're coming from the family archives, which we've never made.

John Salak: Oh, wow. And from my own personal perspective, you have one of the original Dracula capes. Does the family still have one of the original Dracula capes?

Lynne Sparks: My dad had it with him his whole life. His mother gave it to him. And recently very difficult decision, actually a decision that was years in the making.

My mom and dad, decided that[00:32:24] they had been able to maintain it and keep it safe by pretty much not showing it to anybody. Right. So in thinking about the future, they thought that it should be shared with the world. So it is now at the Academy Museum here in Los Angeles.

And it's my understanding they haven't exhibited it yet, but. It will, at some point, be exhibited by them, and it's being protected and preserved. But that is the original screen worn cape that he kept with him his whole life. He used it for appearances and other productions.

John Salak: Oh, wow.

Lynne Sparks: Before it left our hands, we [00:33:00] made an exact replica pattern. And documented the fabric. So trick or treat studios is one of our licensees did a beautiful job recreating it as a costume version. So it is exactly to scale. The seams are where the seams are of the lining and the outer part of the cape and it's a spectacular replica.

It's not, like any other costume cape you have ever seen.

John Salak: And someone can purchase that you, that's for purchase. Okay. Trick or treat studios. Okay. And we do want to mention, cause people are going to see your [00:33:36] brooch. That is a bat brooch.

Lynne Sparks: Oh, yeah, it's a pin. I have a necklace.

John Salak: A necklace. Okay.

Necklace. Right. Okay. Good. There you go. And you have a collection of them.

Lynne Sparks: I do.

John Salak: Okay. Not surprising.

Lynne Sparks: I mentioned to you, my grandfather had made for my grandmother, a beautiful bat Pin into one in silver and one in gold, and she wore it all the time, either on a ribbon as a necklace as a pin, sometimes in her hat, and you'll see it in the book.

It's in many of the pictures that she would always wear it when she was with him. So it's a tribute to her. And [00:34:12] just a new fun collection that I do.

John Salak: Okay. Well, that's great. Well, Lynn, thank you very much for giving us some insights about Bella, his work, what you think he thought of the horror industry. And also what horror films mean to people.

And, why we're still so drawn to them. And we will look forward to seeing the book in the spring of next year, 2024. So Lynn Lugosi Sparks, CEO of Lugosi Enterprises. Thank you so much for joining us.

Lynne Sparks: Thank you so much, John, for having me.

John Salak: Before we move on, we want to again encourage listeners to take advantage of the hundreds of [00:34:48] exclusive discounts WellWell offers on a range of health and wellness products and services. These cover everything from fitness and athletic equipment to dietary supplements, personal care products, organic foods and beverages, and much more.

Now signing up is easy and it's free. Just visit us at WellWellUSA. com, go to Midland's discounts at the top menu bar, and the sign up form will appear. Signing up will take seconds, but the benefits can last for years. So, normally at this point of What the Health?, we lay out some health hacks to help you better engage and succeed at whatever the [00:35:24] episode's topic was about.

Well, that's pretty hard when it comes to figuring out why we like being scared silly and if watching horror films actually provide any health benefits. I don't know if there are definitive answers to these questions, but I do know that millions of people are drawn to these films, whether they're the classics of the 30s or 40s or something more recent like Insidious, Sinister, Hell House, Halloween, and so many more.

Personally, I suspect that there is actually Something nurturing or healthy about these films, or at least some of them. Sure, there are a lot of pretty bad horror films out there, but for the good and great [00:36:00] ones, maybe we're drawn to these for their escapism, the rush of adrenaline they provide, the emotional transfer they offer, or something else.

Maybe, as in those great Universal Studio films, we see these movies as a fight of good against evil, where we almost at times feel sorry for the monsters that we've actually created. I don't know, but I don't think anyone is going to stop watching them. The classics or the modern offerings anytime soon.

And that's a good thing with Halloween at hand. So that's it for this podcast. [00:36:36] I want to thank Lynn Legosi Sparks for sharing her time and insights about horror films and her grandfather, the great Bela Lugosi. And if you have questions for Lynn or want to learn more about Bela, please visit belalugosi.

com. That's bellalegosi. com. And please be on the lookout for the release of the book Bella Lugosi, The Man Behind the Cape in the Spring of 2024. Thanks for listening and please join us again.

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