Elvis Presley. Bela Lugosi. Two people that at first glance would seem to have absolutely nothing in common. But, there is a link, a most amazing psychic link, that draws these two charismatic performers together in a chain of synchronicities that seems almost too strange to be just a coincidence.

As far as can be ascertained, Elvis and Bela never actually met each other, but as we shall see they have many things in common: dates, numbers, personality traits, etc. The first and most obvious thing that Elvis and Bela have in common is the fact that both men died on the same date: August 16. Bela died in 1956 and Elvis died 21 years later in 1977. The fact that Elvis died 21 years later has no particular significance except that 21 has the same meaning for both men. Elvis first became a star at the age of 21 and Bela Lugosi had his first major success on the stage in the play Trilby at age 21.

Another link in the psychic chain? I'm sure you are thinking at this point that it is just a silly coincidence. Am I correct? Well, let's delve a little bit deeper into the matter and then you may decide if it silly or that there might just be something more...
I admit that when I first heard that Bela Lugosi and Elvis Presley both shared the same date of death I attached no particular significance to that fact. However, years later I heard an interesting thing: that the first movie that Elvis ever saw was a Bela Lugosi movie! The fact intrigued me and I began to research the lives of Elvis and Bela.

Elvis Presley was born in January 1935, the doctor misspelled his name on the birth certificate (oddly enough, Lugosi's name was misspelled on his birth certificate as well). Strangely enough, 1935 (the year Elvis was born) was the year that Lugosi's career reached its peak with his starring roles in Mark Of The Vampire at MGM, The Raven and The Invisible Ray at Universal, and in the independent releases Murder By Television and The Phantom Ship. From that point onward Lugosi's career would settle into a slow and constant spiral downwards.

When Elvis was young, his mother attended a church that did not allow its members to go to the movies. Young Elvis was denied the pleasure of attending a motion picture until he reached the age of 13. The Presley family had lived just outside of Tupelo, Mississippi for most of Elvis' early years. In 1948 the Presleys moved to Memphis, Tennessee. It was in Memphis that Elvis saw his first movie, his dad took him to see Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein (Universal 1948). The movie featured Bela Lugosi in his greatest role as Count Dracula. Allegedly, young Elvis was most impressed with Lugosi's sinister and larger-than-life presence as Count Dracula. As we shall see in later years the character of Dracula had an interesting effect on Elvis.

As a teenager Elvis' interests were mostly in comic books, action and horror movies, super heroes and the struggle between good and evil. It is safe to assume that Elvis saw many of Lugosi's classic horror movies as they were constantly in re-issue in the late '40s and early '50s. It is just another link in the psychic chain.
We have seen that Elvis was aware of Bela Lugosi and that he admired him. Was Bela ever aware of the existence of Elvis Presley? It is likely that he was aware of Elvis' existence. Elvis first came to prominence in 1956, the same year that Lugosi died. However, he was in the papers and on the radio all throughout that year. Lugosi was very hard of hearing at that time, but he did read the newspaper from cover to cover every day, so he must have been somewhat aware of the existence of Elvis Presley. In August of 1956, Elvis was signed to appear in a motion picture to be made in Hollywood. In a very strange coincidence, the week that Elvis came to Hollywood was the week that Bela Lugosi died of a heart attack. Did they meet before Bela died? No one knows for sure, but Elvis did stay at the Knickerbocker Hotel in Hollywood and at that time Lugosi did wander around the streets of Hollywood. Perhaps they had a chance encounter. These are more links in the psychic chain.

At around this time Elvis started dyeing his hair a very dark brown (he was naturally blond) and combing it back. It has been said that this was in tribute to the singer Roy Orbison, but strangely enough this was also how Bela Lugosi always wore his hair as Dracula. Is there a connection? At one time I would have said no, but recently I paid a visit to Graceland (Elvis' home in Memphis) and I saw on display a cape that Elvis had designed for stage use. The tour guide said that Elvis had only worn it once because it was too heavy for his act but that allegedly it was one of his favorites. The cape was nearly an exact replica of Lugosi's Dracula cape! Add this to the fact that both Elvis and Bela slept through most of the day and stayed up all night and you have an interesting coincidence.

The psychic links begin to crease in number. The fourth movie that Elvis appeared in was King Creole (Paramount 1958, considered by many to be Elvis' best movie). The film was directed by Hungarian Michael Curtiz, one of Lugosi's friends from the old country. In another weird coincidence Curtiz directed the fourth movie that Lugosi appeared in... way back in 1917! When Lugosi's film career was declining the 1940s he made movies for low-budget film producer Sam Katzman. When Elvis' movie career was declining in the 1960s he made movies for low-budget film Producer Sam Katzman.

Both Elvis and Bela had a very serious interest in Eastern philosophy, metaphysics and the occult. Both were admirers of the noted scholar Manly Palmer Hall, an "expert" on the many religious philosophies throughout the world. They were both great admirers of Hall's The Secret Teachings Of All Ages. Lugosi was one of Mr. Hall's best friends for over 20 years. Elvis once sent his wife Priscilla to one of Hall's lectures. Elvis would have liked to have gone in person, but whenever he appeared in public he always caused a scene because of his fame. Allegedly, both men believed that they were reincarnated from powerful and important figures in history.

Both Elvis and Bela were voracious readers. Elvis grew up in the rural South, a South steeped in superstitious religious beliefs. Elvis never really overcame many of the superstitious beliefs of his youth. Bela also grew up in a rural area. Lugosi's birthplace was a remote area of Hungary very close to Transylvania. It is a land rich in superstitious tradition. Bela never really forgot his childhood beliefs; to the end of his life he kept an open container of water near his bed to ward off evil spirits.

As we look at Elvis' and Bela's personalities and lifestyles we find more links in the psychic chain. Bela Lugosi had a strong, almost hypnotic personality, and the same could easily be said of Elvis Presley. Neither Elvis or Bela ever really grew up emotionally, they were both very extravagant with money. They spent money like there was no tomorrow. Bela went broke on many occasions and Elvis came very close to being penniless more than once. Their extravagance is almost legendary. Elvis once spent $16,000 on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Lugosi once spent his entire paycheck for a television appearance at a restaurant after the show. Bela and Elvis were both generous to a fault, giving away money to friends and strangers alike. In later years Elvis and Bela both had bitter divorces from which they never really recovered emotionally. Bela and Elvis both degenerated into parodies of their public images in the last years of their lives.

ELVILUGOIS?	BELAELVIS?

Strangely enough, Bela and Elvis in later years both appeared in very weird Las Vegas acts when at the lowest ebb of their careers as entertainers. Incidentally, Dolores Fuller, the wife of Edward D. Wood, Jr. (Bela's friend and personal manager at the end of his career) went on to write lyrics for some of Elvis' later songs. Both Elvis and Bela had a serious prescription drug dependency problem. Both of them called it a medical problem. They both had their drug problems revealed to the media shortly before their deaths. The psychic links continue, even after each man's death. At the funeral of Bela Lugosi, an unseen force took control of the hearse, causing the driver to change the course of the funeral procession onto Hollywood Blvd. Was it Lugosi sending a signal from beyond the grave? A similar incident occurred at Elvis' funeral: when Elvis' casket was being carried through the door at Graceland, a large dead branch broke loose from a tree on the grounds and came hurtling towards the earth. Did Elvis make final contact? Even today, Bela Lugosi's ghost is being reported at several locations around Hollywood and Elvis is being seen all over the country by people who insist he is still living.

Ironically, both Elvis and Bela became even more famous and popular after their deaths. Elvis is probably the most well-known and loved performer anywhere in the world. And Lugosi, thanks to his identification with Count Dracula, will live forever as a cultural icon. Even though Elvis and Bela were two very different kinds of people, there does seem to be some sort of psychic link that binds them together. Can you be sure it isn't true?