2020’s The Invisible Man is seen by some as Universal‘s attempt to reboot their short-lived Dark Universe, which began (and ended) with Tom Cruise’s big-budget flop, The Mummy. Fans of horror will remember, however, that Universal did once have a highly-successful shared universe — back in the 1930s and 1940s. The original “Dark Universe” featured Universal’s collection of ghastly, horrific, and sometimes sympathetic monsters who, much like the fixtures of the MCU, gained public recognition through standalone films then teamed-up in various crossover properties. Although Universal didn’t call their monster films a shared cinematic universe at the time, retrospectively, the label fits.
Click the button below to start this article in quick view.
The majority of Universal’s core monster movies were produced in the 1930s and 1940s, although there are a few notable pictures from the 1920s and 1950s that retrospectively get lumped in as part of Universal Classic Monsters. Although Lon Chaney Sr.’s classic silent films The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925) feature monstrous characters, the “horror” genre, as it is understood today, was really developed by the later Universal films, Dracula (1931) and Frankenstein (1931). By the 1950s, Universal had lost interest in producing monster-based horror films, which were no longer a profitable endeavor; the 3D exploitation film, The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), is the last strong effort from the studio.
Universal’s original “Dark Universe,” Universal Classic Monsters, are iconic black and white films that are among the best to come out of Hollywood’s early years. While there are technically dozens of films that fall under the umbrella of Universal Classic Monsters, the core films are those that introduce the studio’s iconic creatures. The worst movies are the slapped-together productions, cheaply produced with little attention to plot or direction. The best are the rare gems that came to define a genre; however, some have aged better than others.
9. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923)
Although not technically a “horror” film — the film is primarily romance and drama — The Hunchback of Notre Dame is often lumped in with the other Universal horror films. Likely, the retrospective horror label is due to Lon Chaney’s performance as the titular “hunchback” (no longer a socially-accepted term for people with the medical condition kyphosis). Chaney, “the Man of a Thousand Faces” was a master of makeup effects and was famous for his memorable, and often grisly, characters. Because the movie is not a true horror movie, it pales in comparison to the other entries on this list; however, purely in terms of cinematic quality, The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a silent film worth revisiting.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is notable for a few reasons. It was produced by Carl Laemmle, the owner of Universal Studios at the time and the father of Carl Laemmle Jr. — the person largely responsible for Universal’s horror productions. The Hunchback of Notre Dame was Universal’s most successful silent film and likely played a key role in convincing Laemmle Sr. to let his son allocate company funds to the projects Dracula and Frankenstein in the early 1930s. Not only did the movie’s horror elements pave the way for later attempts at that sort of subject matter, but it was also Lon Chaney’s breakthrough role, elevating his status in Hollywood, and paving the way for projects like The Phantom of the Opera and the famous lost film London After Midnight (1927).
8. Dracula (1931)
The movie that started it all, Dracula was the first “talkie” Universal Studios produced in the newly-developing horror genre. Unlike The Phantom of the Opera and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Dracula was neither a romance nor a psychological thriller — it was something entirely new for Hollywood, relying purely on its supernatural monster to scare, and entertain, audiences.
Bela Lugosi played the titular vampire in the Broadway adaptation of Dracula, which was optioned for Universal’s film; despite lacking any on-screen acting experience, Lugosi won the part for the movie production and history was made. By today’s standards, Lugosi’s acting verges on comedic and is unlikely to frighten any audiences; however, in 1931, Lugosi’s turn as the ancient vampire was lauded, propelling the former stage actor into Hollywood stardom. He would go on to play various roles in the Universal monster franchise, including a turn at Frankenstein’s monster in Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman (1943).
7. Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
The 3D “exploitation” film The Creature from the Black Lagoon is significantly later than most of the entries on this list — this is because the majority of Universal’s classic horror movies were made in the decades prior. Universal’s early horror films proved to be a very lucrative market in the 1930s and, to a lesser extent, the early 1940s; however, in general, the Hollywood horror trend started to decline as early as 1935. A number of factors contributed to the shift: the initial fad had passed, the introduction of the Production Code Administration (a central censorship body) in 1934 made horror films particularly difficult to produce, and the Laemmles being forced to leave Universal’s management team in 1936 meant the studio lost the leadership that had been spearheading the horror division. With the Laemmles gone, Universal stopped making original horror films, instead producing only low-budget remakes that capitalized on existing characters throughout the rest of the 1930s and 40s.
The Creature from the Black Lagoon is a unique entry on this list as the only original “classic” monster Universal created during the 1950s. The success of Vincent Price’s horror films at other studios led to a brief horror renaissance, buoyed by the novelty of 3D feature-length films with stereo sound. The fad was short-lived, however, and was already declining in popularity by the time of The Creature from the Black Lagoon‘s release in 1954, which was met with mixed reviews. The movie’s central monster, the “Gill-Man,” is a beloved icon in the classic horror genre, but the movie itself is more entertaining than particularly ground-breaking or aesthetically significant.
6. The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
Like the other silent film on this list, The Phantom of the Opera is not a purely “monster” horror, with a titular villain who lacks the supernatural qualities of the other monsters and a plot with a strong romance element throughout; however, Lon Chaney’s masterpiece is still a thrilling feature film that begs revisiting. Chaney did his own makeup for this movie as well, transforming himself into the ghastly, ghoul-like Phantom. His phantom is far more frightful than his Andrew Lloyd Webber musical counterpart, and the plot is gripping. Although it received mixed reviews at the time of its release, The Phantom of the Opera was very successful for Universal and was re-released with sound in 1930. Today, it is often considered one of, if not the, best adaptations of Gaston Leroux’s novel.
5. The Mummy (1932)
The Mummy (1931) capitalized on the public’s renewed fascination with ancient Egypt after the discover of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922. It is a surprisingly interesting take on the subject matter, starring Boris Karloff as the titular monster. The success of the 1931 classic Frankenstein propelled Boris Karloff into stardom, particularly in the horror genre. The Mummy saw Karloff return to a supernatural monster role that departed from his muted and intentionally dull performance in Frankenstein. Rather than being a zombie in rags, as the monster is typically depicted now, Karloff’s mummy spent the majority of the film as handsome and vibrant as he was menacing.
The Mummy has aged well. While today’s audiences might find the pacing slow, the effects are well done, the acting is convincing, and the story avoids falling into the repeated story beats and tropes so common in the formulaic horror movies from this period. The Mummy‘s plot — the awakened Imhotep attempting to resurrect his dead lover — was original to the movie and has been repeated many times over in other properties. It defined the “mummy” movie sub-genre, leading the way for Hammer Films’ Mummy series in the late 1950s to early 1970s, and the Brendan Fraser Mummy series in the late 1990s and into the 2000s.
4. The Wolfman (1941)
Universal’s first attempt at a werewolf movie was actually Werewolf of London in 1935, but it wasn’t until Lon Chaney Jr., the son of “the Man of a Thousand Faces,” donned the now-iconic Jack Pierce makeup for The Wolfman (1941) that history was made. Werewolf of London isn’t a bad film, but it didn’t make the splash that the later film did. Like The Mummy, The Wolfman defined the werewolf character, who became a staple of Universal’s “monster mash” movies. Lon Chaney Jr. went on to rival Karloff’s stardom in the horror genre of this period. The Wolfman’s transformation scene is more tame than An American Werewolf in London (1981) or Ginger Snaps (2001), but for a movie that was made almost 80 years ago, the visuals are impressive — thanks in no small part to Chaney, who really sells his character’s terror in these scenes.
3. Frankenstein (1931)
Although Dracula began the Universal Horror golden age proper, Frankenstein was the movie that proved the horror genre was a profitable avenue for Universal to explore. The success and legacy of Frankenstein in this regard cannot be overstated. More than any other Universal Classic Monsters movie on this list, Frankenstein continues to be present in the public imagination. The 1931 James Whale directed feature starring Boris Karloff in his breakthrough role is the quintessential Frankenstein movie. The movie is so popular that it informs the public understanding of the story and its characters more so than Mary Shelley’s also popular novel. Many have tried to imitate or remake this movie without success. 90 years after its original release, it remains the best attempt to adapt Shelley’s novel for the silver screen.
2. The Invisible Man (1933)
The decision to remake The Invisible Man in 2020 was a smart choice by Universal; of all of the classic monsters, the Invisible Man is arguably the easiest to translate into a menacing figure capable of frightening contemporary audiences. Unlike the other monster on this list, the Invisible Man hasn’t been given the same treatment in popular culture and is less familiar to audiences. The Invisible Man remake is full of shocking scenes, its narrative updated to incorporate a domestic abuse angle that feels appropriate for today.
Having said that, the original The Invisible Man, also directed by James Whale, should be more familiar in popular culture than it is because it is fantastic. Claude Rains stars as the unhinged scientist who terrorizes the public and even derails a train. The visuals are mind-blowing and remain convincing 90 years later. Some of the special effects used in movies on this list, like the hanged man in Frankenstein or the transformations in The Wolfman, are a bit clunky and dated, but the practical effects used in The Invisible Man hold up consistently. It is a thrilling experience from start to finish.
1. The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
The crown jewel of Universal Classic Monsters is The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), James Whale’s follow-up to Frankenstein. The movie is an original story that continues from where the previous film left off, incorporating elements of Mary Shelley’s novel that were not used in the first film. Whale clearly had fun with the production, fusing his own signature camp humor into the otherwise horror-filled movie.
Although The Bride of Frankenstein is a sequel, it — unlike the other Universal horror sequels — is superior to the original in almost every way. The budget was larger, the special effects more impressive, the score was original — and award-winning — and the thrills were more pronounced. Bride saw horror director Whale and horror stars Karloff and Colin Clive (who played the titular Dr. Frankenstein in both this film and the original) come into their own as fully-developed characters. The movie also introduced the character of “the bride”: a female monster created for Frankenstein’s original monster. Elsa Lancaster gave a memorable performance as the hissing wide-eyed “Bride,” who remains a fixture in popular culture to this day.
