By reviving monsters from classic literature and creating some of their own,Universal Picturesgave an entire generation of viewers nightmares. Generations, in fact. After their initial cinematic run throughout the 1930s and 40s, films from the franchise were repeated on television in the 60s and 70s, capturing the imagination of a whole new audience.
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The movies have been remade, spoofed, pastiched, and reinterpreted many times over, and remain touchstones for many modern directors. High-profile movie-makers such as Tim Burton and evenQuentin Tarantinocite key Universal horror movies as influences on their work, and many of the monsters and ghouls are now pop culture icons.
10Dracula (1931)
Perhaps a little slow compared to some of the movies that came later,Draculais still an iconic piece of cinema. From the gorgeous setting to the haunting use of Tchaikovsky’s Black Swan music, everything pulls together to create a truly haunting atmosphere.
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Bela Lugosi set the standard forthe role of the Count, with his thick accent and wonderfully chilling lines. To this day his performance of Dracula is referenced, imitated, and spoofed. It’s no wonder that Lugosi himself was buried in the Count’s cape.
9Frankenstein (1931)
James Whale’s first dalliance with Mary Shelley’sFrankensteinwas a macabre triumph, updating the classic story with a faster pace and some grotesque imagery. Much of what we associate with theFrankensteinmythcomes from this movie.
Boris Karloff was an instant success as the Monster, with a make-up job that has gone on to become iconic and instantly recognizable He imbued the creature with a great deal of emotion and gravitas, even during one ofFrankenstein’s mostcontroversial scenes- that with the little girl by the lake.
8The Invisible Man (1933)
Easily one of the most highly-regarded of all Universal’s monster movie output,The Invisible Manis a triumph of storytelling, performance, and special effects.
Claude Rains is pitch-perfect as Doctor Jack Griffin (the Invisible Man of the title), slowly descending into madness as he struggles to cope with his condition. James Whale once again proves himself as a fantastic director here, elevating the slightly silly material to darker, more introspective heights. Sequels would follow, one of which would star horror legend Vincent Price.
7The Wolf Man (1941)
Lon Chaney Jr. holds the record of being the only actor to portray Laurence Talbot (the Wolf Man) in all of his Universal films. The other monsters would be recast time and again (with Chaney Jr. taking on both the Mummy and Frankenstein’s Monster in various sequels), but there was only one Wolf Man.
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The first film in the werewolf franchise wasn’t based on a novel or short story – it was completely original. Even so, much of the werewolf lore established inThe Wolf Manhas since formed the basis of numerous lupine movies since.
6Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man (1943)
The idea of crossovers in major franchises is nothing new, particularly with theMCUpulling together all manner of heroes and villains together from various corners of its ever-expanding universe. It was quite novel back in 1943 though when two of Universal’s biggestmonsters went head-to-head.
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Manis much sillier fare than previous entries, focusing more on B-Movie thrills than a genuine atmosphere. It is highly entertaining though, and worthy of note for having Bela Lugosi appear as Frankenstein’s Monster (a role he turned down for James Whale’s original).
5The Island Of Lost Souls (1932)
The first sound adaptation of the HG Wells novelThe Island of Dr. Moreau,Island of Lost Soulswas controversial upon its release – mainly because of its undercurrent of blasphemy which shocked censors at the time.
The movie features powerful performances from Charles Laughton and a particularly emotional Bela Lugosi (in one of his finest Universal roles), beautifully capturing the tormented spirit of the original novel. There are certain parallels toFrankensteinin the idea ofa man playing Godvs the effect his work has on his creations. An early classic.
4Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954)
Often imitated,Creature From the Black Lagoonis a beautifully shot monster movie that came much later than Universal’s classic horror output. Its sequels weren’t as impressive, but the original remains iconic.
The Creature itself is a fantastic design, and director Jack Arnold squeezes every ounce of atmosphere out of the Amazon sets and the impressive underwater sequences. The movie as a whole has had a big influence on fantasy-horror director Guillermo del Toro, who used it as the basis for his filmThe Shape of Water.
3The Mummy (1932)
A much slower film than some of the others in the monster series,The Mummyis more about the creeping dread. Its atmosphere and slow-burning plot are closer in style toDraculathan anything else.
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The Mummy’smake-up (by the renowned Jack Pierce) was eerily evocative of recent discoveries in Ancient Egypt, giving the sense of a genuine walking cadaver. WhileThe Mummymight not be hailed as one of the all-time greats, a few sequences are still bone-chilling today.
2Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
In the dying days of the Universal Monster Universe, some of the classic monsters were reeled out one final time for some slapstick shenanigans ina comedy horror movie. This included Bela Lugosi appearing as Dracula on-screen for the second and final time of his career.
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were big-name comedy actors of the time, and their brand of humor was immensely popular. Despite the silliness though, the monsters they came up against (also including Frankenstein’s Monster and the Wolf Man) were played dead straight.
1The Bride Of Frankenstein (1935)
James Whale’s masterpiece,The Bride of Frankensteinis a beautiful, heart-wrenching and at times hilarious movie, with an excellent cast and some very clever underlying themes.
Director Whale sneaks in clever homosexual and religious allegory into the movie, particularly in the wonderful character of Dr. Pretorius, played to the hilt by Ernest Thesiger. Elsewhere, there’s a touching scene between Karloff’s Monster and a blind man, and an exciting finale in which the titular Bride is unveiled in all of her gothic glory.A perfect movie.
