Universal Classic Monsters

The Universal Monsters (also known as Universal Classic Monsters and Universal Studios Monsters) is a media franchise comprising various horror film series distributed by Universal Pictures. It consists of different horror creature characters originating from various novels, such as Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde, the Phantom of the Opera, Count Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, the Mummy, and the Invisible Man, as well as original characters the Wolf Man and the Creature from the Black Lagoon.

The original series began with ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' (1913) and ended with ''The Creature Walks Among Us'' (1956). While the early installments were initially created as stand-alone films based on published novels, their financial and critical success resulted in various cross-over releases between the monsters, as well as other properties such as Abbott and Costello. Following the positive response to various viewings of these films via television redistribution which began airing in the 1950s, the studio began developing the characters for other media. In the 1990s, it became priority for Universal to promote their catalogue with official packaging that presented films with the official franchise title. Through a number of VHS editions, their popularity continued into contemporary entertainment. This included additional development through modern-filmmaking adaptations, beginning with ''Dracula'' (1979) and most recently '' Wolf Man'' (2025).

Modern analyses describe the titular characters as "pop culture icons", while the franchise as a whole is often cited as the prototypical example of the shared universe concept in film. In addition to the films, the franchise has expanded to include novels, comics, and theme park rides.

History

Universal's early horror films were adaptations of work from familiar authors and texts to give their films a prestige appeal. These included ''Dracula'' (1931), whose success led to the production of other works such as ''Frankenstein'' (1931). ''Frankenstein''s ending was changed by studio head Carl Laemmle Jr., who wanted Universal to be able deploy key characters from the film into subsequent Universal productions. Following the release of other Universal films such as ''The Mummy'' (1932), ''The Invisible Man'' (1933) and ''Bride of Frankenstein'' (1935), there was a dry spell of horror films. Universal only returned to the style following a successful theatrical re-release of ''Dracula'' and ''Frankenstein''. The renewed interest in horror films led to new works, starting with ''Son of Frankenstein'' (1939).

Universal would only introduce a few new monsters in the 1940s, with the most famous being Lon Chaney Jr. as The Wolf Man in '' The Wolf Man'' (1941). The decade had Universal's horror output include many remakes and sequels, with films often directly reusing old sets, footage, and narratives to replicate moments in their earlier horror productions.

Universal's first transmedia properties appeared in the 1940s and the 1950s with the films ''Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man'' (1943), '' House of Frankenstein'' (1944), ''House of Dracula'' (1945) and ''Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein'' (1948). In these films, the monsters from the studio's earlier films "team up" against various characters. Author Megan De Bruin-Molé suggested that the Universal Classic Monsters films exist as a loose mash-up, which allowed for ''Dracula'' to exist and be watched separately from ''Frankenstein'' but allowed their characters to be systemically and consistently brought together and developed in other films and media. These productions made were often crossovers and sequels, such as ''Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man'', ''House of Frankenstein'', ''House of Dracula'' and several occurrences in comedy films of Abbott and Costello meeting the monsters. These meetings started with ''Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein'' and ended with ''Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy'' (1955). De Bruin-Molé wrote that this approach from Universal was for commercial marketing terms, as it would establish the company as the "real" home of horror. Their films contained a world where potentially all monsters may dwell. The sole new monster films that Universal produced in the 1950s were the ''Creature from the Black Lagoon'' (1954) and ''The Mummy'' (1959), the latter as a co-production with the British Hammer Film Productions.

Towards the 1960s, the Universal monsters grew beyond film and became more consistently transmedial. Initially, this began in 1957 when Universal struck a ten-year television deal with Screen Gems to distribute 52 of their own titles. These television screenings and the films being included on Mel Jass' ''Mel's Matinee Movie'' (1958-1979) would also prove to be popular. Stephen Sommers, director of ''The Mummy'' (1999), stated that his introduction to the series was on Jass's program. Universal became part of the Music Corporation of America (MCA) in 1962. By 1964, Universal Studios tours would eventually include appearances from Frankenstein's monster. Several products based on the characters from Universal's film series were released, ranging from plastic model kits, Halloween masks, figures, plush dolls, toys, drinking glasses, coloring books and postage stamps. While some of these objects bear similarity to the actors who portray them, others are more generic interpretations. Other mediums featured the Universal monsters in tandem, such as Bobby "Boris" Pickett's 1962 popular song "Monster Mash" and the television series ''The Munsters'' (1964) which was based on the likeness of the Universal characters.

In 1990, Universal was part of a merger between Matsushita, now known as Panasonic, and several other corporations. Between 1991 and 1994, Universal released VHS home video editions from their catalogue of horror films. This was the first time these films were packed together as the "Classic Monster" line, accompanied with a newly designed logo. Prior to this home video series, the Universal films that featured multiple monsters were called "Super-Shocker or "monster rallies". Louis Feol, the head of Worldwide Home Video for Universal Studios, said that the most important thing was the packaging of their sales. He added that it was "probably our single biggest priority and has been for a number of years", and that it was key to make the series of films "look like a line". In a 1999 interview, Feol stated that creating the series was to "reinvigorate and re-market" the Universal catalog, specifically with their series of ''Dracula'', ''Frankenstein'', ''The Invisible Man'', ''The Phantom of the Opera'', '' The Wolf Man'', and ''The Mummy''.

The 1990s also saw a trend in the merchandising of Universal Monsters material as part of a trend for the decade of recycling and reinventing old material from the past. This led to the release of Stephen Sommer's ''The Mummy'' (1999) and a "monster rally"-styled film with ''Van Helsing'' (2004). Merchandizing of the characters in formats such as clothing and board games has continued into the 21st century. The franchise is featured in the Dark Universe portion of Universal Orlando theme park, Universal Epic Universe, which opened on May 22, 2025.

Films

Classic era (1913–1956)

Remakes and spin-off (1979–2010)

Modern era

Beginning in October 2013, Universal hired Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman to collaborate in developing a relaunch of the Universal Monsters characters as a new shared universe of films similar in fashion to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, notably a franchise which includes interconnectivity that originated previously in the classic Universal Monsters films. By July 2014, the studio officially hired Chris Morgan to replace Orci and work alongside Kurtzman in overseeing development of an interconnected series of films based around rebooted versions of the Universal Monster characters. The duo was tasked with creating the overall outline for the titular monsters. The development of a cinematic universe continued as Kurtzman and Morgan became involved with additional photography for ''Dracula Untold'' (2014); reshoots positioned the final scenes of the film in modern-day, in order to connect with other films and to allow the cast to reprise their roles in future installments. The film's connections to the new franchise were later downplayed following its mixed critical and financial reception, with ''The Mummy'' (2017) repositioned as the official start of the shared film universe. In May 2017, the slate of reimagined incarnations of titular monsters was officially titled ''Dark Universe''. The studio announced the franchise with a press release, which debuted the official logo, website, trailer, and score. Universal Pictures, in collaboration with Kurtzman and Morgan, created a writer's room consisting of various contributors to create stories that were to be expanded into scripts, which were intended to be rooted in horror as opposed to the action adventure nature of the studio's previous remakes. ''The Mummy'' introduced its ancient titular monster (played by Sofia Boutella), alongside the heroic character portrayed by Tom Cruise whose adventures as a monster were intended to expand upon in later installments. Prior to the film's release, additional cast officially joined the franchise as announced by Universal Pictures. The studio revealed a slate of films, but following the poor critical reception and underwhelming box office performance of ''The Mummy'' (2017), Universal cancelled pre-production that had begun on ''Bride of Frankenstein'' which was to be the next film in the franchise, and postponed all plans for the ''Dark Universe'' slate of films.

In January 2018, the production studio began reconfiguring their approach to the Universal Monsters, and following the departures of Kurtzman and Morgan from their roles as co-architects of the franchise, the studio decided to abandon a shared cinematic universe in favor of returning to standalone adaptations of the characters instead. After previously expressing interest in working with Universal Pictures on relaunching the characters for modern audiences, Jason Blum officially signed on to collaborate on a number of the projects in development. The producer later stated in 2020 that control of the ''Dark Universe'' and the Universal Monsters remains under the direction of Universal Pictures.

Potential projects

* ''Dark Army'': By September 2019, the film featuring monsters from the original films as well as new characters was in development. Paul Feig was attached as director, from a script of his own, and as co-producer with Laura Fischer. The project is a joint production between Universal Pictures and Feigco Productions. By October, Universal was reviewing his script as a reworking of the Dark Universe concept, while ''The Bride of Frankenstein'' is cited as a major influence. By February 2020, Feig was working on a second draft of the script upon receiving input from Universal Pictures. By that May, the filmmaker completed the newest draft while describing the tone as closer to the original films with horror elements, but a portrayal of the monsters as rejects. Feig had been given the option to develop films of any characters from the roster of monsters owned by Universal Pictures, prior to his chosen project.
* ''Frankenstein'': Originally announced in June 2017, the project was initially planned as a part of the abandoned shared universe films with Javier Bardem cast to portray the titular character, and following the studio's standalone approach James Wan signed on as producer in November 2019. Jason Blum expressed interest in joining the production in a producing role. Robbie Thompson was hired as screenwriter in 2020, while the plot is said to center around a group of teenagers who discover that a neighbor is creating a monster in their basement. The project is a joint production between Universal Pictures and Atomic Monster.
* ''The Invisible Woman'': In November 2019, a reboot of ''The Invisible Woman'' was revealed to be in development. Elizabeth Banks was attached to star in, and direct the film, from a script written by Erin Cressida Wilson which was based on an original story written by Banks, also serving as a producer with Max Handelman. Banks was given options to develop a film from any characters in the roster of monsters owned by Universal Pictures, while she chose the Invisible Woman.
* ''Monster Mash'': In February 2020, a musical titled after and centered around the novelty song "Monster Mash" was revealed to be in development. Grammy Award nominee Matt Stawski was hired as a director, with Will Widger as screenwriter (from an original story written by Stawski), while Marty Bowen was put as producer. The project is a joint-venture production between Universal Pictures and Temple Hill Entertainment.
* Untitled ''Dracula'' film: In February 2021, Chloé Zhao was hired to write and direct a separate futuristic sci-fi Western film centered around Dracula. The filmmaker stated that she was continuing to work on the script in March of 2023.
* ''Little Monsters'': In July 2020, Josh Cooley was hired as both writer and director, with a story centering around the characters from the Universal Monsters, inspired and based on drawings of the monster characters made by Crash McCreery who will be given an executive producer credit. The project is intended to serve as a "love letter to classic Hollywood and the history of film-making with a story that takes a multi-generational approach to the monsters and a more PG-rated, lighthearted family-friendly tone in the tradition of the classic '80s Spielberg films from Amblin Entertainment to match as well". The film is said to be a live-action/CGI hybrid, with Todd Lieberman and David Hoberman attached as producers. The project is a joint production between Universal Pictures and Mandeville Films.
* Untitled ''Invisible Man'' sequel: In February 2020, Leigh Whannell stated that though ''The Invisible Man'' (2020) was developed as a standalone film, he considered to make a follow-up to this film. Whannell was working on writing the story that July. By April 2024, Elisabeth Moss began working with Blumhouse through her production company Love & Squalor Pictures to develop a sequel. In January 2025, Whannell said that he will not be involved with a sequel, while expressing being content with the first film's story.
* ''Bride of Frankenstein'': Initially planned as a part of the abandoned shared universe films, the studio continued development after shelving all projects associated with the Dark Universe. In February 2020, Universal hired Amy Pascal as producer on a new standalone adaptation of the character where the producer discussed rehiring David Koepp who had worked on the previous drafts of the script. After initially discussing the project with Sam Raimi who passed on the opportunity, Pascal began working on the film with John Krasinski. The project is intended to be a joint-venture production between Universal Pictures, Pascal Pictures, and Sunday Night Productions.
* Untitled ''Scorpion King'' reboot: A reboot of ''The Scorpion King'' film series was in development since November 2020. Jonathan Herman was hired as screenwriter, with the plot taking place during modern-day and involving a contemporary adaptation of Mathayus of Akkad / Scorpion King. Dwayne Johnson, who started his acting career as the titular role in ''The Mummy Returns'', was attached as producer alongside Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia. The project is a joint-venture production between Universal Pictures and Seven Bucks Productions.
* Untitled film: An untitled project was announced in November 2020, with Channing Tatum tentatively attached to star. Wes Tooke was hired as a screenwriter, from a story written by Reid Carolin, while Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were attached as producers alongside Tatum, Carolin, Peter Kiernan, and Aditya Sood. The plot is described as "a modern-day, tongue-in-cheek thriller", while being "a bold genre reinvention of one of the studio's most beloved characters from the Monsters Universe". The project is a joint-venture production between Universal Pictures, Lord Miller Productions, and Free Association Productions.
* ''Van Helsing'': Originally announced in 2015, the project was originally planned as a part of the abandoned shared universe films, though the project had re-entered development in December 2020. Julius Avery was hired to direct, from a script based on a previous draft by Eric Pearson. James Wan was set to produce, with the project intended to be a joint-production between Universal Pictures and Atomic Monster.
* ''Phantom'': After previously attempting an adaptation that was planned as a part of the abandoned shared universe films, Universal purchased a speculative screenplay in December 2021, written by John Fusco which functions as a modern-day reboot of ''The Phantom of the Opera''. The writer authored the script while working on his own record albums while in self-isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fusco determined to write a script that would be a musical, and be set in the French Quarter, Vieux Carré area of New Orleans in the United States. Incorporating aspects of rhythm and blues, jazz, neo-soul, and funk, the story is said to utilize French Creole nightlife culture of the geographical area, including voodoo and Mardi Gras, as well as the romance and mystery aspects of the original film. Harvey Mason Jr., John Legend, and Mike Jackson signed onto the project as producers, with the project being a joint-venture production between Universal Pictures, Harvey Mason Media, and Get Lifted Film Co. in a collaborative effort.
* ''The Creature from the Black Lagoon'': Universal attempted various incarnations of producing a remake centered around the titular Gill-man throughout a number of decades (beginning as early as 1982), with various filmmakers attached at different times including: John Landis,Murray 2005, pp. 154–156. John Carpenter, Peter Jackson,"Recreating the Eighth Wonder". ''King Kong'' (3-disc Deluxe Extended Edition DVD), 2006. Ivan Reitman, Guillermo del Toro, and Breck Eisner. Some time in 2004, James Gunn pitched an adaptation of the character but the studio passed on adapting the script, while del Toro later repurposed his material for another unrelated project. Beginning in June 2017, the project was planned as a part of the abandoned shared universe films. By August 2024, the modern-day adaption was once again in development and James Wan was hired as producer in addition to being in early discussions to serve as director. By September, Sean Tretta was hired to write the script, which is based on an original story co-authored by Wan, Rafael Jordan, and Bryan Coyne. The project is a joint-venture production between Universal Pictures, and the newly-merged Atomic Monster and Blumhouse Productions.

Cancelled and repurposed projects

* Dark Universe: In development as early as October 2013, the series of films was intended to relaunch the Universal Monsters characters, through a format similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC Extended Universe. The projects were officially announced in July 2014, as Universal hired Chris Morgan and Alex Kurtzman to oversee the development of the rebooted modern-day versions of the Universal Monsters, with the duo's first involvements beginning with additional photography scenes filmed for ''Dracula Untold'' (2014) which positioned the characters of the film in modern-day. After the film underperformed its connections to the Dark Universe were downplayed, with ''The Mummy'' (2017) repositioned as the official start of the new film series. In May 2017, the slate of reimagined incarnations of titular monsters was officially titled, by the studio through a press conference including official logo, website, trailer video, and scored theme music composed by Danny Elfman. Universal Pictures worked with Kurtzman and Morgan to create a writer's room of various contributors to create stories that were to be expanded into scripts, where the films were intended to have horror as their primary genre, as opposed to the action adventure nature of the studio's previous remakes. ''The Mummy'' introduced its ancient titular monster (played by Sofia Boutella), alongside the heroic character-turned monster portrayed by Tom Cruise whose monstrous origins depicted in the film were intended to be expanded upon in later installments. Prior to the film's release, Universal Pictures announced the additional main cast of additional characters for the intended series alongside Cruise, including Russell Crowe as Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Edward Hyde, Johnny Depp as Dr. Griffin / the Invisible Man, and Javier Bardem as the Frankenstein Monster. Following poor critical reception and an underwhelming box office performance of ''The Mummy'' (2017), Universal postponed all plans for the ''Dark Universe'' slate of films. In January 2018, the production studio began reconfiguring their approach to the Universal Monsters, and following the departures of Kurtzman and Morgan from their roles as co-architects of the franchise, the studio abandoned the planned shared cinematic universe in favor of individualized standalone adaptations of the monsters. Years later, Universal revived the "Dark Universe" brand name for a Universal Monsters–themed land at its new Universal Epic Universe park at Universal Orlando. The studio had revealed an official slate of films including:

:* ''Frankenstein'': Javier Bardem was cast in the role of Frankenstein's Monster in May 2017, while the character was intended to initially debut in ''Bride of Frankenstein'' before starring in his own film.
:* ''Wolf Man'': With a script developed by Aaron Guzikowski, the studio had been interested in casting Dwayne Johnson in the titular role.
:* ''Bride of Frankenstein'': The project was announced in May 2017, and was intended to be directed by Bill Condon with a script written by David Koepp, with a February 14, 2019 release date. Angelina Jolie was in negotiations with the studio to star in the lead role, before the film was delayed and removed from its scheduled release in October.
:* ''Dracula'': By June 2017, a feature film titled and centered around the titular vampire was planned as a part of the Dark Universe franchise.
:* ''Creature from the Black Lagoon'': A feature film centered around the character was initially in development as a part of the planned slate of films. Will Beall was hired to write the script, while the studio considered Scarlett Johansson for a role in the film.
:* ''The Invisible Man'': Announced initially in February 2016 with Ed Solomon writing the script, Johnny Depp was cast to star in the lead role.
:* ''Phantom of the Opera'': By June 2017, a feature film centered around the titular character was planned as a part of the Dark Universe franchise.
:* ''Hunchback of Notre Dame'': Alex Kurtzman announced developments for a Dark Universe film centered around the titular monster in June 2017.
:* ''Van Helsing'': Development began on the project as early as June 2012, when Alex Kurtzman worked on the first draft of script, taking inspiration from ''The Dark Knight'' as an influence. By July 2016, Eric Heisserer and Jon Spaihts were hired to collaborate on a new draft of the script, where the co-authors looked towards the lead character of the ''Mad Max'' franchise for further inspiration. The studio had been courting Channing Tatum to star in the lead role, after Tom Cruise had initially been considered to play the character prior to being cast his starring role in ''The Mummy'' (2017) instead.
:* ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'': In June 2017, Alex Kurtzman confirmed plans for a feature film centered around the titular character.

* Untitled Mina Harker film: By March 2020, Karyn Kusama was hired to direct a film centered around Dracula, from a script co-written by Matt Manfredi

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases