Universal Studios made a name for itself in the 1930s to 1950s with its franchise of classic monster movies. Though the monster movies weren’t originally intended to be a franchise, the movies’ popularity and success led Universal to categorize them under the very marketable “Universal Studios Monsters.” This includes signature characters in the horror genre like Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolf Man, all of which have gone on to become pop culture icons both within and outside of the horror genre.
With 41 movies under its belt in various monster movie collections, Universal’s classic monsters have been terrorizing the big screen for decades, and continue on today. With originals, spin-offs and even cinematic universe cross-overs like 1943’sFrankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, there is no shortage of classic monster movies to enjoy. Some classic monsters stand out more than others. For example, people are probably more familiar with Dracula than with The Invisible Man. Here are all eight of the Universal Studios Monsters, ranked.
8The Creature from the Black Lagoon
The Creature from the Black Lagoon is an amphibious humanoid found in the waters of the Amazon and is otherwise known as “the creature” or “the Gill-man.” The monster first made his appearance in the black-and-white, 3D horror film in 1954,Creature from the Black Lagoon. The Creature made other appearances in the sequelsRevenge of the Creaturein 1955 andThe Creature Walks Among Usin 1956.Creature from the Black Lagoonalso served as inspiration for Guillermo del Toro’s 2017 hitShape of Water. Unfortunately, with several failed remakes under its belt, the Gill-man hasn’t seen the same attention as some of the other classic monsters.
7The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Operafirst came to the big screen in 1925 asa silent horrorstarring Lon Chaney as the deformed Phantom, haunting the Paris Opera House. The Phantom wreaks havoc upon the venue in an effort to make the singer he loves, Christine, a star. The movie is an adaptation of Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel of the same name. Following its success,The Phantom of the Operawas re-released in 1930 with sound and laid the framework for Universal to move forward with other classic horror films likeDracula, FrankensteinandThe Mummy.
In later years, the Phantom would become more of a romantic character in musicals rather than a horror character. He made a re-imagined appearance in 1943, starring Claude Rains in the lead. From then on, it was recreated again in 2004 with Gerard Butler as the Phantom, and has also been made into a wildly successful Broadway production. However, despiteThe Phantom of the Opera’spopularity, it’s likely that few people realize the character got his start as a Universal monster, which had led to a lot of upset among classic monster movie fans as they feel later renditions have eliminated the Phantom’s horror factor, focusing more on the musical aspect.
6The Invisible Man
The Invisible Man(Claude Rains) is a chemist who is memorably seen covered in bandages, wearing a pair of dark sunglasses, as a result of a secret experiment that makes him invisible. The filmThe Invisible Manpremiered in 1933 and met great praise — which it still receives to this day.
The Invisible Manspawned several sequels and even a remake in 2020 by acclaimed horror writer/director Leigh Whannell (Saw, Insidious). The remake fully re-imagines the character of The Invisible Man and the general plot, and this idea was met with some backlash when the trailer for the movie debuted. However, Whannell’s remake was met with great praise — sitting at a92% on Rotten Tomatoes— as it breathed new life into The Invisible Man and modernized his story.
Related:These Actors Should Play Universal Monsters in Reboots of the Films
5The Mummy
Following the success ofDraculaandFrankensteinin 1931,The Mummypremiered in 1932.The Mummytells the classic tell of an Ancient Egyptian mummy being accidentally brought back to life. All things considered,The Mummyis a good pre-Code horror film that uses its atmosphere to up the scare level and was a decent success at the box office. However, in terms of cultural impact,The Mummypales in comparison to that ofDracula, Frankensteinand even theWolf Man.
Since the original in 1932,The Mummyhas served as the inspiration for an incredible number of sequels, remakes, and spin-offs over the years. The theme of mummies and exploring ancient tombs is one that really sticks out in modern media. So even thoughThe Mummymay not be the most popular Halloween costume when compared to other classic monsters, the wrapped-up monster holds a solid place among the ranks of Universal’s other classics.
4Bride of Frankenstein
There aren’t many female monsters in pop culture, butThe Bride of Frankensteinis one that really stands out. She first appeared on-screen in 1935. The movie picks up where 1931’sFrankensteinleft off. The scientist Henry Frankenstein wants to abandon his experiments creating life, coercing him into creating a mate for the monster (Frankenstein). In terms of sequels,The Bride of Frankensteinis perfect. It carries on with the story in a way that makes sense, and adds to the original plot, and, most notably, introduces Elsa Lanchester into the world of Universal Monsters as the title character.
Frankensteinhas been rebooted in a variety of ways since the original in 1931, butThe Bride of Frankensteinhas been left untouched. The closest remake to the movie is 1985’sThe Bride,but that’s it. There have been several attempts to reanimateThe Bride of Frankenstein, but for one reason or another they end upcanceled or postponed. In all honesty, though, Lanchester’s portrayal of theBrideis iconic and a tough act to follow.
3The Wolf Man
The Wolf Man is one of the most well-known monsters and made his first appearance in the filmThe Wolf Manin 1941. It was Universal’s second werewolf film, following the less successfulWerewolf of London, and dramatically impacted the depiction of werewolf legends in Hollywood. Lon Chaney Jr. broughtThe Wolf Manto life and played the monster in all his subsequent film appearances in the 1940s, allowing him to fully embody the character.
The Wolf Manbecame quite popular following its release and led to a whirlwind of werewolf media to follow in the years since its premiere. Most notably,The Wolf Manhas been praised for its excellent make-up work on Chaney, creating an almost unrecognizable transformation from man to wolf. Though Chaney is the actor that comes to mind when thinking about Hollywood werewolves, it was announced in 2020 thatBlumhouse is working on a remakewith Ryan Gosling in the lead role.
Related:The Most Underrated Werewolf Movies, Ranked
2Frankenstein’s Monster
Based on Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel,Frankensteinpremiered in 1931 with Boris Karloff in the lead role. Most everyone knows the story ofFrankenstein, about Henry Frankenstein, a scientist experimenting with creating life who creates Frankenstein’s monster, commonly just called Frankenstein.Frankensteinwas incredibly influential and successful. The semi-gentle giant found himself reappearing in movies throughout the ’30s and ’40s, often crossing over with other monsters in films likeFrankenstein Meets the Wolf ManandHouse of Dracula.Frankensteinalso served as inspiration for other hit films likeYoung Frankensteinand evenThe MunstersTV show.
There have been some reboots of theFrankensteinstory, like 2015’sFrankensteinandVictor Frankenstein; however, neither has the same appeal as the original because they aren’t billed as standard monster movies, holding the charm most know and love of the genre. However, in 2020 it was announced that James Wan (The Conjuring, Insidious) was reportedlyworking on a remakeof theFrankensteinfilm series, though there aren’t any further details on that, like who will be playing the titular monster.
Few Universal monsters have had a cultural impact as massive as Dracula’s. When you think of Universal Classic Monsters, it’s likely Dracula is the first to come to mind. Withover 40Draculaadaptationsout there, it’s no doubt this blood-sucking bat is the stand-out among all the classic monsters.Draculafirst premiered in 1931 with Bela Lugosi playing the Count, based on Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel of the same name.Draculawas obviously a major success, both critically and at the box office, thus resulting in numerous sequels, spin-offs and remakes over the years.
Lugosi’s portrayal of the monster became a cultural icon and served as the archetype for futureDraculamedia in movies, TV, books, and even Halloween costumes. And although Drac’s appearance and mannerisms have been known to change from film to film, it’s hard to top the OG.
