16 Different Ways To Enjoy the Universal Monsters Series

Don’t let the length intimidate you! The Universal Monsters series has something for everyone. Here’s how to find out what it has to offer you.

The Universal Monsters occupy a series of more than 30 films that delivered defining interpretations of beloved literary figures, created some of the most iconic original franchises in horror, and turned little-known actors like Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and Lon Chaney Jr. into household names. It’s almost as relevant now as it was 90 years ago, but nearly a century of legacy can make it extra intimidating to newcomers. Have no fear (or at least keep the fear to the movies)! These 16 different approaches to the Universal Monsters series should have something for the most squeamish newcomer, the more dedicated horror fans, and everyone in between.

The Basics

The Universal Monsters series focuses on literary characters Dracula, Frankenstein, the Invisible Man, and original character Imhotep (later Kharis), aka The Mummy. Later films would introduce the Phantom of the Opera and original characters the Wolf Man and Gill-Man, aka The Creature from The Black Lagoon. Each film would receive multiple sequels, minus Phantom of the Opera which had a sequel enter development only to face creative difficulties and be turned into an adaptation of something else. These films are entirely standalone and can be enjoyed on their own, though it’s generally recommended to watch Bride of Frankenstein alongside Frankenstein simply because it’s just that good.

• Dracula, 1931, dir. Tod Browning
• Frankenstein, 1931, dir. James Whale
• The Mummy, 1932, dir. Karl Freund
• The Invisible Man, 1933, dir. James Whale
• Bride of Frankenstein, 1935, dir. James Whale
• The Wolf Man, 1941, dir. George Waggner
• Phantom of the Opera, 1943, dir. Arthur Lubin
• Creature from the Black Lagoon, 1954, dir. Jack Arnold

PERFECT FOR: People who like to dip their toe into the pool before jumping all the way in; anyone who has ever said they don’t like horror movies but actually just meant slashers.

Oops! All Dracula

Tod Browning’s original 1931 film is actually an adaptation of Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston’s 1924 stage play rather than a direct adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel, which may confuse some first-time viewers. But the strength of this cast is impossible to deny.

Lugosi’s performance as Dracula still defines the character more than 90 years later, and Edward Van Sloan’s bespectacled Van Helsing is almost as haunting as the creatures he battles. Some of the later films see Dracula played by John Carradine, a legend in his own right, but Lugosi returns to battle Abbott and Costello for the final film and does an incredible job doing it.

• Dracula, 1931, dir. Tod Browning
• Dracula’s Daughter, 1936, dir. Lambert Hillyer
• Son of Dracula, 1943, dir. Robert Siodmak
• House of Frankenstein, 1944, dir. Erle C. Kenton
• House of Dracula, 1945, dir. Erle C. Kenton
• Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, 1948, dir. Charles T. Barton

PERFECT FOR: Lovers of gothic literature; anyone who has ever argued that fanfiction can be erotic without actually including sex.

Simply Frankenstein

Like Dracula, Frankenstein is more an adaptation of Peggy Webling’s 1927 stage play than Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel. Even more controversially, this series decided that Victor Frankenstein should be named Henry Frankenstein. But anyone who can look past that is in for a great time. Boris Karloff’s performance as the mute creature is nothing short of incredible and Dwight Frye and Lionel Atwill give multiple career-defining performances. Son of Frankenstein specifically invents much of the Frankenstein lore we know today. Most notably is the mad assistant Ygor, played by Lugosi as a man with a broken neck following a failed hanging instead of the stereotypical hunchback.

• Frankenstein, 1931, dir. James Whale
• Bride of Frankenstein, 1935, dir. James Whale
• Son of Frankenstein, 1939, dir. Rowland V. Lee
• The Ghost of Frankenstein, 1942, dir. Erle C. Kenton
• Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, 1943, dir. Roy William Neill
• House of Frankenstein, 1944, dir. Erle C. Kenton
• House of Dracula, 1945, dir. Erle C. Kenton
• Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, 1948, dir. Charles T. Barton

PERFECT FOR: People who follow Instagram accounts of ugly pets; anyone who has ever shared a meme about Mary Shelley.

The Quick Wrap-Up

The Mummy would be the most standalone of the Universal Monsters series until Creature from the Black Lagoon premiered more than two decades alter. It also has one of the most coherent storylines, with The Mummy’s Hand beginning a single narrative that would carry through the rest of the films. And since many of these films only run around 65 minutes, you can easily breeze through the entire series in a few days.

• The Mummy, 1932, dir. Karl Freund
• The Mummy’s Hand, 1940, dir. Christy Cabanne
• The Mummy’s Tomb, 1942, dir. Harold Young
• The Mummy’s Ghost, 1944, dir. Reginald Le Borg
• The Mummy’s Curse, 1944, dir. Leslie Goodwins
• Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy, 1955, dir. Charles Lamont

PERFECT FOR: People looking to avoid crossovers entirely; anyone interested in watching pop culture vivisect the incel movement decades before those twerps existed.

The John Cena

James Whale sandwiched The Invisible Man right between Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein, but it’s anything but filler. The special effects far surpass several more modern adaptations of H. G. Wells classic novel and the humanity of the title character (performed brilliantly in the first film by Claude Rains) only serves to cement him as one of the most terrifying monsters in the series. These sequels would explore the boundaries of the horror genre more than those for other characters, including the first real foray into comedy years before Abbott and Costello would enter the conversation.

• The Invisible Man, 1933, dir. James Whale
• The Invisible Man Returns, 1940, dir. Joe May
• The Invisible Woman, 1940, dir. A. Edward Sutherland
• Invisible Agent, 1942, dir. Edwin L. Marin
• The Invisible Man’s Revenge, 1944, dir. Ford Beebe
• Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Invisible Man, 1951, dir. Charles Lamont

PERFECT FOR: Anyone wanting to see 90-year-old special effects that look better than some of today’s blockbusters; H. G. Wells fans looking to wash the taste of Amazon’s War of the Worlds out of their mouth.

The Good Boy

The Wolf Man never received standalone sequels but Lon Chaney Jr.’s performance as the title character was enough to make him a fixture of the Universal Monster films. His performance in Ghost of Frankenstein directly set the stage for the first Universal Monsters crossover Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, which both established the cinematic universe and created the relationship between werewolves and the full moon that is now firmly cemented in our folklore. When that proved successful enough to spawn more crossovers, Chaney Jr. stuck around and made the titular werewolf the only character in the original series to only be played by a single actor. He’s born for the role (not just because he was Lon Chaney’s son) and manages to be a bright spot for these films even when stacked up against horror icons like Lugosi and Karloff.

• The Wolf Man, 1941, dir. George Waggner
• Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, 1943, dir. Roy William Neill
• House of Frankenstein, 1944, dir. Erle C. Kenton
• House of Dracula, 1945, dir. Erle C. Kenton
• Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, 1948, dir. Charles T. Barton

PERFECT FOR: Nepo baby stans, anyone

The Big Fish in a Small Pond

The final fixture of the Universal Monsters series came too late to rub shoulders with any of the other characters, only briefly appearing alongside Abbott and Costello in a television comedy sketch. It’s also the only series to have never been rebooted, making it officially the lowest bar for anyone looking to gain a full awareness of a Universal Monsters star. The appearance of Gill-Man (really! that’s his name!) varied wildly thanks to extensive changes in cast and budget between films, but he always shines in the series’ mesmerizing underwater scenes where he’s performed by diver and Flipper co-creator Ricou Browning. Keep an eye out Clint Eastwood’s first-ever film performance in the second film.

• Creature from the Black Lagoon, 1954, dir. William Alland
• Revenge of the Creature, 1955, dir. Jack Arnold
• The Creature Walks Among Us, 1956, dir. John Sherwood

PERFECT FOR: People who saw The Shape of Water and want to know what Guillermo del Toro was so worked up about; anyone wowed by synchronized swimming.

Monsters, Assemble

“This is all great,” you say. “But I came here looking for franchise crossovers, not character studies.” No problem! The four primary crossover films can easily by enjoyed by themselves and provide a perfectly amusing time capsule to an era where this sort of thing was still novel. Chaney Jr.’s presence in each film means this is largely a retread of the Wolf Man saga but also helps to ensure a fairly consistent narrative throughout, and there’s no reason those hoping to be unburdened by wider canon can’t just jump in here.

• Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, 1943, dir. Roy William Neill
• House of Frankenstein, 1944, dir. Erle C. Kenton
• House of Dracula, 1945, dir. Erle C. Kenton
• Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, 1948, dir. Charles T. Barton

PERFECT FOR: People who are only interested in Universal Monsters because they heard it described as the very first cinematic universe; anyone who watched Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Endgame without feeling the need to go back and see Ant-Man.

Just for Laughs

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello turned a burlesque career into radio fame, then used that radio fame to launch themselves into film immortality. Inspired by the success of their Universal-produced horror comedy Hold That Ghost, the studio produced a number of horror films starring the duo to try and keep the studio afloat during a period of financial struggle in the mid-1940s. These included official Universal Monsters crossovers, now collectively titled Abbott and Costello Meet the Monsters.

This series eschews scares for straightforward laughs and do a great job doing it, especially in Meet Frankenstein when the duo’s natural comedic chemistry is taken to the next level by the presence of Lon Chaney Jr. If Universal Monsters is a five-course meal, Meet the Monsters is the equivalent of just eating the ice cream at the end. And some days, skipping straight to desert is exactly what you need.

• Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, 1948, dir. Charles T. Barton
• Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Invisible Man, 1951, dir. Charles Lamont
• Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, 1953, dir. Charles Lamont
• Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy, 1955, dir. Charles Lamont

PERFECT FOR: Those looking to laugh; anyone who got twenty minutes into Dracula and decided it was too spooky.

The Completionist

The current Universal Monsters canon includes the films previously discussed, plus two unrelated werewolf films and an alternative Spanish version of Dracula that was shot using different actors on the same sets. For dedicated fans of horror or classic cinema, there’s no better way to explore the series than by watching the entire thing. 31 films is a lot! So pace yourself, don’t forget to stretch beforehand, and just remember that this is still a fraction of the time investment that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

• Dracula, 1931, dir. Tod Browning
• Drácula, 1931, dir. George Melford
• Frankenstein, 1931, dir. James Whale
• The Mummy, 1932, dir. Karl Freund
• The Invisible Man, 1933, dir. James Whale
• Bride of Frankenstein, 1935, dir. James Whale
• Werewolf of London, 1935, dir. Stuart Walker
• Dracula’s Daughter, 1936, dir. Lambert Hillyer
• Son of Frankenstein, 1939, dir. Rowland V. Lee
• The Invisible Man Returns, 1940, dir. Joe May
• The Mummy’s Hand, 1940. dir. Christy Cabanne
• The Invisible Woman, 1940, dir. A. Edward Sutherland
• The Wolf Man, 1941, dir. George Waggner
• The Ghost of Frankenstein, 1942, dir. Erle C. Kenton
• Invisible Agent, 1942, dir. Edwin L. Marin
• The Mummy’s Tomb, 1942, dir. Harold Young
• Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, 1943, dir. Roy William Neill
• Phantom of the Opera, 1943, dir. Arthur Lubin
• Son of Dracula, 1943, dir. Robert Siodmak
• The Invisible Man’s Revenge, 1944, dir. Ford Beebe
• The Mummy’s Ghost, 1944, dir. Reginald LeBorg
• House of Frankenstein, 1944, dir. Erle C. Kenton
• The Mummy’s Curse, 1944, dir. Leslie Goodwins
• House of Dracula, 1945, dir. Erle C. Kenton
• She-Wolf of London, 1946, dir. Jean Yarbrough
• Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, 1948, dir. Charles T. Barton
• Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man, 1951, dir. Charles Lamont
• Creature from the Black Lagoon, 1954, dir. Jack Arnold
• Revenge of the Creature, 1955, dir. Jack Arnold
• Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy, 1955, dir. Charles Lamont
• The Creature Walks Among Us, 1956, dir. John Sherwood

PERFECT FOR: Those who didn’t even realize there were less casual ways to approach film franchises; anyone who instinctively started making a spreadsheet in another tab while they read this.

Completionist+

Universal Monsters is a marketing term that didn’t come into being until after the series had concluded, and what exactly falls under that marketing term has changed wildly over time. For the most dedicated of fans, it might be worth seeking out the films that were classified as a Universal Monsters title in the past only to lose the title as the series was streamlined. Serious viewers only!

• The Hunchback of Notre Dame, 1923, dir. Wallace Worsley
• The Phantom of the Opera, 1925, dir. Rupert Julian
• The Man Who Laughs, 1928, dir. Paul Leni
• Dracula, 1932, dir. Tod Browning
• Drácula, 1931, dir. George Melford
• Frankenstein, 1931, dir. James Whale
• Murders in the Rue Morgue, 1932, dir. Robert Florey
• The Mummy, 1932, dir. Karl Freund
• Island of Lost Souls, 1932, dir. Erle C. Kenton
• The Invisible Man, 1933, dir. James Whale
• The Black Cat, 1934, dir. Edgar G. Ulmer
• Bride of Frankenstein, 1935, dir. James Whale
• Werewolf of London, 1935, dir. Stuart Walker
• The Raven, 1935, dir. Lew Landers
• Dracula’s Daughter, 1936, dir. Lambert Hillyer
• Son of Frankenstein, 1939, dir. Rowland V. Lee
• Tower of London, 1939, dir. Rowland V. Lee
• The Invisible Man Returns, 1940, dir. Joe May
• Black Friday, 1940, dir. Arthur Lubin
• Dr. Cyclops, 1940, dir. Ernest B. Schoedsack
• The Mummy’s Hand, 1940, dir. Christy Cabanne
• The Invisible Woman, 1940, dir. A. Edward Sutherland
• The Monster and the Girl, 1941, dir. Stuart Heisler
• Man Made Monster, 1941, dir. George Waggner
• The Wolf Man, 1941, dir. George Waggner
• The Ghost of Frankenstein, 1942, dir. Erle C. Kenton
• Invisible Agent, 1942, dir. Edwin L. Marin
• Night Monster, 1942, dir. Ford Beebe
• The Mummy’s Tomb, 1942, dir. Harold Young
• Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, 1943, dir. Roy William Neill
• Captive Wild Woman, 1943, dir. Edward Dmytryk
• Phantom of the Opera, 1943, dir. Arthur Lubin
• Son of Dracula, 1943, dir. Robert Siodmak
• The Mad Ghoul, 1943, dir. James P. Hogan
• The Invisible Man’s Revenge, 1944, dir. Ford Beebe
• The Mummy’s Ghost, 1944, dir. Reginald LeBorg
• House of Frankenstein, 1944, dir. Erle C. Kenton
• The Mummy’s Curse, 1944, dir. Leslie Goodwins
• House of Dracula, 1945, dir. Erle C. Kenton
• House of Horrors, 1946, dir. Jean Yarbrough
• She-Wolf of London, 1946, dir. Jean Yarbrough
• Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, 1948, dir. Charles T. Barton
• The Phantom Creeps, 1949 dir. Ford Beebe & Saul A. Goodkind
• Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man, 1951, dir. Charles Lamont
• The Strange Door, 1951, dir. Joseph Pevney
• Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, 1953, dir. Charles Lamont
• Creature from the Black Lagoon, 1954, dir. Jack Arnold
• Revenge of the Creature, 1955, dir. Jack Arnold
• Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy, 1955, dir. Charles Lamont
• This Island Earth, 1955, dir. Joseph M. Newman
• Tarantula, 1955, dir. Jack Arnold
• The Creature Walks Among Us, 1956, dir. John Sherwood
• The Mole People, 1956, dir. Virgil W. Vogel
• Monster on the Campus, 1958, dir. Jack Arnold

PERFECT FOR: People who had started typing a correction in the comment section before they even finished reading the previous entry; fans who have already watched all of this anyway.

The Sexy British Accent

With the series waning in popularity, Universal chose to wind down its own production of the series and license the rights to British studio Hammer Films. Hammer rebooted the series in vivid color (the Universal films never left black and white) and dared to inject glimpses of blood and nudity that the original series would never dare touch. These films created their own stable of genre stars (most notably Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee) and a new generation of horror fans, and most of them hold up just as well as the originals.

• The Curse of Frankenstein, 1957, dir. Terence Fisher
• Dracula, 1958, dir. Terence Fisher
• The Mummy, 1959, dir. Terence Fisher
• The Phantom of the Opera, 1962, dir. Terence Fisher

PERFECT FOR: People who aren’t morally opposed to black-and-white movies but think blood always looks cooler in color; anyone who has to work their way up to watching really old movies.

The Sexy British Completionist

There’s more where that came from! Hammer Film managed to make 21 Universal Monster films over the course of 17 years. These franchises never crossed over (The Mummy never even managed continuity between sequels) but featured a fairly consistent cast and crew much in the same way the original series did. In keeping with tradition, they even tried and failed to make a sequel to The Phantom of the Opera only for it to eventually be turned into an adaptation of something else. Later films attempted to combine the horror elements with other genres leading to inconsistent but sometimes incredibly satisfying results.

• The Curse of Frankenstein, 1957, dir. Terence Fisher
• Dracula, 1958, dir. Terence Fisher
• The Revenge of Frankenstein, 1958, dir. Terence Fisher
• The Mummy, 1959, dir. Terence Fisher
• The Brides of Dracula, 1960, dir. Terence Fisher
• The Phantom of the Opera, 1962, dir. Terence Fisher
• The Evil of Frankenstein, 1964, dir. Freddie Francis
• The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb, 1964, dir. Michael Carreras
• Dracula: Prince of Darkness, 1966, dir. Terence Fisher
• Frankenstein Created Woman, 1967, dir. Terence Fisher
• The Mummy’s Shroud, 1967, dir. John Gilling
• Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, 1968, dir. Freddie Francis
• Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, 1969, dir. Terence Fisher
• Taste the Blood of Dracula, 1970, dir. Peter Sasdy
• Scars of Dracula, 1970, dir. Roy Ward Baker
• The Horror of Frankenstein, 1970, dir. Jimmy Sangster
• Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb, 1971, dir. Seth Holt
• Dracula A.D. 1972, 1972, dir. Alan Gibson
• The Satanic Rites of Dracula, 1973, dir. Alan Gibson
• Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell, 1974, dir. Terence Fisher
• The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires, 1974, dir. Roy Ward Baker

PERFECT FOR: Completionists who thought the first two completionist lists looked like a bit much; anyone who has ever looked at horror comedies and horror thrillers and wondered why we don’t also have espionage horror and kung fu horror.

The Failed Reboots

Hammer’s final Universal Horror film was The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires, a Dracula/kung-fu crossover so controversial that Christopher Lee refused to appear in the film and Dracula refused to appear in the title. When Hammer shuttered a few years later, Universal regained the rights and decided to try their hand at another Dracula. It didn’t work out, but once The Mummy proved successful (see below) they decided it was time to try again. And again. And again.

• Dracula, 1979, dir. John Badham
• Van Helsing, 2004, dir. Stephen Sommers
• The Wolfman, 2010, dir. Joe Johnston
• Dracula Untold, 2014, dir. Gary Shore
• The Mummy, 2017, dir. Alex Kurtzman
• Wolf Man, 2025, dir. Leigh Whannell

PERFECT FOR: Anyone who has ever gotten back with the same ex more than once; people looking for a new drinking game.

The Millennial

The one success in the middle of Universal’s failed reboots was Stephen Sommers’ The Mummy, which abandoned horror for action comedy and managed to help tens of thousands of impressionable young millennials develop crushes on Rachel Weisz, Brandan Fraser, Oded Fehr, and John Hanna. The sequels and spinoffs offered diminishing returns and Dwayne Johnson’s acting career, but the charm and nostalgia has brought countless joy and driven hundreds to seek out the other Universal Monsters films.

• The Mummy, 1999, dir. Stephen Sommers
• The Mummy Returns, 2001, dir. Stephen Sommers
• The Scorpion King, 2002, dir. Chuck Russell
• The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, 2008, dir. Rob Cohen
• The Scorpion King 2: Rise of the Warrior, 2008, dir. Russell Mulcahy
• The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption, 2012, dir. Roel Reiné
• The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power, 2015, dir. Mike Elliott
• The Scorpion King: Book of Souls, 2018, dir. Don Michael Paul

PERFECT FOR: People who enjoy watching beautiful people deliver middling dialogue; anyone who decried the Tom Cruise reboot as unoriginal but won’t watch anything in black and white.

The Modernist

When Alex Kurtzman’s The Mummy tanked hard upon its 2017 release and forced Universal to abandon plans for a rebooted Universal Monsters shared universe, they moved their focus back to standalone features. The first film, a reboot of The Invisible Man, managed to wow critics and find success at the box office despite its theatrical run being cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. Later films have been… less successful. But their standalone nature means it’s easier to keep being optimistic about the next one. No current release dates are set for future titles, but James Wan is currently attached to produce multiple titles.

• The Invisible Man, 2020, dir. Leigh Whannel
• Renfield, 2023, dir. Chris McKay
• Wolf Man, 2025, dir. Leigh Whannell

PERFECT FOR: Anyone who read to the end of this article and still thought this all sounds like a bit much; people who don’t see the point of living in the past.

Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures/Hammer Films. Read more articles by Brogan Luke Bouwhuis here.