How Universal Monsters Created the First Cinematic Universe

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These days, it’s common for movies to be connected, sharing the same universe. Marvel’s MCU is the most famous example, but there are others like the Monsterverse, the Conjuring universe, and the DCU. However, the idea actually started way back in the 1940s with Universal’s classic monster movies. Universal paved the way for later franchises like Toho’s kaiju films, and pretty much everything we’ve seen since. Ironically, despite creating the trend, Universal hasn’t been able to recapture that same success with its original characters, while others have.

The classic Universal Monsters movies were released in stages, but unlike modern superhero films, there wasn’t an initial plan to create a connected universe. The first two films, Dracula and Frankenstein, both came out in 1931, even though the novels they were based on were originally written 80 years apart and represent the peak of Victorian-era horror. The filmmakers never intended to link the stories of these monsters. However, Universal did team up its two most popular horror stars, Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, for The Black Cat and The Raven. Still, their famous characters – Dracula and Frankenstein’s monster – never actually met on screen. It seems the studio believed audiences were more interested in the actors themselves than in a shared storyline.

Universal’s classic monster movies largely ended in 1936 with Dracula’s Daughter due to strict censorship rules. However, they brought the monsters back in 1939 with Son of Frankenstein, which did fairly well. In 1941, Lon Chaney Jr. became a major star with The Wolf Man. When it was time for a sequel, writer Curt Siodmak realized combining the Wolf Man with the popular Frankenstein monster from the previous decade could be a big hit. This decision essentially created the idea of shared cinematic universes, where characters from different movies can appear together.

While critics weren’t impressed with 1943’s Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, seeing it as a money-making venture, audiences disagreed and Universal Studios wanted to capitalize on its success. They added Dracula to the mix in the following films, House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula, solidifying the idea of a connected monster universe for fans. This era culminated in 1948’s Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, which brought back Lon Chaney Jr. as the Wolf Man and Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula after a 17-year absence.

Even with a surprise appearance by the Invisible Man (voiced by Vincent Price!), Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein brought together the classic Universal Monsters for one last time. While the film was a hit with both critics and audiences, some felt the comedy softened the monsters’ impact. Ultimately, it marked the end of the original shared cinematic universe, but it also showed that these kinds of interconnected movie worlds could be successful and profitable.

Although Universal Pictures never officially brought their classic monsters together in a major way, the films strongly suggested they all lived in the same world, and this idea really stuck with audiences. Pop culture quickly embraced it, especially with children. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Universal started marketing their monsters as a group through toys and model kits. This idea was further boosted by Bobby Pickett’s hugely popular song, “The Monster Mash,” which depicted the monsters as friends who enjoyed partying together.

In 1964, the TV show The Munsters introduced comedic takes on classic monsters like Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Wolf Man, portraying them as a typical family. This sparked a long-lasting trend, fueled by Monster Cereals, numerous cartoons, and films like The Monster Squad (surprisingly, not a Universal film). More recently, the Hotel Transylvania movies continued this idea of monsters coexisting in a shared world. However, with the exception of The Munsters, none of these projects originated with Universal Studios. This raises the question: why is that?

Universal has repeatedly attempted to bring its classic monsters back to the big screen, but these efforts have largely failed. The 2004 film Van Helsing brought the monsters together in a new way, but it didn’t perform well in theaters, leading Universal to rethink its strategy. In 2017, The Mummy, starring Tom Cruise, was intended to kick off a shared cinematic universe called the “Dark Universe,” hoping to emulate the success of Marvel. Universal felt confident in this idea, as they originally created these iconic monsters. However, after The Mummy also underperformed, Universal quietly abandoned the Dark Universe project, despite having made a grand announcement about it.

One reason Universal’s earlier attempts to create a shared cinematic universe didn’t succeed was because they updated the classic monster designs from the 1930s and 40s too much. They’ve now fixed this with their new ‘Dark Universe’ – a theme park area at Epic Universe in Orlando. While still updated, the monsters in the park look and feel like the originals, and fans are really enjoying this new shared experience.

Although Universal’s attempt to revive their classic monsters in a connected movie universe didn’t work out, their original films were incredibly influential. They paved the way for team-ups in other genres, like the crossover events DC and Marvel later became known for in comic books. Without Frankenstein and the Wolf Man meeting on screen, we likely wouldn’t have films like Godzilla vs. Kong or Freddy vs. Jason. Universal truly revolutionized Hollywood. So, whether you enjoy or dislike shared movie universes today, the roots of that concept lie with those classic monster films.

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2025-10-27 18:03