The Univesal Movie Monsters

Universal Monsters or Universal Horror is the name given to the distinctive series of horror films, suspense films, and science fiction films made by Universal Studios in California from 1923 to 1960. The approach began with the 1923 film version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and continued to encompass such movies as The Phantom of the Opera, Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, Bride of Frankenstein, Werewolf of London, Son of Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, The Wolf Man, and Creature from the Black Lagoon. With their iconic gallery of monsters, Universal would create a lasting impression on generations of avid moviegoers around the world.

In spite of the depression going on during the 1930's, executive Carl Laemmle Jr produced massive successes for the studio with Dracula (directed by Tod Browning) and Frankenstein (directed by James Whale), both in 1931. The success of these two movies not only launched the careers of Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, but also ushered in a whole new genre of American cinema. With Universal at the forefront, they would continue to build on their box office returns with an entire series of monster movies.

Next came The Mummy (1932), followed by a trilogy of films based on the tales of Edgar Allan Poe: Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932), The Black Cat (1934) and The Raven (1935), the latter two of which teamed up Lugosi with Karloff. Also released was The Invisible Man (1933) which proved to be another phenomenal hit and would spawn several sequels. However, of all the Universal monsters, the most successful and sequelized was undoubtedly the Frankenstein series, which continued with Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Dracula too had its share of sequels, beginning with Dracula's Daughter in 1936, although none would feature its original leading man, Bela Lugosi.

1936 also marked the end of Universal’s first run of horror films as the Laemmle’s were forced out of the studio after financial difficulties and a series of box office flops. The monsters were dropped from the production schedule altogether and wouldn’t re-emerge for another three years. In the meantime the original movies were re-released to surprising success, forcing the new executives to green light Son of Frankenstein (1939) starring Basil Rathbone as heir to the Frankenstein legacy.

During the 1940's, the most successful of the new series of Universal Horror movies was The Wolf Man (1941), which also established Lon Chaney, Jr., as the new leading horror actor for the studio. The Frankenstein and Dracula series continued with The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942) and Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943) while Son of Dracula (1943) featured Lon Chaney, Jr. as the Count. The Mummy too continued to rise from the grave in The Mummy's Hand (1940) and The Mummy's Tomb (1942). Eventually all of Universal's monsters, except the Mummy and Invisible Man, would be brought together in: House of Frankenstein (1944) and House of Dracula (1945), where Dracula was played by John Carradine. As the decade drew to a close the knockabout comedy Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) proved an instant hit for the studio, with the original Dracula himself, Bela Lugosi starring alongside Lon Chaney, Jr. as Larry Talbot (aka The Wolf Man), and Glenn Strange, as Frankenstein's monster.

With the success of Creature from the Black Lagoon (directed by Jack Arnold in 1954) the revived "Universal Horror" franchise would gain a whole new generation of fans. The original movies such as Dracula and Frankenstein were again re-released as double features in many theatres, before eventually premiering on syndicated American television in 1957 (as part of the famous "Shock" run of Universal Monster Movies). Soon dedicated magazines such as Famous Monsters of Filmland would help propel these movies into lasting infamy. By the early 60s the monsters were merchandised in the form of toys and model kits, the most famous of which were from the Aurora company.

After the popular Aurora models, other companies eventually began using licenced caricatures of the Universal Monsters. Over the decades a seemingly endless variety of collectables have appeared in one form or another; from Halloween masks and action figures, to coffee mugs, miniature die-cast cars, jigsaw puzzles, pez dispensers, lunch boxes, postal stamps, and so on.