[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/classic_universal_monsters.png]]
[[caption-width-right:320:The original MonsterMash.]]

Back in MediaNotes/TheSilentAgeOfHollywood and MediaNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfHollywood, several of the studios found a genre to build themselves a reputation for in order to stand out from the competition. In the case of [[Creator/{{Universal}} Universal Pictures]], this genre was {{horror}}. Horror wasn't an obvious choice because of the high-risk-high-reward nature of the genre, but the outcome of five decades of on-and-off commitment is a franchise which cultural impact few can match.

The first horror films that fall under the Universal banner were produced in the early 1910s and are ''Film/DrJekyllAndMrHyde'', ''The Werewolf'', and ''The White Wolf''. These films were all produced by companies that had recently merged or would soon after merge with Universal and represent continuations of their respective line-ups. A lull followed, as horror in films was more of a novelty at this point in time. The catalyst for change were the highly regarded horror films produced by [[UsefulNotes/WeimarRepublic Germany]], notably the ''[[Film/TheGolem Golem]]'' trilogy and ''Film/TheCabinetOfDrCaligari''. Taking a cue, Universal found its own horror footing in the mid 1920s with ''[[Film/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame1923 The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]'' and ''[[Film/ThePhantomOfTheOpera1925 The Phantom of the Opera]]''. These films star Creator/LonChaney, a prolific actor with a reputation for macabre roles, and are the last two Universal films he made, dying five years later in 1930. In the long run, the vacuum he left gave others a chance to make their horror mark. More directly, without Chaney, his two films weren't ideal for sequels or [[MediaNotes/RiseOfTheTalkies sound remakes]], which meant that it was the third horror hit of the 1920s, ''Theatre/TheCatAndTheCanary'', that received the royal treatment. Its success led to the [[CreatorDrivenSuccessor spiritual do-over]] ''The Last Warning'', Universal's first horror film to come with some sound, and a remake known as ''The Cat Creeps'', Universal's first full sound entry into the genre.

The first half of the 1930s is known as Hollywood's Golden Age of Horror, an era ''Film/{{Dracula|1931}}'' threw open the gates for. Up until ''Dracula'', the supernatural was a no-go in the American film landscape. Supernatural elements could be used, but it was expected for a film to end with [[ScoobyDooHoax logical explanations]]. Due to the popularity of the [[Literature/{{Dracula}} novel]] and its stage adaptations, Universal's film adaptation couldn't very well end with the vampire being a fake. ''Dracula'' proved that the American audience responded well to supernatural horror, along the way establishing Universal as the horror specialist and turning Creator/BelaLugosi into a horror icon. Universal kept the train rolling with ''Film/{{Frankenstein|1931}}'', which made Creator/BorisKarloff a horror icon, ''[[Film/TheMummy1932 The Mummy]]'', ''[[Film/TheInvisibleMan1933 The Invisible Man]]'', and sequels to its 1931 giants: ''Film/BrideOfFrankenstein'' and ''Film/DraculasDaughter''.

Hollywood's Golden Age of Horror came to a screeching halt in 1936 due to three factors. Since its founding, Universal had been headed by Carl Laemmle and later his son Carl Laemmle Jr, who in particular had faith in horror. They invested a lot of money in the studio's A-Movies and while each did immensely well, rarely did these films make up for the costs. The Laemmles were ousted in 1936 as a result and while Universal returned to horror later, they were never done as lavishly again. Another factor was the sudden enforcement of UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode in 1934. The terror, fright, and shock horror relied on suddenly was restricted by the [[UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}} Catholic]] whims of the Production Code Administration as headed by Joseph Breen. He in particular did not take kindly to horror, but could only muzzle and discourage it. This connects to the supposed British horror ban of 1935, ignited by the poor reception of Universal's ''[[Film/TheRaven1935 The Raven]]''. Rather than an adaptation of the [[Literature/TheRaven poem]], it is a [[Creator/EdgarAllanPoe Poe]]-inspired torture horror. It was not banned in Great Britain, but its controversial content did lead to harsher regulation by the British Board of Film Classification. Back in the United States, the PCA exaggerated that this move was as bad as an outright ban. With the British market supposedly being lost to horror films and the PCA being as difficult as they could get away with, there was no more incentive for America to make horror films.

A funny thing about ''The Raven'' is that it co-stars Lugosi and Karloff, the two actors who ignited Universal Horror in the first place. And they would be revive it too. In 1938, Emil Umann of the Regina Theatre in Beverly Hills packaged together ''Dracula'', ''Frankenstein'', and Creator/RKOPictures's ''Film/TheSonOfKong'' for a run of four days. The novelty here was a full horror experience, because Universal's own reissues always paired a horror film with a comedy to entice a bigger range of people. Umann had the better idea, because on opening day crowd control had to be called in. As Umann increased the duration of the run, Universal took notice and packaged ''Dracula'' and ''Frankenstein'' together themselves to offer to other theaters. This evidence that there very much was an audience for horror led Universal to produce ''Film/SonOfFrankenstein'', ringing in the second horror era for Hollywood.

The 1940s are the domain of horror [[BMovie B-Movies]] as studios on one hand wanted in on the renewed interest but on the other didn't want to get ambitious on a genre that in particular was on the PCA's radar. Despite repeated successes, supernatural horror remained a rarity and instead the impossible was provided by [[MadScientist Mad Scientists]]. After all, UsefulNotes/WorldWarII was raging and its technological and scientific advancements equally amazed and terrified society. Another effect of the war was the need for war propaganda. ''Invisible Agent'' is Universal Horror's only overt call to action, but many films of this period are female-centric, such as ''Film/SonOfDracula'' and the [[Film/CaptiveWildWoman ape woman series]], to entertain and rouse the women war workers.

Universal opened the 1940s with a recognizable new star: Creator/LonChaneyJr, son of the late Lon Chaney. After a test run in ''Man Made Monster'', he was given the star role in ''Film/{{The Wolf Man|1941}}'' and with that became one of Universal's big three. Chaney also played Kharis in the 1942-1944 mummy films, thereby defining both of Universal's core monsters of the 1940s. On top of that, he was the leading man of the six ''Inner Sanctum Mysteries'' films released from 1943 to 1945, altogether making Chaney Universal's most prolific horror actor of any era.

Around half of Universal's films in the second horror cycle are sequels and remakes, mostly of the big hitters of the 1930s. Taking a cue from various villain segments in the 1930s, the 1938 success of ''Dracula'' and ''Frankenstein'' combined, and 1940 "The Three Horror Men" marketing strategy for RKO's ''You'll Find Out'', Universal took its sequels to their final stage and [[TropeMaker effectively created]] the MonsterMash-style of horror, at the time known as a Monster Rally. The first film of this type was 1943's ''Film/FrankensteinMeetsTheWolfMan'' and the last was 1948's ''Film/AbbottAndCostelloMeetFrankenstein''. As per the title, the latter is a crossover with Creator/AbbottAndCostello and Universal's first go at HorrorComedy.

In 1944, Universal Horror had to consider its future. Half of the studio's horror stars had walked by then and the other half was going to follow suit when their contracts would expire in 1945. Ben Pivar was given the task of renewing the horror output, the first film representing the new direction being ''Film/JungleCaptive''. The star of this period was Creator/RondoHatton, who on account of his acromegaly was promoted as the monster without a need for makeup. From 1944 to 1946, he played four different characters for Universal, all small variations of the Creeper, his defining role. Then on February 2, 1946, Hatton died from acromegaly-related complications following some months of sharply declining health.

Hatton's death occurred in the final year of the second horror era. From November 1945 to July 1946, Universal prepared for a merge with International Pictures. The new strategy for the postwar economic boom was a return to prestige and horror films had become the antithesis of that. William Goetz is specifically credited for putting a lock on the genre. With still a good amount of Pivar-produced films on the shelves, they were rushed out on a monthly basis to make some money while ensuring they would be gone before the post-merge logo came into use. Hatton's final film, ''Film/TheBruteMan'', was sold off outright to PRC, making it the only Universal Horror film neither owned by Universal nor in the PublicDomain. Of the four other Hollywood studios still releasing horror films in 1946, [[Creator/AlliedArtists Monogram]] and Creator/RepublicPictures went horror-free prestige routes comparable to Universal's. PRC was taken over by Eagle-Lion Films, which only did horror on occasion. And over at RKO, the death of Charles Koerner, coincidentally on the same day as Hatton passed away, critically soured the working conditions for Creator/ValLewton and so he left. RKO failed to replace him. Collectively, the studios' individual reasons affirmed that horror was over.

The 1947-1952 hiatus was less thorough than the 1936-1938 hiatus. FilmNoir, a genre very closely related to Hollywood's horror, was going strong and the end of the second horror cycle coincides with the rise of horror comics. But what would truly revive the horror film was ScienceFiction. The early Golden Age of Science Fiction coincides with the second horror cycle and matured with the [[UsefulNotes/AtomicBombingsOfHiroshimaAndNagasaki atom bomb]] into the late Golden Age. What separates the two halves is medium: the early age fiction were predominantly magazines, while in the late age every medium welcomed sci-fi. For the film industry in particular, sci-fi was a means to turn the tide. During the postwar economic boom, it became the norm for households to have their own television sets and the audience for the cinema experience thus dwindled. A means to get people back was extras they couldn't get at home, such as [[UsefulNotes/ThreeDMovie 3-D]], scent, vibrating chairs, moving props in the auditorium, and so on. That kind of stuff doesn't combine well with prestige films, so sci-fi took the lead. As it introduced audiences to {{alien inva|sion}}ders, [[NuclearMutant nuclear trouble]] and [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever giant critters]], horror returned naturally. Prehistoric remnants also reared their heads, which came about due to the long-awaited discovery of the [[NotSoExtinct coelacanth in 1952]] and is the thought behind Universal's final iconic horror film: ''Film/CreatureFromTheBlackLagoon'' in 1954. Other films of note from this era are ''Film/ThisIslandEarth'' in 1955, ''Film/TheMolePeople'' in 1956, and ''Monster on the Campus'' in 1958.

A move critical to the franchise occurred in 1957 when Universal teamed up with Creator/ColumbiaPictures to distribute their film catalogue up to August 1948 to television networks in themed packages. ''Shock!'' (1957) and ''Son of Shock'' (1958) were the horror offering and they were a massive hit, kickstarting the Horror Boom of the 1960s. This is when Universal Horror as a franchise was established and the MonsterMash was codified. Universal responded with a sharp turn back to classic horror shortly before stopping horror production altogether. Rather, in the late 1950s, the British [[Film/HammerHorror Hammer Film Productions]] began making movies based on the same material Universal worked with prior. Universal arranged to be the distributor of these films in America.

In the decades following, Universal has from time to time made new material based on their key properties. They did [[Film/{{Dracula 1979}} a remake]] of ''Dracula'' in 1979, starring Creator/FrankLangella and Sir Creator/LaurenceOlivier, and at the TurnOfTheMillennium they remade ''Film/TheMummy1932'' as a series of action movies known as Film/TheMummyTrilogy. They reunited the Wolf Man, Dracula, and Frankenstein's monster for the 2004 SummerBlockbuster ''Film/VanHelsing'', and did [[Film/TheWolfman2010 a remake]] of ''The Wolf Man'' in 2010, starring Creator/BenicioDelToro and Sir Creator/AnthonyHopkins. Finally, [[Ride/UniversalStudios Universal's theme parks]] in Orlando and Hollywood have a reputation across America for throwing some of the biggest [[Theatre/HalloweenHorrorNights Halloween celebrations]] around.

Universal Horror represents one of the earliest attempts at a [[TheVerse shared movie universe]]. Through sequels, its Dracula, Frankenstein, and Wolf Man movies were established as sharing a loose continuity, which in turn [[TropeCodifier codified]] the {{Uberwald}} trope. Via the Creator/AbbottAndCostello film series, the Invisible Man[[note]]Notwithstanding that the Invisible Man movies are set in a number of different continuities.[[/note]] and the Mummy[[note]]The version from ''Film/TheMummysHand'' and its sequels, not from the original ''Film/TheMummy1932''.[[/note]] were also added to this shared universe. During the 1960s Horror Boom, these five classic Universal monsters and the then-new Creature from the Black Lagoon were treated as a package deal for purposes of homage and satire. Decades later, Universal gave its official stamp of approval to these six classic monsters -- Count Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, the Wolf Man, and Gill Man -- by releasing a ''Legacy'' collection for each as a way of promoting ''Van Helsing''.

Due to the successes of ''The Mummy Trilogy'' and ''Van Helsing'', as well as the [[FollowTheLeader example set]] by the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, Universal went to work setting up a new, rebooted Universal Horror universe under the name of the Film/DarkUniverse. 2014's ''Film/DraculaUntold'' was intended to be the first film in this shared setting, but its underperformance caused it to be scrapped from continuity and 2017's ''Film/TheMummy2017'' was set to become the new first film. It bombed even more spectacularly than ''Dracula Untold'' and the plans for the Dark Universe were subsequently shelved. ''Film/TheInvisibleMan2020'', made by [[Creator/BlumhouseProductions Blumhouse]] and distributed by Universal in 2020, was produced and marketed as a standalone film. It was the first time since ''Van Helsing'' that a Universal Horror movie did well in the box office.

A large number of HorrorTropes were [[TropeMaker made]], [[TropeCodifier codified]], and employed by these movies, particularly those pertaining to the so-called "classic movie monsters" -- [[ClassicalMovieVampire vampires]], [[WolfMan werewolves]], {{mumm|y}}ies, etc. The modern images of said monsters were more or less created by Universal, to the point where [[OurVampiresAreDifferent deviations from]] [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent their classic blueprints]] are still regarded as {{subver|tedTrope}}sions of the "traditional" rules surrounding them. Also, since the limitations of UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode meant that Universal couldn't rely on [[{{Gorn}} graphic violence]] and [[SexSells sex]] to frighten and titillate viewers, they remain a great way to [[GatewaySeries introduce younger or more squeamish viewers]] to horror -- which is exactly what they did once TV stations started using them as late-night movies in the 1950s.

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!!Films:
[[index]]
* 1923, Sep -- ''[[Film/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame1923 The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]''
* 1925, Sep -- ''[[Film/ThePhantomOfTheOpera1925 The Phantom of the Opera]]''
* 1927, Sep -- ''Theatre/TheCatAndTheCanary''
* 1928, Mar -- ''Haunted Island'' (1928) (Serial; '''lost''')
* 1928, Apr -- ''Literature/TheManWhoLaughs''
* 1928, Dec -- ''Film/TheLastWarning'' (CreatorDrivenSuccessor to ''The Cat and the Canary''.)
* 1929, Nov -- ''The Last Performance''
* 1930, Nov -- ''The Cat Creeps'' (Sound remake of ''The Cat and the Canary''.) ('''lost''')
** 1930, Dec -- ''Film/LaVoluntadDelMuerto'' ([[ForeignRemake Spanish-language version]]) ('''lost''')
* 1931, Feb -- ''Film/{{Dracula|1931}}'' [[/index]]
** 1931, Mar -- ''Drácula'' ([[ForeignRemake Spanish-language version]]) [[index]]
* 1931, Nov -- ''Film/{{Frankenstein|1931}}''
* 1932, Feb -- ''Film/MurdersInTheRueMorgue''
* 1932, Oct -- ''[[Film/TheOldDarkHouse1932 The Old Dark House]]''
* 1932, Dec -- ''[[Film/TheMummy1932 The Mummy]]''
* 1933, Jul -- ''Secret of the Blue Room''
* 1933, Oct -- ''[[Film/TheInvisibleMan1933 The Invisible Man]]''
* 1934, May -- ''Film/TheBlackCat''
* 1935, Feb -- ''The Mystery of Edwin Drood''
* 1935, Apr -- ''Film/BrideOfFrankenstein''
* 1935, May -- ''Film/WerewolfOfLondon''
* 1935, Jul -- ''[[Film/TheRaven1935 The Raven]]''
* 1936, Jan -- ''Film/TheInvisibleRay''
* 1936, May -- ''Film/DraculasDaughter''
* 1937, Apr -- ''Night Key''
* 1939, Jan -- ''The Phantom Creeps'' (Serial)
* 1939, Jan -- ''Film/SonOfFrankenstein''
* 1939, Nov -- ''Film/TowerOfLondon''
* 1940, Jan -- ''Film/TheInvisibleManReturns''
* 1940, Feb -- ''Black Friday''
* 1940, Sep -- ''Film/TheMummysHand''
* 1940, Dec -- ''Film/{{The Invisible Woman|1940}}''
* 1941, Mar -- ''Man Made Monster''
* 1941, Mar -- ''Horror Island''
* 1941, May -- ''The Black Cat'' (No relation to the 1934 film of the same name.)
* 1941, Dec -- ''[[Film/TheWolfMan1941 The Wolf Man]]''
* 1942, Jan -- ''The Mad Doctor of Market Street''
* 1942, Mar -- ''Film/TheGhostOfFrankenstein''
* 1942, Apr -- ''The Mystery of Marie Roget''
* 1942, Apr -- ''The Strange Case of Doctor RX''
* 1942, Jul -- ''Invisible Agent''
* 1942, Oct -- ''Night Monster''
* 1942, Oct -- ''The Mummy's Tomb''
* 1943, Mar -- ''Film/FrankensteinMeetsTheWolfMan'' ([[MonsterMash Monster Rally]])
* 1943, Jun -- ''Film/CaptiveWildWoman''
* 1943, Aug -- ''[[Film/PhantomOfTheOpera1943 Phantom of the Opera]]'' (Sound and color remake of the 1925 film.)
* 1943, Oct -- ''Film/SonOfDracula''
* 1943, Nov -- ''Film/TheMadGhoul''
* 1943, Dec -- ''Calling Dr. Death'' (''Inner Sanctum Mysteries'')
* 1944, Mar -- ''Weird Woman'' (''Inner Sanctum Mysteries'')
* 1944, Jun -- ''Film/TheInvisibleMansRevenge''
* 1944, Jun -- ''The Mummy's Ghost''
* 1944, Jul -- ''[[Film/JungleWoman1944 Jungle Woman]]''
* 1944, Oct -- ''Film/TheClimax'' (Originally meant to be a sequel to ''Phantom of the Opera'' of 1943; color film)
* 1944, Nov -- ''Dead Man's Eyes'' (''Inner Sanctum Mysteries'')
* 1944, Dec -- ''Film/HouseOfFrankenstein'' (Monster Rally)
* 1944, Dec -- ''The Mummy's Curse''
* 1945, June -- ''The Frozen Ghost'' (''Inner Sanctum Mysteries'')
* 1945, June -- ''Film/JungleCaptive'' (Pseudo-Monster Rally)
* 1945, Oct -- ''Strange Confession'' (''Inner Sanctum Mysteries'')
* 1945, Dec -- ''Film/HouseOfDracula'' (Monster Rally)
* 1945, Dec -- ''Pillow of Death'' (''Inner Sanctum Mysteries'')
* 1946, Feb -- ''Film/{{House of Horrors|1946}}''
* 1946, Mar -- ''The Spider Woman Strikes Back'' (Pseudo-Monster Rally)
* 1946, Apr -- ''Film/SheWolfOfLondon''
* 1946, May -- ''The Cat Creeps'' (No relation to the 1930 film of the same name.)
* 1946, Oct -- ''Film/TheBruteMan'' (Sold to Producers Releasing Corporation prior to release. Currently owned by Cinedigm.)
* 1948, Jun -- ''Film/AbbottAndCostelloMeetFrankenstein'' (Monster Rally)
* 1949, Aug -- ''[[Film/AbbottAndCostelloMeetTheKillerBorisKarloff Abbot and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff]]''
* 1951, Mar -- ''Film/AbbottAndCostelloMeetTheInvisibleMan''
* 1951, Oct -- ''Film/TheStrangeDoor''
* 1952, Nov -- ''Film/TheBlackCastle''
* 1953, Jun -- ''Film/ItCameFromOuterSpace''
* 1953, Aug -- ''Film/AbbottAndCostelloMeetDrJekyllAndMrHyde''
* 1954, Feb -- ''Film/CreatureFromTheBlackLagoon''
* 1955, Mar -- ''Film/RevengeOfTheCreature''
* 1955, Jun -- ''Film/ThisIslandEarth''
* 1955, Jun -- ''Film/AbbottAndCostelloMeetTheMummy''
* 1955, Nov -- ''Film/{{Tarantula}}''
* 1955, May -- ''Cult of the Cobra''
* 1956, Apr -- ''Film/TheCreatureWalksAmongUs''
* 1956, Dec -- ''Film/TheMolePeople''
* 1957, Feb -- ''Film/TheIncredibleShrinkingMan''
* 1957, May -- ''Film/TheDeadlyMantis''
* 1957, Oct -- ''Film/TheLandUnknown''
* 1957, Dec -- ''Film/TheMonolithMonsters''
* 1958, Jun -- ''Film/TheThingThatCouldntDie''
* 1958, Dec -- ''Monster on the Campus''
* 1959, May -- ''Curse of the Undead''
* 1960, Jul -- ''Film/TheLeechWoman''
----
* 1913, Mar -- ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' (Made by the Independent Moving Pictures branch of Universal.)
* 1913, Dec -- ''The Werewolf'' (Made by Bison Film Company, published by Universal.) ('''lost''')
* 1914, Sep -- ''The White Wolf'' (Made by Nestor Film Company branch of Universal.)
* 1932, Dec -- ''Film/IslandOfLostSouls'' (Produced by Paramount, but Universal released it on VHS in the 1990s, associating it with the "Universal Monsters" label.)
* 1933, Mar -- ''Film/MurdersInTheZoo'' (Produced by Paramount, but released as part of the "Universal Cult Horror Collection" by Creator/TurnerClassicMovies in 2012, then in "Universal Horror Collection: Volume 2" by Creator/ShoutFactory in 2019.
* 1956, Dec -- ''Curucu, Beast of the Amazon'' (Made by Jewel Productions, published by Universal.)

[[/index]]

!!ExpandedUniverse:
[[index]]
* Original novels expanding on the stories of the film series occasionally pop up, including:
** Jeff Rovin's 1998 book ''Literature/ReturnOfTheWolfMan'', which continued the adventures of Larry Talbot, and itself received two sequels (''Literature/TheDevilsBrood'' and ''[[Literature/TheDevilsNight The Devil's Night]]'') by David Jacobs.
** ''Literature/UniversalMonsters'' -- a six-part series[[note]]#1 (''Dracula: Return of Evil''); 2 (''The Wolf Man: Blood Moon Rising''); 3 (''Frankenstein: Anatomy of Terror''); 4 (''The Mummy: Book Of The Dead''); 5 (''Creature From the Black Lagoon: Black Water Horror''); 6 (''Bride Of Frankenstein: Vow Of Vengeance'')[[/note]] by Larry Mike Garmon, released by Scholastic for younger readers in 2001-2002. The series begins when an accident with a prototype of an experimental holographic movie projector (borrowed from the Universal Studios theme park) and a lightning storm releases the monsters and other antagonistic characters from the films ''Dracula'' (1931), ''The Wolf Man'' (1941), ''Frankenstein'' (1931), ''The Mummy'' (1932), ''The Creature From the Black Lagoon'' (1954) and ''The Bride of Frankenstein'' (1935) into the real world. Consequently, the escapees have to be hunted down and returned to the films by a trio of 21st century teenagers.
** DH Press's 2006-2007 series, each by a different author and set in independent continuities:
*** ''Literature/DraculaAsylum'' (2006) -- direct sequel to ''Film/Dracula1931''. Ignores the events of ''Film/DraculasDaughter''.
*** ''Literature/FrankensteinTheShadowOfFrankenstein'' (2006) -- {{interquel}} taking place between ''Film/BrideOfFrankenstein'' and ''Film/SonOfFrankenstein''.
*** ''Literature/CreatureFromTheBlackLagoonTimesBlackLagoon'' (2006) -- distant sequel to the original ''Creature From the Black Lagoon'' trilogy, set decades later and exploring the origins of the Gill-Man.
*** ''[[Literature/TheMummyDarkResurrection The Mummy: Dark Resurrection]]'' (2007) -- essentially a remake of ''Film/TheMummy1932'' rather than a sequel to any of the previous films.
*** ''[[Literature/TheWolfManHuntersMoon The Wolf Man: Hunter's Moon]]'' (2007) -- direct sequel to ''Film/TheWolfMan1941''. Ignores the events of ''Film/FrankensteinMeetsTheWolfMan'' and its three sequels.
*** ''Literature/TheBrideOfFrankensteinPandorasBride'' (2007) -- direct sequel to ''Film/BrideOfFrankenstein''.
** Allan Rune Pettersson's novel ''Frankenstein's Aunt'' is a young adult parody of, very specifically, the Universal Horror universe.
* Creator/FrankDelloStritto wrote novels based on the Universal Monsters:
** ''Literature/CarlDenhamsGiantMonsters'' is centered on an old Carl Denham on a final adventure, years after ''Film/KingKong1933'', searching for redemption and remembering his last.
** ''Literature/AWerewolfRemembersTheTestamentOfLawrenceStewartTalbot'' is essentially an autobiography of Lawrence "the Wolf Man" Talbot, showing more development to him, his eventual curse, some adventures between the movies, his "deaths" and finally his anger against Dracula.
** ''Literature/ThePassionOfTheMummy'' is centered many years after ''Film/TheMummysCurse'' and a sequel to the classic mummy series, featuring Kharis the mummy as having a psychic connection with the narrator, showing how his immortality is a hell to him, evil demon-like immortal women, and connecting the five original Universal mummy films with Hammer's 1959 remake.
[[/index]]

!!Comic Books:
[[index]]
* Starting in 2023, Skybound Entertainment (Creator/RobertKirkman's division of Creator/ImageComics) teamed up with Universal to produce reimaginings of the original Universal Horror stable:
** ''ComicBook/UniversalMonstersDracula'' (2023-2024) -- a retelling of the [[Film/Dracula1931 1931 film]] from the perspective of Dr. Seward and Von Helsing. Four issue miniseries by Creator/JamesTynionIV and Martin Simmonds.
** ''ComicBook/UniversalMonstersCreatureFromTheBlackLagoonLives'' (2024) -- Journalist Kate Marsden hunt a notorious serial killer in the heart of the Amazon. Hot on the trail of this madman, she soon encounters an unexpected new threat -- the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Four issue miniseries by Dan Watters and Ram V, with art by Matthew Roberts.
** ''Universal Monsters: Frankenstein'' (announced for 2024) -- Dr. Henry Frankenstein begins his unholy quest to create life by robbing the grave of a decorated police officer to find necessary parts. But little does he know that the corpse has a son who is mourning a father -- and that this young boy will forever change Frankenstein’s life. Written by Michael Walsh and art by Matthew Roberts.
[[/index]]

!!Pinball:
[[index]]
* Bally's ''Pinball/CreatureFromTheBlackLagoon'' is a game based on both the movie itself (in ''3D!'') and attending a drive-in to see the movie.
* ''Pinball/MonsterBash'' is an ensemble game, with the player collecting six of the Universal Monsters to form a rock band.
[[/index]]

!!Theme Parks:
[[index]]
* ''Theatre/BeetlejuicesGraveyardRevue'', a {{Crossover}} stage show where ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'' makes the Universal Monsters into his own rock band.
* ''Theatre/HalloweenHorrorNights'', an annual event at Ride/UniversalStudios Orlando and Hollywood, has featured haunted houses and scarezones based on the classic Universal Horror properties and has been used to promote properties like The Mummy, ''Film/VanHelsing'' and ''Film/TheWolfman2010'' remake as well as properties from other studios. Also notable that the Orlando incarnation of the event has invented [[OriginalGeneration original horror icons]] with detailed backstories that feature heavily in the events and their marketing.
* ''Theatre/UniversalsHorrorMakeUpShow'', a behind-the-scenes presentation at Universal Studios Florida that focuses on how makeup has been used throughout Universal's horror film legacy, including the Classic Monsters films.
* ''Dark Universe'', a themed land in the forthcoming Epic Universe park set to open in Universal Orlando sometime in 2025.
[[/index]]

!!Trading Cards:
[[index]]
* The Universal Monsters brand has provided fertile ground for trading card manufacturers. Perhaps the most remarkable is the series put out by Kitchen Sink in 1996, which incorporated just about anything remotely horrific that was made by Universal up until 1960. Anyone remember ''The Man Who Reclaimed His Head'' [[note]] Despite the title, ''The Man Who Reclaimed His Head'' was a Universal drama about war profiteering.[[/note]]
[[/index]]

!!Video Games:
* A few video games have been based on the films, such as
** ''Universal Studios Monsters: Dracula'' on the Platform/GameBoyColor
** [[index]]''VideoGame/UniversalMonstersOnline'', a MultiplayerOnlineBattleArena
* Dracula, Wolfman, the Creature, Frankenstein, and the Bride of Frankenstein (under the Universal Studios Monsters) are characters in ''VideoGame/FunkoPopBlitz''.
[[/index]]

!!Western Animation:
[[index]]
* ''WesternAnimation/MonsterForce'', a futuristic 1994 series in which Frankenstein and the Werewolf do [[HeelFaceTurn Heel-Face Turns]] and team up with the titular heroes (a DarkerAndEdgier version of the Franchise/{{Ghostbusters}}) to [[HunterOfHisOwnKind hunt down their fellow monsters]].
[[/index]]

!!Other:
* ''Monster Old Maid'', a deck for playing OldMaid featuring Universal monsters (and a few Film/HammerHorror monsters that snuck in). Dracula's Daughter is the eponymous Old Maid.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Horrified}}'' is a published 2019 TabletopGame/{{Ravensburger}} tabletop strategy/horror game that lets players work together in defeating seven titular classic Universal Monsters: Dracula, The Invisible Man, The Creature From the Black Lagoon, The Wolf Man, The Mummy, Frankenstein (The Monster) and the Bride of Frankenstein.
* ''Film/TheMonsterSquad'' pits a [[Film/TheGoonies Goonies]]-esque team of {{kid hero}}es against Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, a Mummy, a Wolf Man, and the Gill Man. Because the movie was not made at Universal, however, these are technically [[OurLawyersAdvisedThisTrope not]] the Universal Monsters.
* ''The Devil’s League'' acts as a [[CastofExpies Cast of Expies]] for the classic monsters: a [[Film/Dracula1931 vampire king]], an [[Film/Frankenstein1931 artificial man]], a [[Film/CreatureFromTheBlackLagoon swamp creature]], an [[BandageMummy ancient mummy]], an assassin [[Film/TheInvisibleMan1933 who happens to be invisible]], and a [[Film/TheWolfMan1941 werewolf protagonist seeking a cure]].
----