Back Universal-Horror German Monstruos clásicos Spanish Universal Horror Estonian یونیورسال کلاسیک Persian Universal Monsters French מפלצות יוניברסל HE Universal Classic Monsters Italian ユニバーサル・モンスターズ Japanese 유니버설 몬스터스 Korean Universal Monsters Dutch
 | This article needs better sources. (November 2024) |
| Universal Classic Monsters | |
|---|---|
 Official franchise logo | |
| Original work | Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1913) |
| Owner | Universal Pictures |
| Years | 1913–present |
| Print publications | |
| Novel(s) | See details |
| Comics | See details |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) | See details |
| Short film(s) | See details |
| Television series | See details |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Theme park attraction(s) | See details |
The Universal Monsters (also known as Universal Classic Monsters and Universal Studios Monsters) is a media franchise comprising various horror film series distributed by Universal Pictures. It consists of different horror creature characters originating from various novels, such as Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde, the Phantom of the Opera, Count Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, the Mummy, and the Invisible Man, as well as original characters the Wolf Man and the Creature from the Black Lagoon.
The original series began with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1913) and ended with The Creature Walks Among Us (1956). While the early installments were initially created as stand-alone films based on published novels, their financial and critical success resulted in various cross-over releases between the monsters, as well as other properties such as Abbott and Costello. Following the positive response to various viewings of these movies via television redistribution which began airing in the 1950s, the studio began developing the characters for other media. In the 1990s, it became priority for Universal to promote their catalogue with official packaging that presented the movies with the official franchise title. Through a number of VHS editions, their popularity continued into contemporary entertainment. This included additional development through modern-filmmaking adaptations, beginning with Dracula (1979) and most recently including Wolf Man (2025).
Modern analyses describes the titular characters as "pop culture icons",[1] while the franchise as a whole is often cited as the prototypical example of the shared universe concept in film.[2][3][4] In addition to the films, the franchise has expanded to include novels, comics, and theme park rides.
- ^ Jones 2012.
- ^ Proctor, William (2021). "Building Imaginary Horror Worlds: Transfictional storytelling and the Universal Monster franchise cycle". In McKenna, Mark; Proctor, William (eds.). Horror Franchise Cinema. Routledge. p. 44-45. ISBN 978-0367183271.
- ^ Herman, David; Jahn, Manfred; Ryan, Marie-Laure, eds. (2005). "Transfictionality". The Routledge Companion of Narrative Theory. Routledge. pp. 612–613.
- ^ Proctor, William (2021). "Building Imaginary Horror Worlds: Transfictional storytelling and the Universal Monster franchise cycle". In McKenna, Mark; Proctor, William (eds.). Horror Franchise Cinema. Routledge. p. 42. ISBN 978-0367183271.