Release orderRecommended
0 / 26 watchedOne list in release order, grouped by monster. Follow a single group or watch straight through; the crossovers land where they came out.
Dracula
- 1 Dracula Tod Browning directs Bela Lugosi. The cycle starts here.
- 6 Dracula's Daughter Picks up right after the 1931 film.
- 14 Son of Dracula Chaney plays Count Dracula himself this time.
Frankenstein
- 2 Frankenstein James Whale directs Boris Karloff as the Monster.
- 5 Bride of Frankenstein Whale returns with Karloff and Elsa Lanchester.
- 7 Son of Frankenstein Karloff's last turn as the Monster; introduces Ygor.
- 11 The Ghost of Frankenstein Ygor transplants the Monster's brain.
The Mummy
- 3 The Mummy Karloff again, as Imhotep. A standalone story.
- 9 The Mummy's Hand Starts the Kharis sub-series; ignores the 1932 film.
- 12 The Mummy's Tomb Kharis follows the Banning family to America.
- 16 The Mummy's Ghost Kharis stalks a reincarnated princess.
- 18 The Mummy's Curse Kharis ends up in the Louisiana bayou.
The Invisible Man
- 4 The Invisible Man Whale directs Claude Rains as Griffin.
- 8 The Invisible Man Returns A new invisible man, framed for murder.
- 15 The Invisible Man's Revenge A darker one-off with no returning characters.
The Wolf Man
- 10 The Wolf Man Lon Chaney Jr. debuts as Larry Talbot.
- 13 Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man First full monster crossover: Talbot vs. the Monster.
- 17 House of Frankenstein Dracula, the Wolf Man and the Monster share one film.
- 19 House of Dracula Last straight horror rally before the comedies.
Comedy crossovers
- 20 Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein Lugosi returns as Dracula; Chaney as the Wolf Man.
- 21 Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man A new invisible formula, played for laughs.
- 22 Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Boris Karloff plays the doctor this time.
- 25 Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy The duo's last meeting with a Universal monster.
The Creature
- 23 Creature from the Black Lagoon Jack Arnold directs; released in 3D.
- 24 Revenge of the Creature The Gill-man is captured and studied in Florida.
- 26 The Creature Walks Among Us The Gill-man walks upright. Closes the classic era.
About Universal Monsters
Universal's classic horror run lasted from Dracula (1931) to The Creature Walks Among Us (1956). The films below are grouped by monster, with each group in release order, so you can follow one creature straight through or play the whole list in sequence.
The monsters started crossing over in the 1940s, from Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man to the Abbott and Costello comedies. Universal tried to reboot the property as the shared Dark Universe with The Mummy (2017); it failed, the planned Bride of Frankenstein was shelved, and the studio switched to standalone films such as The Invisible Man (2020) and Wolf Man (2025).
Good to know
One-off entries outside the main bloodlines are skippable: Werewolf of London (1935), She-Wolf of London (1946), the comedy The Invisible Woman (1940), the wartime Invisible Agent (1942) and Phantom of the Opera (1943). A Spanish-language Dracula was shot on the same sets in 1931. As of September 2026 I could verify no dated upcoming classic-monster film, so none is listed.
