Frankenstein - Watch Order: Universal Films

1931 - 19488 Films10h 4m3.7 Average

The Universal Frankenstein series forms the most coherent storyline in the franchise, with each film building on the events and characters of its predecessors. Bride of Frankenstein continues immediately from the 1931 film's ending, while Son of Frankenstein introduces Ygor, who becomes a crucial recurring character linking the later entries.

The films maintain clear narrative progression through plot developments like Ygor's brain transplantation in The Ghost of Frankenstein and culminates in monster crossovers that unite storylines from across Universal's horror catalog. While there are occasional inconsistencies in character fates and abilities between films, the Universal series makes a genuine effort to maintain continuing storylines.

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Frankenstein poster

Frankenstein

19311h 10m4.4
Director: James Whale
Cast: Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles, Boris Karloff, Edward Van Sloan

Tampering with life and death, Henry Frankenstein pieces together salvaged body parts to bring a human monster to life; the mad scientist's dreams are shattered by his creation's violent rage as the monster awakens to a world in which he is unwelcome.

DramaHorrorScience Fiction
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Bride of Frankenstein poster

Bride of Frankenstein

19351h 15m4.4
Director: James Whale
Cast: Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Valerie Hobson, Ernest Thesiger, Elsa Lanchester

Dr. Frankenstein and his monster both turn out to be alive, not killed as previously believed. Dr. Frankenstein wants to get out of the evil experiment business, but when a mad scientist, Dr. Pretorius, kidnaps his wife, Dr. Frankenstein agrees to help him create a new creature.

HorrorScience Fiction
3
Son of Frankenstein poster

Son of Frankenstein

19391h 39m3.8
Director: Rowland V. Lee
Cast: Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, Josephine Hutchinson

One of the sons of late Dr. Henry Frankenstein finds his father's ghoulish creation in a coma and revives him, only to find out the monster is controlled by Ygor who is bent on revenge.

HorrorScience Fiction
4
The Ghost of Frankenstein poster

The Ghost of Frankenstein

19421h 8m3.1
Director: Erle C. Kenton
Cast: Cedric Hardwicke, Ralph Bellamy, Lionel Atwill, Bela Lugosi, Evelyn Ankers

Frankenstein's unscrupulous colleague, Dr. Bohmer, plans to transplant Ygor's brain so he can rule the world using the monster's body, but the plan goes sour when he turns malevolent and goes on a rampage.

HorrorScience Fiction
5
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man poster

Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man

19431h 14m3.4
Director: Roy William Neill
Cast: Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi, Patric Knowles, Ilona Massey, Maria Ouspenskaya

Grave robbers open the grave of the wolf man and awaken him. He doesn't like the idea of being immortal and killing people when the moon is full so tries to find Dr. Frankenstein, in the hopes that the doctor can cure him. Dr. Frankenstein has died; however, his monster is found.

HorrorScience Fiction
6
House of Frankenstein poster

House of Frankenstein

19441h 11m3.2
Director: Erle C. Kenton
Cast: Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr., J. Carrol Naish, John Carradine, Anne Gwynne

Deranged scientist, Gustav Niemann, escapes from prison and overtakes the director of a traveling chamber of horrors, soon reviving the infamous Count Dracula, the frozen Frankenstein Monster, and the Wolf Man.

HorrorScience Fiction
7
House of Dracula poster

House of Dracula

19451h 4m2.8
Director: Erle C. Kenton
Cast: John Carradine, Onslow Stevens, Lon Chaney Jr., Martha O'Driscoll, Jane Adams

A scientist working on cures for rare afflictions, such as a bone softening agent made from molds to allow him to correct the spinal deformity of his nurse, finds the physical causes of lycanthropy in wolf-man Larry Talbot and of vampirism in Count Dracula, but himself becomes afflicted with homicidal madness while exchanging blood with Dracula.

HorrorScience Fiction
8
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein poster

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein

19481h 23m4.1
Director: Charles Barton
Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi, Glenn Strange

Baggage handlers Bud and Lou accidentally stumble upon Frankenstein's Monster, Dracula and the Wolf Man.

HorrorComedy