Universal Monsters Movies: Release Order

1931 - 195630 Films37h 4m3.4 Average

The Universal Monsters franchise represents Hollywood's first cinematic universe, introducing iconic creatures like Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, the Wolf Man, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Starring legendary actors including Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, and Lon Chaney Jr., these films defined the horror genre with revolutionary makeup, atmospheric cinematography, and groundbreaking special effects.

This watch order presents all 30 films chronologically by release date, from 1931 to 1956. The complete collection includes individual monster series, their sequels, crossover films where monsters meet, and the Abbott and Costello comedy entries. While continuity varies between films, this watch list shows how Universal built their shared universe over 25 years, culminating in the legendary monster rally films of the 1940s.

There are 7 other watch orders available - see the links up above.

Share:
1
Dracula poster

Dracula

19311h 14m4.2
HorrorFantasyRomance
Director: Tod Browning
Cast: Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, David Manners, Dwight Frye, Edward Van Sloan

A British estate agent travels to Transylvania to meet the mysterious Count Dracula, who seeks to relocate to London. When Dracula reveals his true vampiric nature, he begins terrorizing London society while the agent struggles with his sanity.

2
Frankenstein poster

Frankenstein

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

A young scientist becomes obsessed with creating life from dead tissue, but his ambitious experiment results in a monstrous creature that brings terror and tragedy to all who encounter it.

3
The Mummy poster

The Mummy

19321h 13m3.8
HorrorFantasyRomance
Director: Karl Freund
Cast: Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners, Arthur Byron, Edward Van Sloan

An ancient Egyptian priest named Imhotep is accidentally revived by British archaeologists and escapes to search for the reincarnation of his lost love.

4
The Invisible Man poster

The Invisible Man

19331h 11m4.4
HorrorScience Fiction
Director: James Whale
Cast: Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, William Harrigan, Henry Travers, Una O'Connor

A scientist's experiments render him invisible, but the process also drives him to dangerous madness as he desperately seeks a way to reverse the transformation.

5
Bride of Frankenstein poster

Bride of Frankenstein

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

Dr. Frankenstein is coerced into creating a companion for his monster in this classic sequel that explores themes of creation, companionship, and the consequences of playing God.

6
Werewolf of London poster

Werewolf of London

19351h 15m3.3
HorrorFantasy
Director: Stuart Walker
Cast: Henry Hull, Warner Oland, Valerie Hobson, Lester Matthews, Lawrence Grant

A botanist becomes cursed with lycanthropy after a mysterious animal attack, transforming him into a bloodthirsty werewolf that terrorizes London.

7
Dracula's Daughter poster

Dracula's Daughter

19361h 8m3.2
Horror
Director: Lambert Hillyer
Cast: Otto Kruger, Gloria Holden, Marguerite Churchill, Edward Van Sloan, Gilbert Emery

A countess from Transylvania seeks a psychiatrist's help to cure her vampiric cravings in this classic Universal monster sequel.

8
Son of Frankenstein poster

Son of Frankenstein

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

The son of Dr. Frankenstein discovers his father's monster in a comatose state and revives him, unaware that the creature is now under the malevolent influence of the vengeful Ygor.

9
The Invisible Man Returns poster

The Invisible Man Returns

19401h 21m3.4
HorrorScience Fiction
Director: Joe May
Cast: Cedric Hardwicke, Vincent Price, Nan Grey, John Sutton, Cecil Kellaway

A coal mine owner, wrongly imprisoned for his brother's murder, uses an invisibility serum to escape and clear his name, though the drug threatens his sanity.

10
The Invisible Woman poster

The Invisible Woman

19401h 12m3
ComedyHorrorScience Fiction
Director: A. Edward Sutherland
Cast: Virginia Bruce, John Barrymore, John Howard, Charles Ruggles, Oskar Homolka

An attractive store model volunteers to test an invisibility machine, planning to use her newfound power to get revenge on her former boss.

11
The Mummy's Hand poster

The Mummy's Hand

19401h 7m3
HorrorFantasy
Director: Christy Cabanne
Cast: Dick Foran, Peggy Moran, Wallace Ford, Eduardo Ciannelli, George Zucco

Two archaeologists in Egypt discover the burial site of an ancient princess, but their expedition is threatened by a sinister high priest and his undead mummy guardian who protect the tomb.

12
The Wolf Man poster

The Wolf Man

19411h 10m4
HorrorDrama
Director: George Waggner
Cast: Lon Chaney Jr., Claude Rains, Ralph Bellamy, Warren William, Patric Knowles

After returning to his family estate following his brother's death, Larry Talbot's life takes a dark turn when he's bitten by a werewolf and must confront his cursed transformation.

13
The Ghost of Frankenstein poster

The Ghost of Frankenstein

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

Dr. Bohmer attempts to transplant a criminal's brain into Frankenstein's monster, but the experiment backfires when the creature becomes uncontrollably violent and goes on a destructive rampage.

14
The Mummy's Tomb poster

The Mummy's Tomb

19421h 1m2.8
HorrorFantasy
Director: Harold Young
Cast: Lon Chaney Jr., Dick Foran, John Hubbard, Elyse Knox, George Zucco

A vengeful Egyptian high priest brings the living mummy Kharis to America to hunt down those who disturbed an ancient princess's tomb decades earlier.

15
Invisible Agent poster

Invisible Agent

19421h 21m3
HorrorScience FictionWar
Director: Edwin L. Marin
Cast: Ilona Massey, Jon Hall, Peter Lorre, Cedric Hardwicke, J. Edward Bromberg

The grandson of the original Invisible Man uses his inherited invisibility formula to become a secret agent and infiltrate Nazi Germany during World War II.

16
Phantom of the Opera poster

Phantom of the Opera

19431h 29m3.4
HorrorRomance
Director: Arthur Lubin
Cast: Nelson Eddy, Susanna Foster, Claude Rains, Edgar Barrier, Leo Carrillo

A disfigured composer becomes a masked phantom haunting the Paris Opera House, obsessively trying to make a young soprano the star while seeking revenge on those who wronged him.

17
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man poster

Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man

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

The Wolf Man awakens from his grave and seeks out Dr. Frankenstein, hoping to find a cure for his lycanthropic curse. When he discovers the doctor has died, he encounters Frankenstein's monster instead, leading to a clash between two classic movie monsters.

18
Son of Dracula poster

Son of Dracula

19431h 17m3.1
Horror
Director: Robert Siodmak
Cast: Lon Chaney Jr., Robert Paige, Louise Allbritton, Frank Craven, J. Edward Bromberg

A mysterious Carpathian count arrives in America at the invitation of a young heiress, arousing suspicion from her boyfriend and local authorities who question his true intentions.

19
House of Frankenstein poster

House of Frankenstein

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

A deranged scientist escapes prison and takes over a traveling horror show, where he revives classic monsters including Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, and the Wolf Man.

20
The Mummy's Curse poster

The Mummy's Curse

19441h2.8
HorrorFantasy
Director: Leslie Goodwins
Cast: Lon Chaney Jr., Peter Coe, Virginia Christine, Kay Harding, Dennis Moore

The ancient mummy Kharis awakens in the Louisiana bayous after 25 years buried in quicksand, while the soul of Princess Ananka inhabits a woman seeking refuge at a local swamp project.

21
The Mummy's Ghost poster

The Mummy's Ghost

19441h2.8
HorrorFantasy
Director: Reginald Le Borg
Cast: Lon Chaney Jr., John Carradine, Robert Lowery, Ramsay Ames, Barton MacLane

An Egyptian high priest travels to America to reclaim the bodies of ancient princess Ananka and her mummy guardian Kharis, but becomes obsessed with a young woman who bears a mysterious resemblance to the princess. As his desires cloud his judgment, the priest begins to lose control of the dangerous mummy under his command.

22
The Invisible Man's Revenge poster

The Invisible Man's Revenge

19441h 18m2.9
HorrorScience Fiction
Director: Ford Beebe
Cast: Jon Hall, Evelyn Ankers, Alan Curtis, Leon Errol, John Carradine

A dangerous madman seeks revenge on his former partner who betrayed him in the jungle, enlisting the help of a mad scientist who can make him invisible.

23
House of Dracula poster

House of Dracula

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

A dedicated scientist attempts to find cures for the supernatural afflictions of both a werewolf and Count Dracula. However, his noble efforts take a dark turn when he becomes infected with vampirism himself, leading to tragic consequences.

24
She-Wolf of London poster

She-Wolf of London

19461h 1m2.8
MysteryHorrorThriller
Director: Jean Yarbrough
Cast: Don Porter, June Lockhart, Sara Haden, Jan Wiley, Lloyd Corrigan

A young heiress discovers disturbing evidence that she may be transforming into a werewolf at night due to a family curse, leading to mysterious murders in a nearby park.

25
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein poster

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein

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

Comedy duo Bud Abbott and Lou Costello encounter classic movie monsters including Dracula, the Wolf Man, and Frankenstein's monster in this horror-comedy crossover. When the monsters' plans threaten the hapless pair, hilarious chaos ensues.

26
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Invisible Man poster

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Invisible Man

19511h 23m3.5
HorrorComedyScience Fiction
Director: Charles Lamont
Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Nancy Guild, Arthur Franz, Adele Jergens

Comedy duo Bud Abbott and Lou Costello become private detectives and encounter the Invisible Man in this classic monster-comedy crossover from Universal Pictures.

27
Creature from the Black Lagoon poster

Creature from the Black Lagoon

19541h 19m3.9
AdventureHorrorScience Fiction
Director: Jack Arnold
Cast: Richard Carlson, Julie Adams, Richard Denning, Antonio Moreno, Nestor Paiva

Scientists exploring the Amazon River discover a prehistoric half-human, half-fish creature that becomes obsessed with one of the expedition members. This classic monster movie follows their dangerous encounter with the ancient being in its underwater domain.

28
Revenge of the Creature poster

Revenge of the Creature

19551h 22m2.9
HorrorScience Fiction
Director: Jack Arnold
Cast: John Agar, Lori Nelson, John Bromfield, Nestor Paiva, Grandon Rhodes

Scientists capture a mysterious half-man, half-fish creature from the Amazon and transport it to a Florida research facility for study.

29
Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy poster

Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy

19551h 19m3.2
AdventureHorrorComedyFantasy
Director: Charles Lamont
Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Marie Windsor, Michael Ansara, Dan Seymour

Comedy duo Bud Abbott and Lou Costello find themselves stranded in Egypt where they encounter a living mummy in an ancient tomb.

30
The Creature Walks Among Us poster

The Creature Walks Among Us

19561h 19m2.7
HorrorScience Fiction
Director: John Sherwood
Cast: Rex Reason, Jeff Morrow, Leigh Snowden, Gregg Palmer, Maurice Manson

In the final installment of the Creature from the Black Lagoon trilogy, scientists attempt to transform the amphibious monster into an air-breathing being, but their experiment backfires as the tortured creature becomes increasingly violent in his desperate attempt to return to his underwater home.