81 Years Ago Today, Universal Released The Horror Crossover That Beat The Dark Universe Disaster By 75 Years

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Universal Pictures attempted to create a shared universe featuring its classic horror monsters in the 2010s, but the idea ultimately failed. Despite a history of interconnected stories dating back to an early film from 1931, the modern effort, dubbed the “Dark Universe,” never gained traction. The studio started with The Wolfman in 2010, then rebooted the concept with Dracula Untold in 2014 and The Mummy in 2017, which starred Tom Cruise. Russell Crowe appeared as Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde in The Mummy, hinting at future team-ups, but negative reviews and low ticket sales quickly ended the franchise.

Movie buffs will recall that Universal attempted a similar concept 81 years ago with the film House of Frankenstein, released on December 1, 1944, and later widely distributed that same month. Unfortunately, it wasn’t successful then, either.

Universal Studios Built Up Its Monster Slate Before House Of Frankenstein

Universal Studios’ monster movies looked very different in the 1930s compared to the 2010s. Back then, these films were meant to be hits on their own merits. It all began in 1931 with the release of Dracula and Frankenstein, which quickly became worldwide sensations. While earlier versions of these stories existed – a silent Frankenstein film in 1910 and Nosferatu, a take on Dracula – these were the first successful sound films of their kind for Universal. The studio quickly followed up with The Mummy and The Invisible Man, and by the next decade, The Wolf Man joined the lineup.

The studio produced several sequels, with mixed results. Bride of Frankenstein was a hit, but Son of Frankenstein didn’t fare as well. Following the success of The Wolf Man in 1941, Universal decided to combine its monsters for the first time, releasing Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man in 1943. Lon Chaney Jr. reprised his role as The Wolf Man, and Bela Lugosi – famous for playing Dracula – played Frankenstein’s Monster for the only time. The film was well-received, and the studio wanted to create even more ambitious crossovers in the future.

Universal Studios’ 1944 film, House of Frankenstein, wasn’t the success the studio had hoped for. While it earned more than some of their other horror movies, like The Invisible Man’s Revenge, it didn’t stand out among the year’s releases. Critics weren’t impressed, which was common for horror films at the time. The movie featured a completely new cast, with only Lon Chaney Jr. returning as The Wolf Man. Boris Karloff was in the film, but he didn’t reprise his role as the Monster; instead, Glenn Strange took on the character for the first time and continued in the role for the rest of the series. John Carradine played Dracula, replacing Bela Lugosi.

The original film bringing together Frankenstein’s Monster, The Wolf-Man, and Dracula wasn’t a hit with audiences. Despite being a big deal at the time, it only has a 47% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, even lower than the critics’ 55%. Universal still wanted to capitalize on the idea, so they reunited the monsters with the same cast in House of Dracula, and then again in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein in 1948. Surprisingly, that last film turned out to be the best of the bunch. Bela Lugosi returned as Dracula, and the movie cleverly balanced the monsters’ serious portrayal with the comedic antics of Abbott and Costello, making it a truly enjoyable monster mashup.

The Dark Universe Should Have Paid Attention

I have to say, Universal’s attempt at a ‘Dark Universe’ really missed the mark. They tried to do something incredibly difficult – bring all their classic monsters together in one shared universe – and honestly, it just didn’t work. It’s a tough balancing act; even back in the day with the original Universal Monsters, simply throwing them all together in a film, even when they were established stars individually, didn’t always click. Remember Monster Squad? Fun, but tricky! Universal clearly wanted to replicate the success of the Avengers, building this interconnected franchise, but they rushed things and ultimately, it fell flat. They skipped the crucial step of letting these monsters shine on their own before trying to force a team-up.

Universal made a big mistake by planning a team-up movie before seeing if its individual monster movies would succeed. They rushed things and the result was a failure. They should have looked at what went wrong with previous attempts and learned from those mistakes, but instead, they tried to create a franchise out of thin air, which was never going to work. It took three tries to get the classic monster movies right, even needing to add Abbott and Costello to make it successful. The film House of Frankenstein should have been a clear sign that combining monsters isn’t always a good idea.

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2025-12-01 22:13