Highest-Rated Movies about 'Universal Monsters'

Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Frankenstein (1931), The Invisible Man (1933), The Phantom of the Opera (1925), Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), Dracula (1931), The Mummy (1932), The Invisible Man (2020) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best Universal Monsters movies.

#1. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Storyline: 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, a woman, to be the companion of the monster.

Plot Keywords: sequel, title spoken by character, blindness, hermit, mad scientist, miniature person, laboratory ...

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#3. The Invisible Man (1933)

Storyline: Working in Dr. Cranley's laboratory, scientist Jack Griffin was always given the latitude to conduct some of his own experiments. His sudden departure, however, has Cranley's daughter Flora worried about him. Griffin has taken a room at the nearby Lion's Head Inn, hoping to reverse an experiment he conducted on himself that made him invisible. Unfortunately, the drug he used has also warped his mind, making him aggressive and dangerous. He's prepared to do whatever it takes to restore his appearance, and several will die in the process.

Plot Keywords: invisibility, scientist, world domination, mad scientist, bandaged face, policeman, villain played by lead actor ...

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#4. The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

Storyline: At the Opera of Paris, a mysterious phantom threatens a famous lyric singer, Carlotta and thus forces her to give up her role (Marguerite in Faust) for unknown Christine Daae. Christine meets this phantom (a masked man) in the catacombs, where he lives. What's his goal ? What's his secret ?

Plot Keywords: opera, kidnapping, secret door, masked ball, mask, opera house, underground ...

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#5. Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

Storyline: The world of freight handlers Wilbur Grey and Chick Young is turned upside down when the remains of Frankenstein's monster and Dracula arrive from Europe to be used in a house of horrors. Dracula awakens and escapes with the weakened monster, who he plans to re-energize with a new brain. Larry Talbot (the Wolfman) arrives from London in an attempt to thwart Dracula. Dracula's reluctant aide is the beautiful Dr. Sandra Mornay. Her reluctance is dispatched by Dracula's bite. Dracula and Sandra abduct Wilbur for his brain and recharge the monster in preparation for the operation. Chick and Talbot attempt to find and free Wilbur, but when the full moon rises all hell breaks loose with the Wolfman, Dracula, and Frankenstein all running rampant.

Plot Keywords: spoof, character name in title, werewolf, wax museum, invisible man, transformation, supernatural power ...

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#6. Dracula (1931)

Storyline: After a harrowing ride through the Carpathian mountains in eastern Europe, Renfield enters castle Dracula to finalize the transferral of Carfax Abbey in London to Count Dracula, who is in actuality a vampire. Renfield is drugged by the eerily hypnotic count, and turned into one of his thralls, protecting him during his sea voyage to London. After sucking the blood and turning the young Lucy Weston into a vampire, Dracula turns his attention to her friend Mina Seward, daughter of Dr. Seward who then calls in a specialist, Dr. Van Helsing, to diagnose the sudden deterioration of Mina's health. Van Helsing, realizing that Dracula is indeed a vampire, tries to prepare Mina's fiance, John Harker, and Dr. Seward for what is to come and the measures that will have to be taken to prevent Mina from becoming one of the undead.

Plot Keywords: blood, vampire, castle, impalement, bitten in the neck, good versus evil, bloodsucker ...

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#7. The Mummy (1932)

Storyline: In 1921 a field expedition in Egypt discovers the mummy of ancient Egyptian prince Im-Ho-Tep, who was condemned and buried alive for sacrilege. Also found in the tomb is the Scroll of Thoth, which can bring the dead back to life. One night a young member of the expedition reads the Scroll out loud, and then goes insane, realizing that he has brought Im-Ho-Tep back to life. Ten years later, disguised as a modern Egyptian, the mummy attempts to reunite with his lost love, an ancient princess who has been reincarnated into a beautiful young woman.

Plot Keywords: ancient egypt, resurrection, museum, reincarnation, mummy, loss of loved one, white cat ...

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#8. The Invisible Man (2020)

Storyline: The film follows Cecilia, who receives the news of her abusive ex-boyfriend's suicide. She begins to re-build her life for the better. However, her sense of reality is put into question when she begins to suspect her deceased lover is not actually dead.—Max

Plot Keywords: domestic abuse, psychological abuse, psychotronic film, murder, reboot, mad scientist, invisibility ...

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#9. The Cat and the Canary (1927)

Storyline: Rich old Cyrus West's relatives are waiting for him to die so they can inherit. But he stipulates that his will be read 20 years after his death. On the appointed day his expectant heirs arrive at his brooding mansion. The will is read and it turns out that Annabelle West, the only heir with his name left, inherits, if she is deemed sane. If she isn't, the money and some diamonds go to someone else, whose name is in a sealed envelope. Before he can reveal the identity of her successor to Annabelle, Mr. Crosby, the lawyer, disappears. The first in a series of mysterious events, some of which point to Annabelle in fact being unstable.—Ron Kerrigan

Plot Keywords: based on play, moth, motorcycle cop, safe, cat, housekeeper, heiress ...

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#10. Son of Frankenstein (1939)

Storyline: Wolf von Frankenstein returns to the Baronial manor from the United States with his wife Elsa and son Peter. He not made welcome by the locals who are still terrified of his father's works and the monster he created. The local Burgomaster gives him a sealed briefcase left by his father and inside, Wolf finds his father's scientific notes. At the manor house he meets his father's assistant Igor who has a surprise for him: the monster his father created is still alive, though in some sort of coma. Wolf's initial attempts to re-animate the creature seem to fail but when Peter says he saw a giant in the woods, it appears he's met success. When people are mysteriously killed in the village there is little doubt that the monster is responsible.—garykmcd

Plot Keywords: sequel, father son relationship, secret passage, frankenstein's monster, secret door, murder, back from the dead ...

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#11. Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)

Storyline: A scientific expedition searching for fossils along the Amazon River discovers a prehistoric Gill-Man in the legendary Black Lagoon. The explorers capture the mysterious creature, but it breaks free. The Gill-Man returns to kidnap the lovely Kay, fiancée of one in the expedition, with whom it has fallen in love.

Plot Keywords: amazon, b movie, cult film, universal monsters, 1950s, ship captain, bare chested male ...

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#12. Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman (1943)

Storyline: Larry Talbot finds himself in an asylum, recovering from an operation performed by the kindly Dr. Mannering. Inspector Owen finds him there, too, wanting to question him about a recent spate of murders. Talbot escapes and finds Maleva, the old gypsy woman who knows his secret: when the moon is full, he changes to a werewolf. She travels with him to locate the one man who can help him to die - Dr. Frankenstein. The brilliant doctor proves to be dead himself, but they do find Frankenstein's daughter. Talbot begs her for her father's papers containing the secrets of life and death. She doesn't have them, so he goes to the ruins of the Frankenstein castle to find them himself. There he finds the Monster, whom he chips out of a block of ice. Dr. Mannering catches up with him only to become tempted to monomania while using Frankenstein's old equipment.—J. Spurlin

Plot Keywords: back from the dead, laboratory, energy, hiding place, eavesdropping, baroness, death wish ...

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#13. The Mummy's Hand (1940)

Storyline: A couple of comical, out-of-work archaeologists (Dick Foran and Wallace Ford) in Egypt discover evidence of the burial place of the ancient Egyptian princess Ananka. After receiving funding from an eccentric magician (Cecil Kellaway) and his beautiful daughter (Peggy Moran), they set out into the desert only to be terrorized by a sinister high priest (George Zucco) and the living mummy Kharis (Tom Tyler) who are the guardians of Ananka^Òs tomb.—Jeremy Lunt <durlinlunt@acadia.net>

Plot Keywords: archeologist, expedition, curse, strangulation, mummy, magician, resurrection ...

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#14. House of Frankenstein (1945)

Storyline: Dracula arrives at Dr. Edelman's office asking for a cure to his vampirism. However, this is a ruse by Dracula to get near Dr. Edelman's beautiful female assistant and turn her into a vampire. Meanwhile, a sincere Lawrence Talbot, AKA the Wolfman, arrives seeking a cure for his lycanthropy. When Dr. Edelman's first attempt fails, Talbot tries to commit suicide by jumping off a cliff, but instead finds a network of underground caves where Frankensteins Monster is in stasis. Chaos ensues as the three monsters fight for dominance of each other.—Norman Cook <cook@ssdgwy.mdc.com>

Plot Keywords: immortality, strangulation, laboratory, electrocution, disintegration, blood transfusion, building on fire ...

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