Are you a fan of thrilling monster movies? Then this article is for you as I bring to light some of the popular universal monster movies that have been released over time.
Universal monster movies, also known as the Universal Classic Monsters, are films made and produced by a media brand called Universal Pictures, and these movies date from the 1930s to the 1950s.
Although they weren’t originally intended to be a franchise, the company has decided to promote them under the umbrella brand name of Universal Studios Monsters due to the films’ continuing appeal and reputation.
This article lists some of these monster movies produced by Universal Pictures and briefly describes what to expect from these thrilling movies.
1. Dracula (1931)
- Directed by: Tod Browning.
- Casts: Bela Lugosi, David Manners, Helen Chandler, Dwight Frye, and Edward Van Sloan.
- IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
- Running Time: 1h 15m
Renfield enters the castle Dracula after a terrifying journey over the Carpathian Mountains in eastern Europe to complete the transfer of Carfax Abbey in London to Count Dracula, a vampire.
The incredibly hypnotic count seduces Renfield, who is then drugged and made into one of his thralls, guarding him on the boat ride to London.
After consuming the blood and transforming the young Lucy Weston into a vampire, Dracula turns his attention to Mina Seward, Lucy’s friend and daughter of Dr. Seward.
Mina then consults Dr. Van Helsing to determine the cause of Mina’s sudden decline in health.
Knowing that Dracula is a vampire, Van Helsing tries to prepare Dr. Seward, John Harker, and Mina’s fiancé for what is to come. This is indeed one of the universal monster movies produced.
2. The Invisible Man (1933)
- Directed by: James Whale.
- Casts: Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, William Harrigan, Henry Travers, Una O’Connor, Forrester Harvey, Dudley Digges, E. E. Clive, Dwight Frye, and Merle Tottenham.
- IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
- Running Time: 1h 11m.
A weird man with his entire head wrapped in bandages requests a room. The man insists that despite the pub owners’ lack of experience turning their home into an inn during the winter, they quickly regret their actions.
The man has filled his room with soiled chemicals, test tubes, beakers, and other supplies, giving the impression that he is a chemist. They find something horrifying as they attempt to remove him.
Flora Cranleys’ lover, Dr. Griffin, mysteriously vanishes, and she pleads with her father to take action about it as he is his assistant.
However, Flora has no idea that the bizarre reports in the media about an invisible murderous lunatic are actually about Dr. Griffin, who found the key to invisibility and went insane as a result.
This sci-fi horror film is part of the universal monster movies that have been produced.
3. The Black Cat (1934)
- Directed by: Edgar G. Ulmer.
- Casts: Boris Karloff, Béla Lugosi, David Manners, Julie Bishop, Egon Brecher, Harry Cording, Lucille Lund, Henry Armetta, Albert Conti, and John Carradine.
- IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
- Running Time: 1h 5m.
Dr. Vitus Verdegast, a tragic but aristocratic man returning to the ruins of the town he protected before spending fifteen years as a prisoner of war, shares the train compartment with Joan and Peter Allison while they are on their honeymoon in Hungary.
The travelers take refuge in the famous architect Hjalmar Poelzig’s house, which was fortified-like on the site of a horrific battlefield after Joan is hurt in the bus collision on the way to the hotel during a mountain storm.
There, cat-phobic Verdegast discovers the fate of his wife, laments the loss of his daughter, and is forced to play chess for Allison’s life. The black cat is one of the universal monster movies.
4. Werewolf Of London (1935)
- Directed by: Stuart Walker.
- Casts: Henry Hull, Warner Oland, Valerie Hobson, Lester Matthews, Spring Byington, Clark Williams, and Lawrence Grant.
- IMDb Rating: 6.3/10
- Running Time: 1h 15m.
A mysterious animal attacks Dr. Wilfred Glendon in the dark while on a botanical expedition in Tibet.
When he returns to London, he discovers that he is frightening the city every night like a werewolf and that the only thing that can cure his condition is a rare Asian flower called the Mariposa. This also is one of the universal monster movies produced by universal studios.
5. The Raven (1935)
- Directed by: Lew Landers.
- Casts: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Irene Ware, Lester Matthews, Inez Courtney, Raine Bennett, Al Ferguson, and Arthur Hoyt.
- IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
- Running Time: 1h 1m.
A wealthy judge persuades Dr. Vollin (Lugosi), a skilled but eccentric neurological surgeon obsessed with Edgar Allen Poe, to come out of retirement to save his daughter’s life. This dancer was left brain-damaged and handicapped in an automobile accident.
While Vollin heals her, he also sees her as his “Lenore,” and he devises a plan to abduct the woman, torture, and kill her fiance, as well as her father, in his Poe-inspired prison. Vollin hires Karloff, a wanted felon, to carry out his dirty job and transforms him into a monstrous creature to ensure his servitude.
The raven is also one of the universal monster movies produced and released.
6. The Invisible Ray (1936)
- Directed by: Lambert Hillyer.
- Casts: Boris Karloff, Béla Lugosi, Frances Drake, Frank Lawton, Violet Kemble Cooper, Walter Kingsford, Beulah Bondi, Frank Reicher, Paul Weigel, and Georges Renavent.
- IMDb Rating: 6.5/10
- Running Time: 2h 30m.
Visionary scientist Janos Rukh organizes an expedition to the African continent to find and examine a significant ancient meteorite.
He exposes himself to the meteorite’s highly poisonous radiation, and while Dr. Benet’s antidote prevents him from dying from radiation sickness, his bare touch instantly kills others.
Dr. Benet has the chance to give the blind their eyesight when the meteorite’s benefits of regulated radiation reach London.
Prof. Rukh becomes enraged and paranoid due to the antidote’s toxicity and vows to exact revenge on his expedition’s members for allegedly stealing his invention for their fame. This also is one of the universal monster movies.
7. Dracula’s Daughter (1936)
- Directed by: Lambert Hillyer.
- Casts: Otto Kruger, Gloria Holden, Marguerite Churchill, Irving Pichel, Halliwell Hobbes, Billy Bevan, and Fred Walton.
- IMDb Rating: 6.3/10
- Running Time: 1h 12m
Before a hypnotic lady steals Count Dracula’s body and cremates it, Prof. Van Helsing is at risk of being charged with murdering him.
When bloodless corpses begin to reappear in London, Hungarian countess Marya Zaleska seeks the help of psychiatrist Jeffrey Garth to rid herself of an unknown demonic force.
The scene switches back to that gloomy journey to the Borgo Pass from foggy London. This is another thriller film and one of the universal monster movies produced.
8. Night Key (1937)
- Directed by: Lloyd Corrigan.
- Casts: Boris Karloff, Warren Hull, Jean Rogers, Alan Baxter, Samuel S. Hinds, Hobart Cavanaugh, David Oliver, Ward Bond, Frank Reicher, and Edwin Maxwell.
- IMDb Rating: 6.3/10
- Running Time: 1h 8m
A gang kidnaps the creator of a brand-new, state-of-the-art burglar alarm system to force him to assist them in committing robberies. This crime thriller film is enlisted as one of the universal monster movies produced.
9. Son Of Frankenstein (1939)
- Directed by: Rowland V. Lee.
- Casts: Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, Josephine Hutchinson, Donnie Dunagan, Emma Dunn, Edgar Norton, Perry Ivins, Lawrence Grant, and Harry Cording.
- IMDb Rating: 7.1/10
- Running Time: 1h 39m.
With his wife Elsa and son Peter, Wolf von Frankenstein travels back to the Baronial mansion from the United States. The locals did not welcome him since they still feared the monster his father created and his father’s works.
The neighborhood Burgomaster hands Wolf his father’s locked briefcase, which contains his father’s scientific notes. Igor, his father’s aide, greets him at the manor house and informs him that the creature his father produced is still alive, albeit in a state akin to a coma.
When Peter claims to have seen a giant in the woods and residents of the village are killed inexplicably, Wolf’s initial attempts to reanimate the creature seem to have succeeded. The son of Frankenstein is also enlisted as one of the universal monster movies released.
10. Tower Of London (1939)
- Directed by: Rowland V. Lee.
- Casts: Basil Rathbone, Barbara O’Neil, Ian Hunter, Vincent Price, Nan Grey, Ernest Cossart, John Sutton, Leo G. Carroll, Miles Mander, Lionel Belmore, and Donnie Dunagan.
- IMDb Rating: 6.6/10
- Running Time: 1h 32m.
With the aid of his club-footed executioner Mord, Richard Duke of Gloucester eliminates those in line to succeed his brother King Edward IV of England at the time.
He particularly enjoys removing tiny figurines from a dollhouse in the throne room that each resembles one of the successors when each murder is finished until he is the only one left.
After Edward dies, he becomes Richard III, King of England, and all he needs to do to keep his position is to triumph over Henry Tudor, who is in exile. This is one of the universal monster movies.
11. The Invisible Man Returns (1940)
- Directed by: Joe May.
- Casts: Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Vincent Price, Nan Grey, John Sutton, Cecil Kellaway, Alan Napier, Forrester Harvey, and Paul England.
- IMDb Rating: 6.5/10
- Running Time: 1h 21m.
Geoffrey Radcliffe, who was set up to be executed for his brother’s murder, inexplicably disappears from prison after receiving a visit from his friend Dr. Frank Griffin.
Griffin, who Geoffrey received the formula, is revealed by police inspector Sampson to be the brother of the first Invisible Man.
Will Geoffrey be able to avoid the police’s search and find the real murderer? And more importantly, can Griffin find a cure before Geoffrey loses his mind due to the invisibility formula? This is another sci-fi film and one of the universal monster movies.
12. Black Friday (1940)
- Directed by: Arthur Lubin
- Casts: Boris Karloff, Stanley Ridges, Bela Lugosi, Anne Nagel, Anne Gwynne, Virginia Brissac, Edmund MacDonald, Paul Fix, Murray Alper, and Gonzalo Meroño.
- IMDb Rating: 6.3/10
- Running Time: 1h 10m.
Brain surgeon Dr. Sovac performs an illegal operation to transplant a portion of injured gangster Red Cannon’s brain into Professor Kingsley when he is on the verge of death, saving Professor Kingsley’s life.
Unfortunately, the procedure has a terrible Jeckll and Hyde side effect; under specific circumstances, Cannon’s identity manifests. Sinovac quickly learns about the gangster’s dual personalities and the $500,000 he has stashed away.
As Kingsley switches between being a vicious mobster seeking murderous retribution on those who attempted to kill him and a meek professor of English, his endeavor to find the money through the manipulation of his friend drives him closer to lunacy.
Black Friday is another thriller film and one of the universal monster movies produced.
13. The Mummy’s Hand (1940)
- Directed by: Christy Cabanne.
- Casts: Dick Foran, Peggy Moran, Wallace Ford, Eduardo Ciannelli, George Zucco, Cecil Kellaway, Charles Trowbridge, Tom Tyler, Sig Arno, Eddie Foster, and Ken Terrell.
- IMDb Rating: 6/10
- Running Time: 1h 7m.
Two amusing unemployed archaeologists find evidence of the tomb of the ancient Egyptian princess Ananka in Egypt.
They head out into the desert with money provided by a strange magician (Cecil Kellaway) and his lovely daughter (Peggy Moran), only to be haunted by the evil high priest (George Zucco) and the live mummy Kharis (Tom Tyler).
They serve as the keepers of Ananka’s tomb. This is another exciting horror film and one of the universal monster movies.
14. Man-Made Monster (1941)
- Directed by: George Waggner.
- Casts: Lionel Atwill, Lon Chaney, Anne Nagel, Frank Albertson, Samuel S. Hinds, William B. Davidson, Ben Taggart, Constance Bergen, and Russell Hicks.
- IMDb Rating: 6.1/10
- Running Time: 1h.
The only person to survive the bus collision into the hydro lines that electrocuted five others is “Big Dan” McCormick.
Dan is invited to visit eminent elector-biologist Dr. John Lawrence at his lab, where Dr. Paul Rigas, Lawrence’s assistant, is secretly carrying out experiments to support his theory that human life can be motivated and controlled by electricity.
Dan is convinced to participate in a series of tests conducted by Rigas, where he transforms into a superhuman and starts to glow.
He becomes a robot that Rigas commands, and he is sent to kill Lawrence, who tries to stop Riga’s bizarre experiments. However, during events, as Dan escapes persecution, he goes to have his revenge on Rigas for ruining his life. This is part of the universal monster movies.
15. Horror Island (1941)
- Directed by: George Waggner
- Dick Foran, Leo Carrillo, Peggy Moran, Fuzzy Knight, John Eldredge, Lewis Howard, Hobart Cavanaugh, Walter Catlett, Ralf Harolde, and Walter Tetley.
- IMDb Rating: 6/10
- Running Time: 1h 1m
“The Captain,” a peculiar peg-legged old sailor, enters the filthy waterfront office and meets entrepreneur Bill Martin and his sidekick Stuff Oliver. They are trying to keep one step ahead of creditors.
The captain is confident that Sir Henry Morgan’s treasure is stashed away in a castle on an offshore island that Martin inherited lately, and he has a treasure map as evidence.
Sensing a chance to make money, Bill tries to find clients prepared to pay $50 each for a “treasure hunt” excursion to the “haunted” island.
The spooky castle holds death and the phantom for them, so everyone experiences more chills than they paid. Horror island is one of the universal monster movies produced.
16. The Ghost Of Frankenstein (1942)
- Directed by: Erle C. Kenton.
- Casts: Lon Chaney Jr, Cedric Hardwicke, Ralph Bellamy, Lionel Atwill, Bela Lugosi, Evelyn Ankers, Janet Ann Gallow, and Harry Tenbrook.
- IMDb Rating: 6.1/10
- Running Time: 1h 7m.
Frankenstein’s monster is brought to Ludwig, the son of the original doctor, by Ygor after being revived.
Ludwig, who is fixated on getting the beast back to life, is unaware that every one of his associates has a distinct idea about whose brain should be placed into the monster’s skull. This is also enlisted as one of the universal monster movies produced and released.
17. The Invisible Agent (1942)
- Directed by: Edwin L. Marin.
- Casts: Ilona Massey, Jon Hall, Peter Lorre, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, J. Edward Bromberg, Karl Heiser, John Litel, Holmes Herbert, and Keye Luke.
- IMDb Rating: 6/10
- Running Time: 1h 21m.
When Axis agents try to obtain the invisibility formula, Frank Raymond, the grandson of the first Invisible Man, believes the old procedure is too hazardous to utilize. However, the events of Pearl Harbor prompted him to offer his skills as an unnoticed agent in Germany.
Though a little chilly (clothing isn’t invisible), his escapades are more comedic than thriller (with periodic harsh reminders), as he makes fools of Nazi officials and falls in love with a seductive double agent while looking for Hitler’s hidden plot. The invisible agent is part of the universal monster movies made.
18. Night Monster (1942)
- Directed by: Ford Beebe.
- Casts: Ralph Morgan, Irene Hervey, Don Porter, Fay Helm, Nils Asther, Leif Erickson, Doris Lloyd, Robert Homans, Lionel Atwill, Frank Reicher, Francis Pierlot, Bela Lugosi, Cyril Delavanti, and Janet Shaw.
- IMDb Rating: 6.2/10
- Running Time: 1h 13m.
Dr. Lynn Harper, a psychologist, has been requested to the old Langston Mansion, a creepy, foreboding location with a very negative reputation, to evaluate Margaret Langston, the patriarch Kurt Ingston’s daughter, for signs of insanity.
But just as Dr. Lynne is receiving veiled threats from the residents of the residence, Dick Baldwin appears on the scene.
Dr. Timmons, Dr. Phipps, and the sleazy Dr. King are the other three medical professionals that have been invited to the mansion.
The doctors are suddenly killed off one by one. Dick Baldwin needs to ascertain who is responsible for the killings before they murder Dr. Lynne Harper, his new love interest. This mystery horror film is one of the universal monster movies by the universal studios.
19. Captive Wild Woman (1942)
- Directed by: Edward Dmytryk.
- Casts: Evelyn Ankers, John Carradine, Milburn Stone, Lloyd Corrigan, Acquanetta, Fay Helm, Vince Barnett, Paul Fix, Ray Corrigan, and Ray Walker.
- IMDb Rating: 5.5/10
- Running Time: 1h.
A highly intelligent female gorilla is kidnapped from the circus and brought to Dr. Sigmund Walters’ lab after he becomes convinced that his experiments involving lower animal species cannot succeed.
Dr. Walters is an expert in glandular research, and He performs transplant surgery on the smart simian using a patient’s glands and his devoted nurse’s brain.
The experiment appears to succeed as the ape transforms into exotic and seductive Paula Dupree.
She even lands a job at her former circus with lion trainer Fred Mason. Unfortunately, her delicate metabolism malfunctions, and she reverts to her ape form when stimulated by desire and jealousy over Mason’s love. This is a sci-fi film and one of the universal monster movies produced.
20. Phantom Of The Opera (1943)
- Directed by: Arthur Lubin.
- Casts: Claude Rains, Nelson Eddy, Susanna Foster, Edgar Barrier, Jane Farrar, J. Edward Bromberg, Fritz Feld, Frank Puglia, Fritz Leiber, Steven Geray, Miles Mander, Hans Herbert, and Hume Cronyn.
- IMDb Rating: 6.4/10
- Running Time: 1h 32m.
Christine (Susanna Foster), a gifted singer, is unaware that Enrique (Claude Rains), a strange violinist with a scarred face, is paying for her singing lessons.
When inexplicable incidents happen at the Paris Opera House, and fatalities start happening simultaneously, Christine’s coworkers become suspicious.
Raoul (Edgar Barrier) and Anatole (Nelson Eddy), two of Christine’s suitors, brave the opera house’s shadowy corners in search of the actual offender. Phantom of the opera is also enlisted as one of the Universal monster movies.
21. Son Of Dracula (1943)
- Directed by: Robert Siodmak.
- Casts: Lon Chaney, Louise Allbritton, Robert Paige, Evelyn Ankers, Frank Craven, J. Edward Bromberg, Samuel S. Hinds, Adeline De Walt Reynolds, George Irving, Etta McDaniel, and Sam McDaniel.
- IMDb Rating: 6.1/10
- Running Time: 1h 20m
Count Alucard meets Katherine Caldwell, a wealthy member of the Caldwell family who owns the Dark Oaks plantation, and she helps him navigate the journey from Budapest to the marshes of the Deep South. She has an obsession with esoteric subjects.
The cunning Dr. Brewster, a longtime family acquaintance, suspects Alucard is something else. He will fight alongside occult expert Professor Lazlo against this “Alucard” and the woman he has influenced.
Or is he being controlled by Katherine? Frank Stanley, Katherine’s fiancé, will have his courage and sanity tested when he accidentally shoots Katherine dead but discovers that she survives. This is one of the universal monster movies produced.
22. Jungle Woman (1944)
- Directed by: Reginald LeBron.
- Casts: Evelyn Ankers, J. Carrol Naish, Acquanetta, Samuel S. Hinds, Lois Collier, Milburn Stone, Douglass Dumbrille, Richard Davis, Edward M. Hyannis, Christian Rub, and Tom Keene.
- IMDb Rating: 4.7/10
- Running Time: 1h 1m.
Paula the ape woman (Acquanetta) is still alive and well, rambling around a spooky old sanitarium headed by the benevolent Dr. Fletcher (J. Carrol Naish). She occasionally transforms into her proper gorilla form to kill someone. Jungle woman is one of the universal monster movies that you should watch.
23. The Invisible Man’s Revenge (1944)
- Directed by: Ford Beebe.
- Casts: Jon Hall, Leon Errol, John Carradine, Alan Curtis, Evelyn Ankers, Gale Sondergaard, Lester Matthews, Halliwell Hobbes, Leyland Hodgson, Doris Lloyd, Ian Wolfe, Billy Bevan, and Grey Shadow.
- IMDb Rating: 5.7/10
- Running Time: 1h 18m.
An ambitious scientist uses an escaped criminal to test his brand-new invisibility concoction. When the technique succeeds, the criminal flees to harass a family he thinks defrauded him of a large sum of money in the past. This is part of the universal monster movies produced by universal studios.
24. The Mummy’s Ghost (1944)
- Directed by: Reginald Le Borg.
- Casts: Lon Chaney, John Carradine, Robert Lowery, Ramsay Ames, Barton MacLane, George Zucco, Frank Reicher, Harry Shannon, Emmett Vogan, Lester Sharp, Claire Whitney, and Oscar O’Shea.
- IMDb Rating: 5.6/10
- Running Time: 1h 1m.
To reclaim the remains of the ancient Egyptian princess Ananka and her live guardian mummy Kharis, an Egyptian high priest sails for America. When he discovers that Ananka’s spirit has taken on a new body, he kidnaps a young Egyptian woman who bears an uncanny likeness to the princess.
But the high priest loses control of the mummy due to his mercenary impulses. This is one of the universal monster movies that you should see.
25. The Climax (1944)
- Directed by: George Waggner.
- Casts: Boris Karloff, Susanna Foster, Turhan Bey, Gale Sondergaard, Thomas Gomez, June Vincent, George Dolenz, Ludwig Stössel, Jane Farrar, Ernő Verebes, and Francis Ford.
- IMDb Rating: 5.4/10
- Running Time: 1h 26m.
When his jealousy becomes a mad obsession, Dr. Hohner (Karloff), the theatrical doctor of the Vienna Royal Theatre, murders his mistress, the leading singer.
Hohner’s old insanity returns ten years later when another young singer (Foster) makes him think of the deceased diva. Even if it means permanently silencing her, Hohner wants to stop her from singing for anybody other than him.
In the film’s climactic scene, the singer’s fiancée (Bey) races to save her. This is one of the universal monster movies produced.
26. Jungle Captive (1945)
- Directed by: Harold Young.
- Casts: Otto Kruger, Amelita Ward, Phil Brown, Jerome Cowan, Rondo Hatton, Eddie Acuff, Ernie Adams, Charles Wagenheim, Eddy Chandler, Jack Overman, and Vicky Lane.
- IMDb Rating: 5.1/10
- Running Time: 1h 3m.
Once more, a mad scientist and his deformed assistant revive Paula Dupree, the Ape Woman. This time, the scientist also kidnaps his female lab assistant so he can have a female blood donor.
Paula can only roam around at this point because her events in the previous movie have caused brain damage. This is one of the universal monster movies.
27. House Of Dracula (1945)
- Directed by: Erle C. Kenton.
- Casts: Lon Chaney, Martha O’Driscoll, John Carradine, Lionel Atwill, Onslow Stevens, Glenn Strange, Jane Adams, and Ludwig Stossel.
- IMDb Rating: 5.7/10
- Running Time: 1h 7m.
In this monster film, John Carradine’s Count Dracula and Lon Chaney’s Lawrence Talbot, better known as the Wolf Man, take center stage.
Both creatures of the night turn to Dr. Franz Edelmann (Onslow Stevens) for relief from their different supernatural afflictions since they are sick of living with them.
While attempting to help the intimidating animals, Edelmann experiences a transformational condition that makes him one of the countless ghouls prowling the ominous environment. House of Dracula is one of the universal monster movies produced.
28. House Of Horrors (1946)
- Directed by: Jean Yarbrough.
- Casts: Rondo Hatton, Bill Goodwin, Robert Lowery, Virginia Grey, Martin Kosleck, Alan Napier, and Joan Fulton.
- IMDb Rating: 6.1/10
- Running Time: 1h 6m.
The New York art critics mock the work and sanity of struggling sculptor Marcel De Lange. The distressed artist finds the half-drowned body of the infamous serial killer, the Creeper, and brings him back to his studio to heal as he heads to the river to commit suicide.
De Lange gives the acromegalic sociopath the task of killing the people who have publicly criticized him because he feels empowered by their friendship.
Successful commercial artist Steve Morrow is falsely accused of the crimes. His girlfriend, the art critic Joan Medford, decides to probe after feeling bad about a strange bust that De Lange had mysteriously buried in his workshop. This is one of the universal monster movies produced.
29. The Brute Man (1946)
- Directed by: Jean Yarbrough.
- Casts: Rondo Hatton, Tom Neal, Jan Wiley, Jane Adams, Donald MacBride, Peter Whitney, Fred Coby, Janelle Johnson Dolenz, Jack Parker, Oscar O’Shea, Joseph Crehan, and John Hamilton.
- IMDb Rating: 4.7/10
- Running Time: 59mins.
Hal Moffat, seeking out individuals responsible for his situation and killing them, befriends Helen Paige, a blind piano instructor.
As they become friends, he grows warm toward her and decides to commit theft and robbery alongside his murderers to provide her with the money she needs for surgery. The Brute Man is one of the universal monster movies produced.
30. The Strange Door (1951)
- Directed by: Joseph Pevney.
- Casts: Charles Laughton, Boris Karloff, Sally Forrest, Richard Stapley, William Cottrell, Alan Napier, Morgan Farley, and Paul Cavanagh.
- IMDb Rating: 6.2/10
- Running Time: 1h 21m.
Denis (Stapley), a noble-born cad, is deceived into being compelled to remain at the sinister manor of the Sire de Maletroit (Laughton), an evil lunatic still grieving for the death of his beloved 20 years after she wed his brother (Cavanagh) instead and died giving birth.
Metroid is determined to exact retribution because his brother has been imprisoned for twenty years, and he believes his unsavory house guest will make a suitable match for his niece. Fortunately, the young couple succeeds in falling in love.
With Voltan’s (Karloff) assistance, they attempt to flee the dungeon, but not before a final confrontation with Maletroit in the dungeon’s crushing deathtrap. This also is one of the universal monster movies.
31. The Black Castle (1952)
- Directed by: Nathan H. Juran.
- Casts: Richard Greene, Boris Karloff, Rita Corday, Lon Chaney, John Hoyt, Michael Pate, Nancy Valentine, Tudor Owen, Henry Corden, and Otto Waldis.
- IMDb Rating: 6.3/10
- Running Time: 1h 22m.
A man looked into the disappearance of two of his pals when they were visitors of a shady Austrian count. This thriller film is one of the universal monster movies produced.
32. It Came From Outer Space (1953)
- Directed by: Jack Arnold.
- Casts: Richard Carlson, Barbara Rush, Charles Drake, Joe Sawyer, Russell Johnson, Kathleen Hughes, Alan Dexter, Dave Willock, Robert Carson, George Eldredge, and Dick Pinner.
- IMDb Rating: 6.5/10
- Running Time: 1h 21m.
John Putnam, a writer, and amateur astronomer, enjoy spending time with Ellen Fields, his girlfriend, and a local teacher in their new house in the stunning Arizona desert.
John and Ellen witness a meteorite crash in the desert one evening. Pete is forced out of bed by John so that they can ride in his helicopter to the crash site.
John arrives and descends into the crater. Sadly, he has done it alone because Pete and Ellen are waiting for him. The spaceship is only visible to John before a landslide buries it.
The only person to catch a peek at the dreadful monster inside is John. John’s narrative initially appears absurd, but some locals start acting weird. This is one of the universal monster movies.
33. Cult Of The Cobra (1955)
- Directed by: Francis D. Lyon.
- Casts: Faith Domergue, Kathleen Hughes, Richard Long, Jack Kelly, David Janssen, Marshall Thompson, and Edward Platt.
- IMDb Rating: 5.7/10
- Running Time: 1h 22m.
Six American soldiers serving in Asia see the Lamians’ hidden ceremony (worshipers of women who can change into serpents). The High Lamian Priest promises that “the Cobra Goddess will avenge herself” after being uncovered by the cult.
When they return to the United States, a mystery woman enters their life, and mishaps start to occur. Before each death, a cobra’s shadow can be seen. Cult of the cobra is one of the universal monster movies.
34. Revenge Of The Creature (1955)
- Directed by: Jack Arnold.
- Casts: John Agar, Lori Nelson, John Bromfield, Nestor Paiva, Ricou Browning, and Tom Hennesy.
- IMDb Rating: 5.6/10
- Running Time: 1h 22m.
Scientists have transplanted The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) to an aquarium in south Florida.
He finds himself attracted to the attractive scientist Helen Dobson (Lori Nelson) there, manages to flee, kidnaps her, and takes her to Jacksonville with her real-life partner hot on his tail. This is one of the universal monster movies.
35. The Island Earth (1955)
- Directed by: Joseph M. Newman.
- Casts: Jeff Morrow, Faith Domergue, Rex Reason, Lance Fuller, Russell Johnson, Douglas Spencer, Robert Nichols, and Orangey.
- IMDb Rating: 5.9/10
- Running Time: 1h 27m.
Scientist Cal Meacham (Rex Reason) cracks a code that gives him access to a top-secret program run by the enigmatic Exeter (Jeff Morrow), which has brought together the best scientists in the world to learn as rapidly as possible how to produce and store nuclear energy.
Meacham quickly learns, however, that his host is not who he claims to be with the aid of fellow researchers Ruth Adams (Faith Domergue) and Steve Carlson (Russell Johnson). This is one of the universal monster movies produced.
36. Tarantula! (1955)
- Directed by: Jack Arnold.
- Casts: Leo G. Carroll, John Agar, Mara Corday, Nestor Paiva, Ross Elliott, Edwin Rand, Raymond Bailey, Eddie Parker, Hank Patterson, Bert Holland, Steve Darrell, and Clint Eastwood.
- IMDb Rating: 6.4/10
- Running Time: 1h 22m.
Professor Gerald Deemer (Leo G. Carroll) is testing growth hormones in the Arizona desert to find a means to improve the world’s food supply.
His coworker on the project was recently discovered dead in the desert from an illness that often takes years to develop but, in this person’s case, appears to have struck in just a few days.
With the help of Deemer’s recently hired (and extremely attractive) assistant, Stephanie “Steve” Clayton (Mara Corday), the local doctor, Matt Hastings (John Agar), tries to make sense of the bizarre case.
The evidence suggests that a giant spider is to blame when livestock corpses are discovered in the countryside. Tarantula is one of the universal monster movies that Yiu should probably watch.
37. The Land Unknown (1957)
- Directed by: Virgil W. Vogel.
- Casts: Jock Mahoney, Shirley Patterson, William Reynolds, Henry Brandon, Douglas Kennedy, Bing Russell, Phil Harvey, and Tim Smyth.
- IMDb Rating: 5.7/10
- Running Time: 1h 18m.
Three men and reporter Maggie Hathaway crash land in a crater 1,000 meters below sea level while on a naval trip to Antarctica.
As Maggie’s clothing gets shorter and shorter, they come across a humid tropical forest, dinosaurs, carnivorous plants, and human footsteps. This is one of the universal monster movies produced.
38. The Deadly Mantis (1957)
- Directed by: Nathan H. Juran.
- Casts: Craig Stevens, William Hopper, Alix Talton, Donald Randolph, Pat Conway, Florenz Ames, Paul Smith, Phil Harvey, Floyd Simmons, Paul Campbell, and Helen Jay.
- IMDb Rating: 5.1/10
- Running Time: 1h 19m.
A huge praying mantis that has been preserved in suspended animation from prehistoric times gets released by the breaking of an Arctic iceberg.
It travels to the milder latitudes of Washington and New York after attacking military installations and devouring their inhabitants. To exterminate it, a paleontologist collaborates with military personnel. The Deadly Mantis is one of the universal monster movies.
39. The Monolith Monsters (1957)
- Directed by: John Sherwood.
- Casts: Grant Williams, Lola Albright, Les Tremayne, Trevor Bardette, Phil Harvey, William Flaherty, Harry Jackson, Richard H. Cutting, Linda Schley, and William Schallert.
- IMDb Rating: 6.3/10
- Running Time: 1h 17m.
Near San Angelo, a bizarre, black meteor falls, scattering pieces across the surrounding landscape.
These shards become monoliths the size of skyscrapers when exposed to water during a storm, which causes them to tumble and break into thousands of pieces that subsequently develop into new monoliths and repeat the process.
Any humans in the path are killed or transformed into statues of humanity. The people of San Angelo work tirelessly to protect themselves and the world from the approaching disaster. This sci-fi film is one of the universal monster movies.
40. Curse Of The Undead (1957)
- Directed by: Edward Dein.
- Casts: Eric Fleming, Michael Pate, Kathleen Crowley, John Hoyt, Bruce Gordon, Edward Binns, Jimmy Murphy, Helen Kleeb, and Jay Adler.
- IMDb Rating: 5.9/10
- Running Time: 1h 19m.
The first vampire Western in cinema! One by one, young ladies in a small Western town pass away from an unidentified illness that causes severe blood loss.
Buffer, a cruel landlord, is terrorizing the ranch owned by the Carter family. Additionally, a strange gunfighter in all black who dislikes the sun has just arrived in town. Curse of the undead is one of the universal monster movies produced.
Conclusion
As seen above, these universal monster movies produced by universal studios contain high-quality and entertaining content that suits your taste as a horror-loving fan.
If you haven’t seen any of the movies listed above, do well to pick one from the list and enjoy it with your family and friends. mpakaidifelix
