It's Halloween night so it only makes sense we talk about some monsters. But, we're only focusing on films starring the original Universal Monsters (Wolf Man over any werewolf, Dracula over any vampire, etc.). So, with that being said, we've decided to compile another consensus list that we're calling Bitesize Breakdown's Top Five Universal Monster Mash.
As per usual, each writer ranks their top 15 releases in the category. Those lists are then weighted on a reverse point system. After all the points are tallied up, the entries with the most total points make up the Bitesize Top Five.
5. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
Even if you are not into classic film, or have sworn off black-and-white pictures as an affront to your colorful world, you likely are aware of the beats of the original Frankenstein because it is indelible in movie history. The imagery of Frankenstein’s castle, the ending with the windmill on fire, the unbridled ecstasy when Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) shouts, “It’s alive! IT’S ALIVE!,” the look and feel of The Monster (Boris Karloff, credited as “?”) — it is all iconic. This imprinted Universal Studios as THE studio for horror in Hollywood’s Golden Age and became the blueprint for countless adaptations, all with their own flair while still harking back to James Whale’s effort. It tells a story that creators are still mining today: the ways in which rampant ambition can destroy you and the people around you, and exploring the dark pieces of yourself that you have to come to terms with. Even in seventy minutes, it manages to establish how Henry is struggling with his human relationships in service to this creature, giving the creature pathos, which is quite the feat. If horror is your thing and you want to gain insight into the landscape of what is possible, you should view that which laid the foundation. You might just find it electrifying. - Robert
4. FRANKENSTEIN (2025)
In prepping for this ranking, I realized that I don’t actually like (or haven’t even seen) many movies featuring the original Universal movie monsters. However, despite my aversion to ranking things that are too recent, I can’t deny the pure artistry that is Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. The craft and love with which del Toro made this movie creates art in motion, carried ably on the backs of tremendous performances, lavish set design, and grand scale. It’s poetic and moving, buried in gothic vibes that suit the classic tale perfectly. If you didn’t get a chance to see it in theaters, you missed out on a truly special and spectacular cinematic experience. - Quentin
3. YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN
The great Mel Brooks turned 100 earlier this year, and it made many people - including myself - reminisce on what a genius he is. He knows how to punch up and punch down. He can aim high in his directorial craft, and perfectly blend that with some of the funniest lowbrow humour there is. All of that couldn’t be more evident in Young Frankenstein. Co-written alongside his frequent star Gene Wilder, the film operates both as loving satire and homage to the Universal Monsters films at large - complete with appropriating the haunting black-and-white cinematography, and even going as far as using the original lab equipment from director James Whale’s 1931 take. Best of all is that Brooks never sacrifices one genre for the other in his hybrid, which is the art of a truly great parody. Young Frankenstein served as my introduction to his brilliance, and in some ways, it helped shape my sense of humour. - Bode
BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA
Director Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 masterpiece Bram Stoker’s Dracula is easily one of the best cinematic iterations of the formidable Count (Gary Oldman). Coppola’s timeless rendition of the classic tale sticks close to the novel, and is fittingly a gloriously lavish melodrama; deliciously decadent and dripping in vampiric excess. Utilising stylised cinematography and in-camera practical effects that enhance its legacy of expressionism inherited from silent-era film, it is defined by its impressive craftsmanship and gorgeous visuals. The star-studded cast features Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Richard E Grant, Keanu Reeves, Cary Elwes, and of course Gary Oldman, whose performance as the titular Dracula is incredible. Oldman is committed to the role, playing Dracula as I think he should be: deeply romantic, peculiar, gothic, filled with an almost crippling sense of longing, and just as charming as he is frightening. - Katie
THE MUMMY (1999)
I have several hot takes when it comes to, in my opinion, this masterpiece of a blockbuster, and, of course, they all have to do with the other masterpiece of a blockbuster it’s always compared to. In progressively scalding order: 1. Indiana Jones doesn’t have a villain in the entire franchise that is more memorable or devilishly brilliant as Kevin J. O‘Connor’s Beni; 2. Brendan Fraser’s Rick O’Connell is just as charming as Harrison Ford’s Indy, if not as iconic; 3. I would gladly choose to watch John Hannah weasel his way out of dying by mimicking “Ihhh-Mooo-Tep”, Rachel Weisz cutely proclaim something about Bembridge Scholars, and Oded Fehr say “Yalla!, Imshi!” to his fellow Madjai for quite literally the 50th time before I watch an Indiana Jones film again. I unabashedly and unequivocally love the charm, goofiness, action, humor, and all-around joy in this movie! I have a trivia team named “Wrong Side of The River” for goodness sake (you have to know this reference, please tell me you know this reference). If Universal would have started their universe with this film, we’d have 20 years worth of greatness come 2029. Too bad. - Amarú
HONORABLE MENTIONS
THE INVISIBLE MAN (2020)
DRACULA (1931)
CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON
THE MONSTER SQUAD
THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1996)