The Universal Monsters are a collective of characters from the Universal Studios horror films of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Over thirty films were made with the characters, usually with the same groups of actors and directors. It is one of Hollywood’s earliests examples of a shared universe, and has manifested in merchandise, theme park attractions, and much more.
Phantom of the Opera[]
The 1925 adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera is largely considered to be the film that kickstarted the franchise, being a critical and box office success. Universal continued to explore dark stories when the industry transitioned to sound films, releasing Dracula and Frankenstein in 1931. This led to many sequels, spin-offs, and other horror story adaptations from the studio. Thus, Erik is usually included in the monster lineup, due to the story’s themes and the character’s possessive and violent nature. On very rare occasions, he’s swapped for Erique Claudin from the 1943 adaptation.
Erik is a common character in merchandise, though he doesn’t appear as often as other characters in the line-up. He is also a frequent character to appear in the Universal Studios theme parks around the world in many different attractions and meet and greet appearances, particularly during the Halloween season.
Lineup[]
- The Bride of Frankenstein
- Count Dracula
- Erik the Opera Ghost (The Phantom of the Opera)
- Frankenstein’s Monster
- Gill-Man (Creature from the Black Lagoon)
- Imhotep (The Mummy)
- Jack Griffin (The Invisible Man)
- Larry Talbot (The Wolf Man)