ORLANDO, Fla. – The electrified portal pulses purple as you enter Dark Universe at Universal’s Epic Universe. Mists billow, lights flicker around gravestones at the entrance to the village of Darkmoor.
It’s as if, to quote Mary Shelley in “The Bride of Frankenstein,” “the air itself is filled with monsters.”
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The new land inside Universal’s Epic Universe draws heavily from the classic monster films Universal Studios made in the 1930s, particularly “Frankenstein,” “The Wolfman” and “Dracula.” While the film company struggles to resurrect its monster movie franchise, the theme park is reinvigorating the classic tales for a new age.
“I love that there is now so much money dedicated to keeping these characters alive and keeping the next generation of horror fans and movie fans looking back on these films that were so important,” said Zachary Beckler, associate lecturer at the University of Central Florida’s film program. “Universal is the studio that monsters saved.”
[RELATED: Frankenstein, Wolfman animated figures revealed at new Epic Universe attraction]
“A new world of gods and monsters”
Universal was well-acquainted with horror before 1931’s “Dracula” and “Frankenstein.”
I think the first horror movie you could consider like a universal horror movie was probably 1913, and it was ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,’ a silent version of that,” Beckler said.
It was actor Lon Chaney, known as “The Man of 1,000 Faces,” whose appearance in “The Phantom of the Opera” really gave Universal a foothold in the horror world.
“Especially ‘Phantom of the Opera,’ just one of the most iconic makeup designs in film history,” Beckler said. “It’s still to this day – I mean, I’ve seen that they do have him in the new ride looking exactly like Lon Chaney did in that film.”
It’s believed Chaney was one of the choices to play “Dracula,” but he died in August of 1930 after a period of illness that included lung cancer.
Instead, Bela Lugosi, who had played Dracula on Broadway, took his cape and his widow’s peak to Universal’s soundstages. “Dracula,” directed by Tod Browning, came out in February 1931.
“Frankenstein,” directed by James Whale and featuring Boris Karloff as “The Monster,” came out in November 1931.
“I think the design of the characters is the thing that has stood this, and will continue to stand the test of time,” Beckler said. “The first image you have in your head of Dracula is usually the widow’s peak, the slicked back hair, even the new Universal monster, right? They give them a little bit of a look, a little bit of a style. But he’s still got the widow’s peak, and that widow’s peak was a (makeup designer) Jack Pierce trademark. And there is just no other Frankenstein’s monster that enters your head than the flat top.”
The commercial success of “Dracula” and “Frankenstein” typecast the two stars, but it also led to an explosion of Universal horror movies. Of the most popular, Karloff‘s “The Mummy” premiered in 1932, “The Invisible Man” with Claude Rains premiered in 1933, “The Bride of Frankenstein” came out in 1935, and “The Wolf Man” starring Lon Chaney Jr. came out in 1941.
Universal churned out sequel after sequel to the Frankenstein and Dracula franchises and even crossover event films (do you think Marvel was the first to do it?). The monsters even met comedy superstars Abbott and Costello.
With the exception of “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” in 1954, which was filmed in Central Florida, Universal’s horror entries in the 1950s were largely B-movie creature features and little else.
“It’s alive! It’s alive!”
Matinee showings and television screenings kept the monsters in the public’s eye, even as horror films evolved with Hammer Horror, Hitchcock, paranormal and religious films, and especially in the 80s, the slasher.
Bryan Murphy owns Atomic Horror, a horror-themed shop on East Colonial Drive in Orlando, and he points to late-night horror programs on TV like “MonsterVision” and the advent of VHS.
“I was very into classic movies too, so I watched Dracula and Frankenstein and a lot of more obscure older horror movies when I was even much younger. And then we lived through the 80s and 90s, just the golden era of the direct-to-video. Horror movies that, you know, we went to the video store all the time to see what was new,” Murphy said.
But it wasn’t a horror story that led Universal back to its classic monsters with 1999’s “The Mummy.” It was an adventure.
“That movie definitely leans away from horror and more into Indiana Jones style adventure comedy,” Beckler said. “And I think that what happened with Universal is every time they try to do something new with the monsters, they fall back on ‘The Mummy.’”
Beckler said Universal made the same mistake with the monster franchise that was supposed to be Universal’s answer to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That franchise’s name? “Dark Universe.”
“They put out in all the trades, the picture of all these upcoming projects with Javier Bardem and Johnny Depp, and none of them ended up happening because ‘The Mummy’ (2017) was kind of a disappointment,” Beckler said.
“The Mummy,” which starred Tom Cruise and was also more of an action movie, also focused too much on the worldbuilding aspect for the franchise, rather than just telling a good story, Beckler said.
“You have Jekyll, and there’s a whole subplot, and it just doesn’t work, where they’re feeding in all the monsters they’re going to announce in future films,” Beckler said.
“Children of the night”
While the “Dark Universe” was abandoned on the big screen, Universal’s monsters live on. A new “Invisible Man” film came out in 2020, and “Wolf Man” was released earlier this year, both released through Universal Pictures.
Two Frankenstein films not tied to Universal are also being released in the next year: “Frankenstein, by director Guillermo del Toro, comes out on Netflix in November. “The Bride!” directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, is scheduled to be released by Warner Bros. next year.
And, of course, “Dark Universe” at Epic Universe is a whole new chapter, with the granddaughter of scientist Henry Frankenstein hoping to resurrect Dracula and rehabilitate him, which is the basic plot of the main ride, “Monsters Unchained.”
Murphy got the chance to check out the land and the ride recently.
“It’s just probably the best work Universal’s done in terms of environments, atmospheres,” Murphy said. “Dark Universe is pretty rich in terms of atmosphere. And the main ride, the monster ride, I think, is a terrific ride. It really has so many great big animatronics.”
He also sees it as a chance to get new clientele.
“I’m excited to have something for the horror people, and then maybe it’ll get some people newly into it deeper. There’ll be some kid who goes, and it’ll be their favorite land, and like you were asking me, they’ll be like, I don’t really even know why. It’s fun. It’s creepy, it’s fun to be scared,” Murphy said.
What films should you watch ahead of visiting Dark Universe?
If you want to see some Universal Monster films before visiting the parks, both Beckler and Murphy agree that Frankenstein is a great place to start.
“I think there’s a really good trilogy in the universe, the movies, which are ‘Frankenstein,’ ‘Bride (of Frankenstein)’ and ‘Son (of Frankenstein).’ That’s a really nice starting place, because I think those are three of the strongest films, and ‘Son’ is kind of underrated. It has a really great Bela Lugosi performance as Ygor,” Beckler said.
“I feel they’d watch ‘Frankenstein’ and really see it as a modern movie,” Murphy agreed. “Dracula is a little more stiff, a little more still taking some from the silent era. And the acting’s a little different style, more theatrical, especially since Bela had done the play so many times for so long that he really was coming in there to be like, this is how I performed it.”
“The Wolfman is a great place to start because that’s an entertaining film,” Beckler added. “‘Invisible Man,’ anything (director) James Whale did.”
Murphy also recommends “Creature From the Black Lagoon.” The Gill-man has a small part to play in “Monsters Unchained.”
“The creature is like the best costume design, I think out of any of the originals and almost ever in my mind. Yeah, I just thought that one was so terrific,” Murphy said. “And it is a Florida movie, you know, it’s ties to Silver Springs and everything.”
Horror homages
Dark Universe’s Village of Darkmoor is heavily inspired by the “Frankenstein” films, but there are little touches and tributes to all of the Universal monster films throughout the area.
Here are some things to look for.
“It’s alive! It’s alive!”
The words atop the portal entry to Dark Universe were spoken by Dr. Henry Frankenstein as his monster came to life in the 1931 film. The iconic words have been in every iteration of the Frankenstein story ever since, in homage to the film.
Tombstone tributes
The graveyard coming right out of the portal has grave markers, tombstones, and statues that mirror the ones in the cemetery at the beginning of “Frankenstein” (1931), in particular the Grim Reaper statue. Also, look for a statue of a little girl holding flowers. It’s a tribute to Maria, a child who has a fatal encounter with the monster in the film.
Pretorius scientific oddities
This store is named after Dr. Septimus Pretorius, the eccentric mad scientist and true villain of “The Bride of Frankenstein” (1935). The actor who plays Pretorius, Ernest Thesiger, was a classically trained stage actor who appeared in several films for Universal, including the horror film “The Old Dark House” (1932).
De Lacey’s Cottage
This quick-service food vendor pays tribute to a family that featured in the original Frankenstein story by author Mary Shelley. The DeLacey family was poor, and the father was blind, but through watching the family, the monster began to learn how to speak and how to act. He even tried to befriend them, but is rebuffed by the younger family members who can see his monstrous form.
Dr. Henry Frankenstein
In Shelley’s original story, Dr. Frankenstein’s name was Victor. In the movie and in Dark Universe, it’s Henry. There’s a portrait of him as you go through the queue for the “Monsters Unchained” ride, and he looks very much like the actor who played Henry in the first two Frankenstein films, Colin Clive. There is also a large photo of Frankenstein and his bride from the film over a fireplace in the queue.
Ygor
Ygor is Victoria Frankenstein’s assistant, and is a character you can meet. His appearance is very like the assistant to Dr. Henry Frankenstein in “Frankenstein” (1931), but in that film, his name is Fritz, and he’s played by Dwight Frye.
There is an assistant named Ygor in the sequel “Son of Frankenstein” (1939), played by Bela Lugosi. He looks nothing like the Ygor in the park though, and you really wouldn’t want to meet him.
The Bride of Frankenstein
The Bride is a character you can meet, and sometimes with the Monster as well. The Bride in “The Bride of Frankenstein” (1935) only appears for a few minutes at the end of the film, but her arrival is iconic, earning her a proper spot in the Monster Pantheon.
The Invisible Man
The Invisible Man is a character you can meet, and yes, you can actually see him. Like Claude Rains’ portrayal of Dr. Jack Griffin in the film, The Invisible Man wears bandages for his face, sunglasses, a smoking jacket, and a fedora.
The Golden Lion
The Golden Lion is the inn that features in “The Invisible Man” (1933). There’s a sign for the inn in Darkmoor.
The Guild of Mystics
A camp of carts is situated outside the Curse of the Werewolf roller coaster. There, you meet guild leader Maleva, who explains the curse of the werewolf. Maleva was also the name of the wise woman who explained the curse in “The Wolfman” (1941).
The Burning Blade Tavern
One of the most iconic scenes of all Universal monster movies is the shot of the burning windmill at the end of “Frankenstein” (1931). Above The Burning Blade Tavern is a windmill that lights on fire periodically.
Listen for the bells ringing in the square, because that means angry villagers have chased the monster to the edge of the town, and the windmill’s blades go up in flames.
Epic Universe opens May 22.