How This Iconic, 1940s Horror Mash-Up Created the Cinematic Universe 60+ Years Before the MCU

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As a seasoned gamer and cinephile who has witnessed the evolution of shared cinematic universes from the early days of black-and-white monsters to today’s superhero extravaganzas, I can confidently say that revisiting the 1943 classic “Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman” is like stepping back into the birthplace of this beloved concept.

Today, when you check out the signage of a larger movie theater, it’s likely that at least one film playing is connected to a common cinematic world. The most renowned example is undeniably the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it doesn’t end there; also included are DC superhero films, M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable-Split-Glass series, Godzilla and the MonsterVerse, Kevin Smith’s View Askewniverse, Sony Spider-Man-related films like Morbius, and more.

On the other hand, none of these are the original cinematic universe. In 1943, Frankenstein crossed paths with the Wolf Man in the fittingly named “Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman”, a blend of monsters that marked the debut of interconnected storytelling within Universal Monsters films. It’s a significant chunk of film history and an entertaining monster movie – now available for streaming on Peacock.

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Revisiting the Universal Monster movie Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman, the beginning of the first shared cinematic universe

1943 marked the release of “Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman,” a film that followed four previous “Frankenstein” films and the successful “The Wolf Man” from 1940. With multiple sequels already produced for “The Mummy,” “The Invisible Man,” and “Dracula,” it seemed fitting to blend two popular characters. Despite the fact that the “Frankenstein” series was set in the 1800s while “The Wolf Man” was set in contemporary times, “Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman” served as a continuation from “The Wolf Man” and 1942’s “The Ghost of Frankenstein.

The movie has Lon Chaney Jr. reprising his role as Larry Talbot, the poor soul who was transformed into a werewolf and was seemingly killed at the end of the first film. However, when graverobbers break into his crypt and unwittingly remove the wolfsbane from his corpse, Talbot’s lycanthropy brings him back to life. Talbot, who is tormented by his curse and the violence he causes every full moon, wants to find a way to die, and his efforts lead him to the late Dr. Frankenstein’s castle, hoping to discover the solution in his notes. In the process, Talbot finds the frozen body of Frankenstein’s Monster (played by Bela Lugosi, the Dracula actor who took over Monster duties from Boris Karloff as of The Ghost of Frankenstein). He frees the monster, hoping it can show him the doctor’s notes, and chaos ensues. 

The title of the movie is aptly chosen: It’s Frankenstein encounters the Wolfman, not Frankenstein battles the Wolfman. Throughout the film, these two legendary creatures engage in conflict, but it’s limited and occurs near the end after an unsuccessful attempt to transfer Talbot’s life essence into his deceased counterpart. Eventually, they are both carried away by a flood that a villager triggered when he destroyed a dam to rid the area of the evil presence.

The movie “Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman” paved the way for numerous other films featuring multiple monsters, such as “House of Frankenstein”, where Frankenstein’s monster faced off against the Wolf Man again, and “House of Dracula”, where Dracula crossed paths with the Monster. Additionally, there were comedy-horror crossovers featuring Abbott and Costello. The idea of a shared cinematic universe, where different characters from various films intersect, didn’t become popular until much later. The Godzilla series introduced this concept in the 1960s when it incorporated monsters like Rodan and Mothra into its franchise after their initial solo appearances. This trend gained traction with the rise of superhero movies, given the history of crossovers in their comic book origins. Universal also tried to establish a new monster-themed cinematic universe, starting with “The Mummy” in 2017, but it didn’t last long and failed to replicate the success of the classic films from the ’40s and ’50s.

It might be because creating a compelling cinematic universe is more challenging than it seems. The film Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman, for instance, managed to do it. If you’re interested in understanding where much of today’s movie world began, give it a watch on Peacock.

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2024-09-20 18:32