The below is a timeline I made up to try to reconcile all of the movies in the various Universal "classic horror" collections that I own. I ended up folidng in a bunch of Abbott and Costello movies, plus Young Frankenstein, just for fun. Enjoy!
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1779 BC: In Egypt, the High Priest Im-Ho-Tep is mummified alive as punishment when he tries to steal the Scroll of Thoth in hopes of reviving his lost love, Princess Anck-es-en-Amon.
(The Mummy. Based on info given in the movie.)
1056 B.C.: Prince Kharis is mummified alive when he is caught stealing sacred tana leaves in an attempt to revive his lost love, Princess Ananka.
(The Mummy's Ghost. Based on info given in the picture.)
1886: Two American policemen known only as "Slim" and "Tubby" go to London to study British police methods. While there, they help uncover the mysterious case of Doctor Henry Jekyll and Mister Edward Hyde.
(Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Based on the release date of the original novel.)
1897: Scientist Jack Griffin discovers a drug which renders him invisible, but which has the side effect of driving him insane. He embarks on a campaign of violence before being tracked down and shot by the police.
(The Invisible Man. This date is one I found on-line, though I'm not sure what it's based on. It suits me, so I'm using it.)
Griffin's notebooks pass to his brother Frank.
(The Invisible Man Returns. Based on info given in the movie.)
The vampire Count Dracula travels to Britain, where he is apparently destroyed.
(Dracula. Based on the novel's release date.)
A vampire calling herself Countess Marya Zaleska, claiming to be Dracula's daughter, claims his remains. She lures Doctor Jeffrey Garth to Transylvania, but is destroyed there.
(Dracula's Daughter. Presuming these events immediately followed those of the previous film.)
1899: Viktor Heinrich "Henry" von Frankenstein constructs a humanoid creature from parts of corpses and successfully reanimates it. The creature proves to be mentally unstable, becoming a Monster, and is subsequently destroyed.
(Frankenstein. Date based on information given in Bride of Frankenstein.)
Henry subsequently marries his fiancee Elizabeth. Shortly thereafter Henry's father dies and he becomes Baron Frankenstein.
Henry is pressured by his former colleague Doctor Pretorius to create a mate for the original Monster. Frankenstein and Pretorius successfully reanimate a female creature, but she rejects her intended mate. Incensed, the Monster destroys Pretorius, the female creature and apparently, himself.
(Bride of Frankenstein. In this film, Frankenstein is seen looking at a grave dated "1899". Since one would assume that only fresh corpses would interest him, I am positing that the events of the two films occur in 1899.)
1901: In London, housekeeper Martha Winthrop attempts to convince heiress Phyllis Allenby that she is insane as part of a plot to gain control of Allenby's property. However, WInthrop's plot is foiled with help from Allenby's fiance and friends.
(She-Wolf of London. Based on info given in the film.)
1906: When he is framed for murder, Geoffrey Radcliffe has Frank Griffin inject him with the invisibility drug. Radcliffe uses the advantage of invisibility to track down the real murderers. (The Invisible Man Returns.)
1912: In Egypt, adventurers Steve Banning and Babe Jensen battle a mysterious cult guarding the tomb of the Princess Ananka, and encounter the living mummy, Kharis. They bring Ananka's mummy to Massachusetts.
(The Mummy's Hand. Based on these events occurring thirty years before those of The Mummy's Tomb, which is definitely set during World War Two.)
1921: In Egypt, an expedition led by Sir Joseph Whemple inadvertently revives Im-Ho-Tep.
(The Mummy. Based on info given in the movie.)
1924: Seeking revenge on those he believes wronged him, Robert Griffin - younger brother of Jack and Frank - seeks out Doctor Drury, a scientist that he knows has been following up on his brother's invisibility research. Robert uses invisibility as part of his attempted revenge, but it ends badly and he is killed.
(The Invisible Man's Revenge. Robert being related to the other Griffins is my speculation, as is the idea that he knew
that Drury was working on invisibility.)
1930: Henry's son Wolf von Frankenstein returns to his ancestral home with his wife and his young son Peter Friedrich Frankenstein. There he encounters the monster created by his father. The creature has fallen under the influence of the criminal Ygor, who pressures Wolf to help the Monster. When the Monster and Ygor are both believed killed, Wolf and his family leave, eventually settling in America.
(Son of Frankenstein. Arbitrary date, chosen to give enough time for a child of Henry and Elizabeth to be old enough to have a child of his own.)
1931: A Spanish-language film is made about Dracula's arrival in Britain. The film stars Carlos Villar as Dracula.
(Dracula - Spanish version. I couldn't think of a way to reconcile both versions in one timeline, so I posit that someone got the details of this story and made a film about it.)
1932: In Egypt, Frank Whemple meets Ardath Bey (who is, in fact, Im-Ho-Tep in disguise), who helps him find the tomb of Anck-es-en-Amon. Im-Ho-Tep kidnaps kidnaps Helen Grosvenor, a woman he believes to be the reincarnation of Anck-es-en-Amon. Frank and his friend Professor rescue her, and Im-Ho-Tep is destroyed.
(The Mummy. Based on the release date.)
1933: Ygor seeks out Ludwig Frankenstein (younger brother of Wolf) in order to force the latter to transplant his brain into Frankenstein's Monster. The operation is only partially successful, and the Monster is believed killed when Ludwig's laboratory is destroyed. Ludiwg is killed at the same time.
(The Ghost of Frankenstein. The date is arbitrary, chosen to be a few years after the previous picture.)
1935: Doctor Wilfrid Glendon becomes a werewolf, but is shot down by the London police.
(Werewolf of London. Based on the release date.)
Lawrence Talbot becomes a werewolf, but is presumed killed shortly thereafter.
(The Wolf Man. The date is arbitary - chosen to be relatively contemporary, but moved back a few years, so as to explain why there's no mention of the Second World War in a film set in Britain.)
1939: Lawrence Talbot is revived by graverobbers, and subsequently travels to Vasaria, in Transylvania. there he encounters Elsa Frankenstein (kid sister of Wolf and Ludwig) and a Doctor Mannering, who attempts to cure him by draining his energy into Frankenstein's Monster. The experiment fails and both Talbot and the Monster are believed destroyed. Elsa subsequently leaves Transylvania.
(Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. In real-life, Transylvania is a region between Hungary and Romania which they swapped back and forth during the Twentieth Century. Hungary would have owned it at the time, Romania owns it currently. In this timeline, I am positing that Transylvania became independent after World War One, and remained neutral during the Second, to explain why the war-year pictures have no mention of the war. As regards Elsa Frankenstein, a number of on-line sources posit her as Ludwig's daughter. I recall no such indication in the film itself, even if there is, it suits my purposes for her to be a daughter of Henry, rather than a grand-daughter.)
1940: Professor Gibbs invents a device to make people invisible, testing it on model Kitty Carroll. Mobster Blackie Cole learns of the device and has it stolen. Carroll, Gibbs and Gibbs' sponsor Richard Russell manage to retrieve the device. Russell and Carroll subsequently marry.
(The Invisible Woman. Based on the release date.)
The U.S. government purchases Gibbs's device but finds it unreliable for practical use.
(This is speculation on my part, to explain why the Feds and the Axis don't seem to have taken any interest in Gibbs' work.)
1941: Richard and Kitty Russell have a child who has inherited Kitty's power of invisibility.
(The Invisible Woman.)
Frank Griffin, Jr. (living under the name "Frank Raymond") is approached by Axis agents seeking to obtain his uncle's invisibilty formula. Escaping from them, he offers his services to the U.S. Government.
(Invisible Agent. Based on info given in the film. I know the film describes him as Jack Griffin's grandson, to me it makes more sense logistically for him to be Frank Griffin's son.)
1942: Frank Griffin, Jr. is dropped into Berlin to obtain information regarding a planned Axis sabotage campaign. He succeeds in this mission.
(Invisible Agent. Based on info given in the film.)
The cult of Ananka sends Turhan Bey and the mummy Kharis to Massachusetts to seek vengeance on Steve Banning and Babe Jensen. Banning's son John leads a counterattack and Bey is killed and Kharis apparently destroyed in a fire.
(The Mummy's Tomb. Based on the release date.)
1943: A vampire calling himself "Count Alucard" comes to America and marries Katherine Caldwell, turning her into a vampire. Katherine's family and friends battle Alucard, and Alucard and Katherine are destroyed.
(Son of Dracula. Based on the release date. To my mind, Dracula, Alucard and Latos are three different individuals, although there may be some relationship between the three. Not just becuase they're played by different actors - they seem like different individuals to me.)
1944: The cult of Ananka sends Yousef Bey to Massachusetts to recover Kharis and the mummy of Ananka. Bey discovers that Ananka has been reincarnated as Amina Mansori, an exchange student. When Yousef tries to keep Amina for himself, Kharis kills him. Kharis then takes the rapidly-aging Amina and lowers them both into a nearby swamp.
(The Mummy's Ghost. Based on the release date.)
Doctor Gustav Niemann, a former associate of Henry Frankenstein, revives a vampire he believes to be Count Dracula (but who is really Baron Latos, but doesn't mind trading on the Dracula name), and involves him in his schemes for revenge against Bürgermeister Hussman. The scheme fails and Latos is apparently destroyed. Niemann escapes and goes to Vasaria, where he discovers Lawrence Talbot and Frankenstein's Monster. He involves them in his revenge schemes under the pretext of curing Talbot. In the end, Niemann is killed and Talbot and the Monster are again believed destroyed.
(House of Frankenstein. Based on the release date.)
1945: Baron Latos and Lawrence Talbot each independently approach Doctor Franz Edelmann, requesting that he cure them. During the course of his attempt to find a cure, Edelmann finds Frankenstein's Monster. In the end, Edelmann, Latos and the Monster are apparently destroyed. Talbot escapes, but subsequently finds that Edelmann's cure has failed.
(House of Dracula. Based on the release date.)
1948: Doctor Sandra Mornay revives the original Count Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster. Lawrence Talbot becomes aware of this and pursues them to America, where he enlists the aid of delivery men Chick Young and Wilbur Grey in defeating them. In the end, Dracula, the Monster and Talbot are believed destroyed.
(Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. Based on the release date.)
1951: Private investigators Bud Alexander and Louis Francis are hired by boxer Tommy Nelson, who's been framed for his manager's murder. Nelson uses the Griffin invisibility formula being researched by his fiancee's uncle, Doctor Philip Gray, to help clear himself of the charges.
(Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man. Based on the film's release date.)
1954: In a remote section of Brazil, an expedition led by Doctors Mark Williams and David Reed discovers an amphibian humanoid they nickname "The Gill Man".
(Creature from the Black Lagoon. Going by the release date.)
1955: A team led by Professor Clete Ferguson captures the Gill Man and brings it to Florida. The creature escapes, but is believed killed by police gunfire.
(Revenge of the Creature. Going by release date.)
In Egypt, American would-be adventurers Pete Patterson and Freddie Franklin are caught up in cult leader Semu's efforts to protect the secrets of the mummy Klaris and the treasure of Princess Ara.
(Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy. Based on the release date.)
Peter Friedrich "Frederick" Frankenstein, son of Wolf - returns to Transylvania to claim his birthright. He discovers Henry's notes and creates a monster of his own. Despite some initial difficulties, the experiment is ultimately successful, and Frederick's Creation takes a respected place in society.
(Young Frankenstein. I'm going with the assumption that Frederick Frankenstein is Peter Frankenstein grown up. The date is my arbitrary choice, long enough for Peter to have grown up.)
1956: A group led by Doctor William Morgan finds the Gill Man alive in the Florida Everglades and captures it, burning it badly in the process. To save its life, the humans operate on it, converting it into a solely air-breathing creature. The Gill Man is taken to a facility in California for study. When the humans fall out among themselves, the creature escapes and returns to the water, presumably drowning in the process.
(The Creature Walks Among Us. Going by release date.)
1969: Ilzor Zandaab is sent to Massachusetts to retrieve Kharis and Ananka, who have both been revived. When Ilzor's aide Raghab turns on him, Ilzor, Raghab and Kharis are destroyed, and Kharis and Ananka are at last re-united in death.
(The Mummy's Curse. Per info given in the film, this is 25 years after the previous picture.)
Replies
I’ve tried something like this myself in the past, but eventually abandoned it due to too many contradictions. You solved certain discrepancies differently than I might have (placing The Mummy’s Hand prior to The Mummy, for example), but backed it up with (mostly) on-screen evidence. My efforts focused on the Frankenstein family tree, but I tried to fold in the Hammer Studios films as well (plus certain others such as Jesse James Meets Frankenstein). I must admit I never considered that Frederick and Peter might be one and the same, nor did I notice the tombstone dated “1899” in Bride of Frankenstein. Assembling an overall timeline for all of the Universal Studios monster film is problematic, but thi is indeed a worthy effort!
I've never seen the Hammer films, which shows a shocking gap in my qualifications as a horror buff
Just about the time Universal Studios was petering out, Hammer took the horror baton and ran with it!
Fascinating. Of course, several elements of Universal's Dracula clearly place it in the early 1930s (I won't even discuss the stylized anachronisms of the Frankenstein films).
And while I'd have to rewatch my copy of Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, I'm 90% certain she is expressly identified as the granddaughter of the original Dr. Frankenstein. The identification of Ludwig, specifically, as her father probably comes from the fact that his wife in Ghost of Frankenstein is also named Elsa.
But, absolutely, your timeline should feel free to ignore inconvenient details. Universal Studios certainly did!
Oh, sure, there's plenty of room for argument. In the end, I'm sure that no one at Universal was thinking, "Let's make sure we create an airtight continuity, here."
I did a thing on the Universal Monsters' "continuity" which is reprinted here. I would add, making the two Draculas and Alucard three very different vampires makes sense out of some very sloppy handling of the character. Kudos.
In The Mummy's Hand we get a brief glimpse of a telegram dated 1940.
Of course, this would push the whole Kharis chronology quite far into the future, so it's probably best to consider that a mistake.
Don Mankowski said:
I missed that. Oh, well.
Baron, just curious, have you watched any of the Hammer films yet?
Not yet, doc.
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