With Universal Picture seemingly launching another version of the Dark Universe, but perhaps with a modern twist, there are plenty of old and new monsters that should be brought back to join this interconnected universe of strange and evil creatures.
Some of these monsters deserve to be brought back more than others and a couple would fit really well into this new universe that could be in the works. Here are 10 other universal monsters that should get the reboot treatment, and perhaps even a modern update. Take a look!
CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON
The water-based creature is one of the earliest monsters put to film from Universal and has quite an iconic look. It’s the sort of monster that’s memorable but a little laughable nowadays. It can be easily reinvented for the 21st Century though.
Having the monster be created by some sort of pollution or waste can easily update this creature. Having it slowly spotted and spread around social media, like the Loch Ness Monster, before it kills its victims, might be an interesting way to go.
MAN WHO LAUGHS
The man who laughs is now more relevant due to the popularity of the Joker character, who was primarily based off of this monster. The crazy nature of this laughing man would be able to easily adapt to the modern world.
In fact, there’s not much updating that needs to be done as this is still an incredibly creepy image to take away. There’s something sadistic about this and with all the clown horror elements recently a new movie would fit in easily with the rest.
DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE
The dual nature of this character has always been a fascinating one to unpack. Resulting from an experiment gone wrong, Marvel’s Hulk is based on this character and it’s clear that audiences love to watch the monster versus the man narrative.
This is another story that can fit in easily with modern audiences, simply playing off the experimentation accident storyline that was set up in the previous films and of course the book. It’s the kind of gothic story that could help flesh out the universe.
DR FRANKENSTEIN
Frankenstein’s monster is focused on so much that the evil genius behind him is often forgotten. Yet, there’s a powerful story here, especially with his sidekick Igor. The fact is, Frankenstein is a Universal monster without the creature he has produced.
There’s no telling what other creations he could form though, with his scientific genius. In a world of veganism, animal testing is banned and other great moves towards protecting animals, a mad scientist experimenting with their lives could be the monster needed for horror now.
BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN
The Bride of Frankenstein was said to be in development for some time, with Angelina Jolie supposedly playing the titular character. However, that seems to have been put on pause for now, but the character has a lot of potential.
Frankenstein’s monster has been developed so thoroughly that it would be quite refreshing to see his bride take center stage, perhaps even as one of the original monsters. It feels like a natural update for a really old franchise and one that would still be recognizable to fans.
PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
The Phantom is a monster we haven’t seen for quite a while, but since most villains these days are made to be relate-able, it makes sense to take the Phantom on the same path, as some kind of anti-hero.
There’s also plenty of ways that the Phantom could become scarred, which could play on many political events currently happening in the world. This could be a genuinely emotional tale and a big departure from what we normally see from the monster movies.
HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME
With Notre Dame having recently been burned down, perhaps this isn’t the best time for this film. At the same time though, Quasimodo absolutely loves that building and probably would be very upset if it was damaged.
The story kind of writes itself therefore, it’s just whether it’s too soon to work on a film like this, especially since recent events have unfolded. Perhaps a few years down the line this will be perfect as the iconic structure is rebuilt.
WOLFMAN
The Wolf Man is easily one of the most adapted characters on this list, whether it’s in books, comics or even as part of other franchises that cross over with vampires and mythical creatures. The original iteration is one of the best though.
The one thing that needs to be questioned is, is any updating required? We absolutely want to see a reboot so that the character can be realized using modern technology and techniques, but story-wise it’s all pretty sound.
VAN HELSING
Van Helsing the vampire hunter, should really be brought back into the modern-day. There’s plenty of vampire based properties now but very few have a proper hunter ready to take them down. We think this could be the lead character of the franchise.
Adapting Helsing to take on all sorts of mythical creatures would make him far more interesting. The film could be developed past what we’ve seen before as he becomes some sort of monster hunter for hire.
MALEVA
Maleva is a character that’s often not mentioned, but she’s someone who appears in the Wolf Man franchise. However, there’s something quite mysterious about her and she could be very easily developed further, perhaps into some kind of witch or Baba Yaga type character.
The Dark Universe should be developing characters for a new generation and very rarely do we got to go back to something more mystical from the past. This character could open the door to the more magical side of these monsters, rather than just those that are technologically based.
