New Universal Monsters Blu-Ray Box Set Will Make You Forget About The Dark Universe

If you still haven't washed the bad taste of Universal's Dark Universe out of your mouth, this might help. A new Universal Monsters Blu-ray box set will be hitting shelves just in time for the Halloween season, offering up 30 black and white horror classics.

The original Universal Monsters movies are – for the most part – unbeatable. Starting with Dracula in 1931, Universal realized there was money to be made in scaring the bejesus out of unsuspecting audiences. From the '30s all the way through the late 1950s, Universal adapted classic gothic novels and other folkloric traditions into a series of moody, atmospheric chillers, and popularized the horror genre in the process. In years to come, Hammer would inject blood-red color into these stories and adapt them for a new generation. And as the horror genre evolved, it would become more graphic, more political, more brutal. But those Universal classics still prevail, even after Universal themselves tried to tarnish their legacy with the abysmal Dark Universe.

The Universal Monsters films have found their way to DVD and Blu-ray before in various collections devoted to each series – i.e. the Dracula collection, the Frankenstein collection, and so on. But now, Universal is going to unleash them in one massive Blu-ray box set containing 30 films. The box set will arrive on August 28, which is just in time to kick-off the Halloween season (we all know Halloween season begins the last week of August, right?).

Here's what's included in the set:

"Dracula" (1931)

"Frankenstein" (1931)

"The Mummy" (1932)

"The Invisible Man" (1933)

"The Bride of Frankenstein" (1935)

"Werewolf of London" (1935)

"Dracula's Daughter" (1936)

"Son of Frankenstein" (1939)

The Invisible Man Returns" (1940)

"The Mummy's Hand" (1940)

"The Invisible Woman" (1940)

"The Wolf Man" (1941)

"The Ghost of Frankenstein" (1942)

"Invisible Agent" (1942)

"The Mummy's Tomb" (1942)

"Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman" (1943)

"Phantom of the Opera" (1943)

"Son of Dracula" (1943)

"The Invisible Man's Revenge" (1944)

"The Mummy's Ghost" (1944)

"House of Frankenstein" (1944)

"The Mummy's Curse" (1944)

"House of Dracula" (1945)

"She Wolf of London" (1946)

"Abbott and Costello Met Frankenstein" (1948)

"Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man" (1951)

"Creature from the Black Lagoon" (1954)

"Revenge of the Creature" (1955)

"Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy" (1955)

"The Creature Walks Among Us" (1956)

I'm thrilled that the Abbott and Costello movies are included here as well, as they were always my personal favorites. There are also hours of bonus features, including trailers, documentaries, and the Spanish-language version of Dracula (which is actually slightly better than the English-language one, don't @ me). A 48 page collectable book is included with the collection.

The Universal Monsters Blu-ray box set can be purchased here, and will run you $149.98. That may seem pricey, but come on – you must own She Wolf of London on Blu-ray, folks.