Before the word "franchise" meant superheroes and crossovers, Universal Pictures built an empire of the undead. The studio's 1930s run of horror classics did not just change cinema. It redefined how we see fear, beauty, and even ourselves.When Dracula arrived in 1931, followed by Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, Bride of Frankenstein, and The Wolf Man, the world was only beginning to crawl out of the Great Depression. These were not escapist fantasies. They were reflections of unease, uncertainty, and guilt.