Dracula (Universal film series)

Dracula is a film series of horror films from Universal Pictures based on the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker and its 1927 play adaptation. Film historians had various interpretations of what constitutes being in the film series, with Ken Hanke finding that only Dracula (1931), Dracula's Daughter (1936), and Son of Dracula (1943) could be considered a part of any series while Gary D. Rhodes included House of Frankenstein (1944) and House of Dracula (1945), stating these films would require an audience to be familiar with Count Dracula portrayed by Bela Lugosi and the various character traits the actor established in the original 1931 film.

The only actor from Dracula to return as a character in any sequel is Edward Van Sloan who returned as Van Helsing in Dracula's Daughter and is re-named Von Helsing. The films following Dracula's Daughter do not follow the narrative set-up by the first two films. House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula feature a Count Dracula who only makes brief appearances in the film with a different look and character. Film academics and historians commented that the narrative inconsistencies were made for commercial reasons, such as Universal wanting name their new horror films after family members for Son of Dracula as they had done with films like Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Son of Frankenstein (1939). Academic Megan De Bruin-Molé contested that including the inclusion of Count Dracula in House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula was part of Universal's approach to combining their horror characters as they had done with films like Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943) to establish themselves as the "real" home of horror in the film market.^[1] Following the success of the 1931 film and several horror sequels made in the 1940s, various Dracula remakes and follow-ups were announced that never went into production, such as Wolf Man vs. Dracula.