Following the box office failure of "Dracula Untold" and the critical and commercial failure of the Dark Universe's "The Mummy," I decided to try my hand at figuring out how I would like to see a rebooted Universal Monsters cinematic universe. I won't go into details about the plots of each movie, because people familiar with the books and the old movies are already well-enough aware of the storylines. So instead, I'll just focus on what types of changes and additions I would make. Also, while I'll be focusing mainly on Universal monsters, I still want to incorporate some additional monsters from Victorian gothic literature and other iconic classic monster movies.
Maybe give the entire story some steampunk aspect, making it unclear exactly what time period is being depicted? This would keep in line with the classic movies having some modern elements in the city scenes, but old-timey elements in the rural regions, plus play into the steampunk aspects seen in other monster movie reboots.
One of the main recurring themes, in keeping with the tradition of the original films, is that the monsters are clearly divided into "pure evil" (such as Dracula) and "sympathetic" (such as Frankenstein's Monster), or even "redeemable" (such as the Phantom of the Opera). While the originals tended to follow the formula of "good human kills bad monster" or "sympathetic monster kills bad human, but is also himself killed," this series should start out in a similar way, but gradually shift toward the more modern formula of "good monster kills bad monster."
Victor Frankenstein needs fresh body parts for his experiments, so he enlists the help of an unscrupulous gravedigger, who at first is only seen in shadow. He talks about how he sells stolen jewelry off the corpses, as well as bodies for experiments. He steps out of the shadows to reveal a hunched back, and introduces himself as Igor. (This helps to combine elements of both the original Universal's "Frankenstein" and "Son of Frankenstein.")
After the Monster escapes, we get the blind man scene from "Bride of Frankenstein," followed by his encounter with Dr. Septimus Pretorius, who convinces Victor to build a Bride for the Monster. Pretorius demonstrates that he can create a cloned brain, but needs fresh body parts. (Do not include the scene of the miniature people in jars, because that's just weird.) Unbeknownst to Victor, Pretorius and Igor are murdering women to get these parts. Soon after, the angry villagers attack the castle and lynch Igor, causing his neck to break. The Monster, after being rejected by the Bride, realizes that Pretorius is evil and must die. He destroys the entire castle. Victor is cornered by a villager, but rescued by Igor, who survived his hanging albeit with an injured neck. (This ties into both Igor as a person with a neck injury from a hanging in "Son of Frankenstein" and Igor as the retconned version of Fritz, the hunchback from the original "Frankenstein.")
At some point, the Monster is threated with "a nice good fire," to which the Monster responds, "Fire no good! Fire bad!" (This is a combination of the real quote "fire no good" from "Bride of Frankenstein" with the often misquoted line of "fire bad.")
Footprints reveal that the Monster has survived and is headed north. Victor follows. Later, when they meet in the Arctic, Victor is dying. He finally gives the Monster his name: Adam Frankenstein. (This connects both to the theme of the Monster being called an "Adam" in the book, as well as the common mistake of the Monster being called "Frankenstein.")
Cut back to Walton's ship, as the frozen body of Adam is discovered. Elsa, for the first time, removes her cold weather hood and visor to reveal that she is actually the Bride. (This is a misdirect, seeming to reference the character of Elsa from "Ghost of Frankenstein," but also a nod to "Bride of Frankenstein" by having the Bride having the same face as the narrator.) Elsa attaches a car battery to Adam's neck bolts, causing his eyes to open. Cut to black and roll credits, possibly set to "Frankenstein" by Edgar Winter.
2: "Dracula" - Basically, the story of Bram Stoker's Dracula, but with a few additional details: Renfield is a central figure in Dracula's plans, as in the 1931 version, but it is clarified that Renfield is helping Dracula by getting himself admitted to the sanitarium which is on the same property as Mina's home, placing him in a position to "invite" Dracula onto the property. The sanitarium is called "The Caligari Institute," (a subtle nod to "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari"). One of the doctors who examines Renfield is introduced as Dr. Jekyll (his name is at first mispronounced, and he offers correction, referencing the fact that later Jekyll & Hyde films pronounced the name differently than in the original), who is fascinated by Renfield's apparently becoming more insane at night and more stable during the day. Jekyll draws blood for his own research. (This sets up a later Jekyll & Hyde story, but is also a reference to "House of Dracula," in which a Jekyll/Hyde-type character is affected by a small amount of vampire blood.) Dracula first introduces himself to Dr. Seward, Mina and Lucy at a performance of Swan Lake (referencing the fact that music from Swan Lake was used as Dracula's theme in the early sound movies). Quincy Morris plays a major role in hunting down Dracula, and uses a bowie knife that has been blessed by a priest and marked with sacred symbols (thus, resolving the problem of how Dracula, in the original novel, managed to be killed by a bowie knife). In a flashback scene, we see that Dracula was the same person as Vlad the Impaler, but was raised from the dead and turned into the first vampire by Lilith. Finally, we get some foreshadowing that Dracula has been preparing for some unspecified coming apocalyptic event, which would require him to have mastery over all forms of the undead. Our only clue is a stolen Egyptian talisman that leads Professor Van Helsing to believe that the next clue is in Egypt (and setting up for "The Mummy").
3: "The Mummy" - Van Helsing travels to Egypt to find more information on Dracula's plan (stepping into the Dr. Muller role, thereby combining two similar characters both played by Edward Van Sloan). The story more or less plays out identical to the 1932 version of "The Mummy," but with the addition that Imhotep resurrects his former servant, Kharis, to capture Helen Grosvenor, the reincarnation of Ankhesanamun (similar to Kharis's role in "The Mummy's Hand" and its sequels, and basically replacing the character of The Nubian). Imhotep is defeated when Helen uses the talisman brought by Van Helsing to disintegrate Imhotep to dust, after having recovered her past life memories. Kharis is apparently deactivated, but intact, and is later seen being shipped off to an Egyptian antiquities exhibit in America. Unlike the original, however, Helen retains her past life memories, adopting a dual identity as both herself an Ankhesanamun with knowledge of Egyptian magic. (The character of David, Helen's love interest, is superfluous to the story, and left out.)
4: "The Vampires" - A combination of "Dracula's Daughter" and "Son of Dracula." Focus on Alucard's and Marya's different points of view, that Marya wishes to find a way to become fully human, while Alucard is content to remain a vampire, but avoid harming humans. The main villain is Katherine Caldwell, who plots to seduce Alucard into turning her into a vampire, then betray and kill Alucard, living forever on the Caldwell estate. An additional antagonist is Sandor, Marya's familiar who suspects that Marya's quest to become human will lead to her breaking her promise to turn him into a vampire.
Alucard's look should be reminiscent of the version from "Castlevania."
Marya's blood is analyzed by a chemist, Jack Griffin (replacing Dr. Garth), who attempts to understand how and why it doesn't seem to be visible in mirrors, remarking that it must have some unknown light refracting properties (implying that this is exactly what he is looking for in later becoming the Invisible Man).
Janet Blake (because Garth is absent) is more of a romantic paring with Marya. In a dramatic scene, Janet asks Marya to turn her into a vampire, shifting the focus from Marya's search for a cure to her self-acceptance and romance with Janet. Her transformation (set to "Total Eclipse of the Heart") is juxtaposed against Katherine's predatory and selfish reasons for wanting to be a vampire.
At some point, Marya reviews aliases she has used in the past, including Mavis, Lilly and Laura (referencing other version of Dracula's daughter from "Hotel Transylvania," "The Munsters," and "Monster High," respectively).
Maybe some reference to "London After Midnight?"
5: "The Invisible Man" - Definitely play up Griffin's role as a force of chaotic evil, possibly even anarchist. Include the smoke effects from "The Invisible Man Returns." As with the original, Griffin is killed, but his invisibility formula is passed to Geoffrey Radcliff, but unlike the original, Geoffrey is not cured of his invisibility, allowing future movies to feature Radcliffe as the recurring Invisible Man.
6: "The Wolfman" - More or less the same movie as the original, but with a greater focus on the full moon, and his ability to regenerate injuries which are not caused by silver.
(Maleva basically fulfills a similar role to Agent Coulson in "The Avengers," being the linking thread connecting the various characters together, which is appropriate, as she was the one who originally introduced two monsters together in "Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman.")
7: "The Monster Mash" - Open with a crowd in a Vaudeville theater watching Abbott & Costello performing their famous Baseball routine (an obvious reference to the fact that Abbott & Costello appeared in several monster and other Universal movies).
Gustav Neiman (from "House of Frankenstein") is the main villain. The monsters who team up against him include Lawrence (Wolfman), Alucard, Adam and Elsa (Frankenstein's Monster and Bride), Radcliffe (Invisible Man), and Kharis (Mummy). (This is based on Gustav Neiman being the main antagonist in the first movie to feature Dracula, Wolfman and Frankenstein's Monster, but also fulfilling the original plan of including The Mummy.)
(The reason for using Alucard instead of Dracula, is so that Alucard can form a more positive relationship with the other monsters, while saving Dracula to return later as the main villain.)
At first, Adam is in a weakened state and having difficulty seeing (a reference to the monster being blinded in "Ghost of Frankenstein"), but is restored to full power after drawing energy from power lines. (Possibly include a joke about the song "Puttin' on the Ritz," a reference to "Young Frankenstein.")
8: "Jekyll & Hyde" - Use the correct pronunciation. Like the movies, show how Jekyll is losing control of Hyde. Hyde should be a combination of a bully, a psychopath, a toxic male, and an internet troll (but in real life). Make him misogynistic, racist, abusive to animals and children, etc., but not out of good faith, but rather out of a deliberate desire to harm and offend in every way possible.
When a maid is seen cleaning up, Poole refers to her as Miss Riley (a subtle reference to "Mary Riley").
Later, when Utterson and the police have Hyde cornered, he taunts them by stating that if he is arrested, he will eventually escape and hurt more people, and that the only way to prevent this is for Utterson to kill his friend Jekyll in cold blood, thus illustrating the point that being a psychopath is beneficial. It's left ambiguous what Utterson does next, at least, until the sequel.
In a final scene, one of Hyde's victims, a handsome young man (later revealed to be Dorian Gray), gets back up, his seemingly fatal injuries quickly healing, and walks away as if nothing had happened.
9. "Dorian Gray" - (Technically, "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is not associated with Universal Pictures, but like Dr. Jekyll, he is part of the pantheon of Victorian gothic literature, and has made frequent crossover appearances with the other monsters, including "Penny Dreadful" and "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.")
One point of difficulty in the adaptation is that modern audiences may find it difficult to relate to a character who's pansexual libertine lifestyle is perceived as a point of shame. So to add contrast, Dorian should eventually be pitted against Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett (two purely evil characters, also associated with Victorian-era penny dreadful stories).
An aging supermodel, Janice Starlin, remarks that Dorian never seems to age, and wishes she could say the same for herself. She starts to tell that she has a scientist friend who is doing some new anti-aging research involving wasps, but she is interrupted. (This is a reference to "The Wasp Woman.")
Unlike in the book, Dorian does not destroy the painting in the end, allowing him to return in later chapters.
Somehow, this connects back to Dr. Jekyll, who is shown in prison. Knowing that Jekyll had once analyzed the blood of Renfield, Alucard, Lawrence and Adam arrive to question him. Lawrence senses that Jekyll has a similar problem to his own, and wonders if they can learn to help each other. (This is a reimagining of "House of Dracula," in which the main three monsters encounter Dr. Edelmann, who is an obvious pastiche of Dr. Jekyll.) They also state that Elsa has been searching for Dr. Pretorius's and Dr. Frankenstein's notebooks, which were stolen years ago. A clue leads them to Dr. Sigmund Walters in New York. As they board the boat, Maleva reveals that she is helping "an old friend" escape from Paris, who is now hiding on the same boat. Cut to a shadowy figure listening to the monkey music box from "Phantom of the Opera."
10: "The Phantom of the Opera" - The story more or less follows the original story, including the Persian, the scorpion/grasshopper switches, and other story elements often left out of movie and play versions. We also get a performance of a scene from Faust. A few specific changes are made, though, such as the inclusion of the half-face mask (mostly associated with the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical). Play up the theme of Christine being entranced by her "angel of music," almost as if possessed by a spirit, even to the point of her seemingly controlled by the Phantom at a distance. In one scene, several stage hands are sharing rumors they've heard about who the Phantom is: one that he traded his soul and part of his face for musical talent, one that he had acid thrown in his face during a fight with the owners, one that he was burned in a fire caused by someone stealing his music, and one that he was an escaped circus freak. (All of these are references to the various origin stories for the Phantom given in various other movies.) Christine has had a long-standing relationship with Raul. She tells the Phantom the story of how they first met when they were children, and he jumped into the sea to retrieve her lost scarf. Some easter eggs are included among the various stage props, including three skulls and a pistol, a monkey music box, and previous versions of the Phantom's mask
At some point, after Christine has realized that the Phantom is no angel, he encourages her to write a song. Later, when Christine has a big performance that could make her entire career, she chooses the song that she wrote. The Phantom comments that it resembles a rock-synth fusion with a simple-but-catchy melody and a Pink Floyd-inspired leitmotif, and suggests that some heavy metal elements would give it extra power. (Clever viewers will see where this is going.) He does not attempt to improve upon the lyrics, because he says they are "from her heart and therefore perfect." When it comes time for her performance, the song is revealed to be Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera" in the style of Nightwish. (This is the only inclusion of music from the Webber play, thus making it more of a surprise reveal for the audience.) Before the performance, the Phantom knows that he is walking into a trap, but goes willingly because "the show must go on." Raul, although plotting to capture the Phantom, allows the performance to go on out of respect for Christine.
Later, sometime after his escape, someone suggests that the Phantom start a carnival in New York and call it "Phantasmagora," but the Phantom dismisses this as a really stupid idea. (This is a joke at the expense of "Love Never Dies.")
Include some reference to "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." (Also a French classic adapted by Universal Pictures.)
Possible inclusion of or reference to Sherlock Holmes. (Holmes is also part of 19th-Century English Literature, and famously associated with Universal Pictures, and also has had multiple crossovers with the Phantom in later fanfic novels.)
11: "Jungle Woman" - Combining elements of both "Captive Wild Woman" and "Jungle Woman."
Note that when Paula first takes on human form, her appearance should be realistic. (No makeup, no shaved legs, no perfectly styled hair, etc.) Instead of standing silently, as in the original, Paula's movements should be more animalistic, including grunting, chest-beating and arm-flailing.
Definitely play up Paula's ability to control and/or communicate with animals, as well as her superhuman strength and agility. (Instead of a brain transplant, Walters should use a brain-development formula adapted from Pretorius's notes.)
Her costume should at first be like the circus cape seen in "Captive Wild Woman," but later switch to a leopard skin (giving her a more jungle-themed look, while also calling back to Aquanetta's role in "Tarzan and the Leopard Woman.")
Instead of Beth simply opening the cage in Walters's laboratory, Beth releases Paula/Cheela from her cage in the zoo, and talks her into returning to human form to help her rescue her sister Dorothy. Paula, in a dramatic scene set to the song "Welcome to the Jungle," summons the rest of the animals in the zoo to assist her and Beth. (Leave out the part about Paula being jealous of Beth.)
As before, Walters kills Nurse Strand, before himself being killed by Paula, but just before dying Nurse Strand reveals that Pretorius's books are in the possession of Dr. Moreau on the Island of Lost Souls.
At some point, the Frankensteins use their electrical equipment to reactivate a recently-killed Paula. (This is a callback to "The Jungle Captive," in which Paula is revived with Frankenstein-like electrical equipment.)
Whipple's Carnival also features Dynamo Dan (from "Man-Made Monster") as a performer, a display of the Golem of Prague, and Alraune ten Brinken as a jester-type clown performing under the name of "Mandrake." They are only minor characters, but they will return for the finale. ("Alraune" and "The Golem" are not Universal films, but they are part of classic/gothic lore. While "Man-Made Monster" is a Universal film, it is more of a minor standalone film that was never intended to be part of a greater universe, and so it wouldn't be necessary to do a whole story.) Dan's "attack" involves shooting bolts of lightning (rather than electrocution by direct contact), and Alraune is revealed to be a genetically-modified clone (rather than a reverse eugenics invitro-fertilization experiment).
12. "The Creature From the Black Lagoon" - Combine the stories of the original "Creature From the Black Lagoon" and "Revenge of the Creature," by having the first half of the movie be set in the jungle and the second half set in Miami, with the Gill-Man brought in as an exhibit (similar to "King Kong"). This will more quickly allow the Gill-Man to be closer to the rest of the action for later crossovers.
13. "Death Takes a Holiday" - Combine elements from "Death Takes a Holiday" and "The Seventh Seal." (Another story not classically associated with Universal Pictures, at least until the remake "Meet Joe Black," but the gothic aspect of the Grim Reaper makes his story worth including.) Duke Lambert agrees to play a game of chess with the Reaper, the terms being that if Lambert wins, he gains extra time, if the Reaper wins, Lambert dies, albeit delayed for the duration of the game, and the Reaper gets to take breaks and experience life as Prince Sirki.
From the Grim Reaper, we get an additional clue that more undead creatures are coming, and that Dracula's mastery of the undead is being threatened, which is why Dracula has been attempting to use Imhotep's magic.
14. "The Spider Woman" - Zenobia Dollard follows basically the same story as with "The Spider Woman Strikes Back," but her character is more of a complex strategist, in line with that of "Sherlock Holmes and the Spider Woman." Give her a more ambitious and devious plan than poisoning cattle, but keep the primary motivation of her being bitter about the loss of her family lands. Find a more plausible excuse for her to pretend to be blind. Definitely include more spiders.
Combine several of Rondo Hatton's characters together, primarily as the Creeper (from "The Brute Man") but at some point, being sympathetic toward Paula, who has been taken prisoner (in a reference to "The Jungle Captive")
Possibly connect to Sherlock Holmes, thus combining elements of both "Sherlock Holmes and the Spider Woman" and "The Pearl of Death."
At some point, mention that the poison plants feed only on human blood, and that it is one of the only ones in existence. They are safe to use, so long as the pods are not allowed to mature. At the end, a Chinese man finds a piece of the plant with a pod starting to grow. He mentions that he has a friend, Seymore, who works in a flower shop, and might be interested in buying the plant pod. (This is a reference to "The Little Shop of Horrors.")
15. "The Island of Dr. Moreau" - (Although not technically a story associated with Universal Pictures, it does come out of the same genre of Victorian Gothic literature as the other classic horror stories, and it fits in neatly with the Jungle Woman storyline.)
Reveal that Dr. Moreau is the direct descendant of Dr. Pretorius.
Somehow, Dr. Frankenstein and Igor return, setting up the finale.
16. "The Phantom Creeps" - Should be more of an action movie (keeping in the style of the original), but keep the robot around for future movies. Also, a more condensed story.
Zorka's body double to fake his own death should be prepared in advance (not a lucky coincidence as in the original). The Z-Ray is a simple ray gun (not requiring gas to be released first). The robotic spiders operate independently with stunning venom (not requiring a disc to be planted on the victim). The robot is controlled by a VR headset and gloves (as opposed to having to watch through a peephole).
A submarine fight scene is included (as was foreshadowed in the original, but never realized).
17. "Man-Made Monsters" - An original story, but the title is a direct reference to "Man-Made Monster," and combining several of the "technological" monsters, and loosely based on Universal's unrealized intention of create a cinematic universe out of the later Universal-original monsters of the 1940s/50s.
A team-up of Zenobia and Dr. Zorka as the main antagonists, with the heroes being a team-up of Paula, Dynamo Dan (whose electrical powers have increased through experimentation), Creeper (after changing sides out of sympathy for Paula), and Gill-Man. Include Alraune in a minor role, exploring her clone heritage (minor, because she is technically not Universal), and unusual luck abilities.
At some point, refer to Andre DeLambre's teleportation experiments, and the unfortunate results. (This is an obvious reference to "The Fly." While the Fly is typically associated with the mid-20th-century sci-fi-horror genre, a full-on "Fly" adaptation would not fit the overall theme, as it is neither classic gothic horror, nor a Universal property.)
Zorka is ultimately killed, but his robot survives to return for the finale. Zenobia is defeated, but will return.
Somehow, in the end, the Gill-Man teams up with the other "classic" Universal monsters, Alucard, Lawrence, Adam, Elsa, Radcliffe, Kharis and Erik (the ones usually pictured on posters and merch together), as they learn of the returning of Dracula.
18."Halloween" - An original story taking place on Halloween night, and set partially in Salem, Massachusetts, and partially in Sleepy Hollow, New York. This is to include traditional Halloween monsters not previously included or specifically associated with Universal, but ties in thematically with the connection between Halloween and Universal Monsters. Include witches, ghosts, skeletons, the Headless Horseman, and Stingy Jack (who according to folklore, was the original "Jack" of the Jack-O-Lantern), but has now taken the form of a scarecrow with a Jack-O-Lantern head.
Include Irena Dumbrova, the were-panther. (Based on "Cat People" and "Curse of the Cat People," in which Irena believes herself to be a were-panther, and its sequel, which is set in Sleepy Hollow and references the Headless Horseman, but also including elements of the remake version of "Cat People," in which Irena's transformation is real, not a delusion.) This ties into the popularity of a cat-woman as a Halloween costume. Possibly she also makes a reference to King Kong (referencing the fact that both "Cat People" and "King Kong" were produced by RKO Pictures).
The witches should be some combination of Wyrd Sisters from MacBeth, Wicked Witch of the West, Baba Yaga, the Gingerbread Witch from Hansel and Gretel, Salem witch lore, and the Evil Queen from Snow White? Definitely include the flying broom, pointed hat, black cat, cauldron, eye of newt, cackle, and silhouette against a full moon. Also, for the sake of cultural updating, include references and elements of Wicca and other modern forms of witchcraft. Maybe include a nose-twitch in reference to Bewitched. (Although there is no official Universal Monster witch, the Halloween-themes of most monster movies makes a traditional witch character seem conspicuously absent. Witches have been either shown or eluded to in "Sleepy Hollow," and other magic-users are a part of "The Golem," "The Wolfman" and " White Zombie.")
Include a variety of ghosts, including some white teardrop-shaped ghosts as often seen in cartoons and decorations. (Ghosts are often referred to in titles such as "Ghost of Frankenstein" and "The Mummy's Ghost," and are thematically associated with "The Phantom of the Opera," but literal ghosts tend to be absent from most Universal classic movies.)
Include an army of skeletons (in the style of "Jason and the Argonauts" or "Army of Darkness"), but also depict the skeletons as silly, cracking puns, and performing a song and dance number (drawing from Medieval artworks depicting happy dancing skeletons, as well as animations such as "The Skeleton Dance").
Include much of the history of Hallowe'en/Samhain, and particularly its Celtic roots and the colonial-era American origins of pumpkin-carving, apple bobbing, trick-or-treating, etc.
The Grim Reaper also makes an appearance giving vital information about the prophesized rising of the dead.
19. "The Boogeyman" - Some event causes the main cast of monsters to go up against the Boogeyman.
The Boogeyman's lair combines several disparate elements of boogeyman folklore. The environment is confusing, with multiple stairways and doors against black backgrounds, and defying Euclidian geometry like an M.C. Escher painting. Some of the doors are portals leading to children's beds and closets. Other doors conceal rooms containing each person's worst fear (similar to the themes in "1984"). This is discovered when Frankenstein's Monster enters one of the rooms and suddenly finds himself trapped in a fire.
Maleva (speaking to Lawrence, Adam, Elsa, Kharis, Alucard, Marya, Radcliffe, Paula, Erik, Dan, Gill-Man, and the Creeper, with Zorka's Robot present) explains that the types of monsters that they are are born out of universal fears, making them "universal" monsters. (This title/name drop is accompanied by the Universal logo theme music for dramatic effect.) Later, when Lawrence goes to the prison to enlist the help of Mr. Hyde, Hyde dismissively remarks that he was "somewhere else" while Lawrence was putting together his little "Universal monster team." (This is a subtle joke on the fact that the story of Jekyll & Hyde, while appearing in a Universal film during the silent era, was taken up by Paramount and MGM during the early sound era, and did not return to Universal until much later.) Alraune, Dorian, the Witch and the Horseman join the group later on (again, playing on the fact that they are not, technically, Universal monsters).
The monsters realize that although they still don't know what exactly is going to happen, the prophesized event that will lead to a battle for undead supremacy is imminent. Cut to a cemetery outside Pittsburgh, where part of a conversation is overheard: "They're coming to get you, Barbara." (This is, of course, a famous quote from "Night of the Living Dead," implying that the anticipated event is a zombie apocalypse.)
20. "Night of the Living Dead" - (Another movie not strictly associated with Universal, but included because zombies/ghouls are so often associated with other classic monsters.)
Dracula returns and wants to have dominion over the undead, seeing the ghouls as a threat to his human food source. He uses the voodoo spells acquired from Murder Legendre to take control of the already soulless living dead, making them less like "Night of the Living Dead" and more like "Return of the Living Dead." Alucard remarks that Dracula has caused a blurring of the distinction between ghouls and zombies. (This is a joke on the fact that many people tend to get these two concepts mixed up and use the words interchangeably.)
Dr. Frankenstein, Igor, Imhotep and Zenobia all side with Dracula for various reasons.
Van Helsing leads a team of monsters to Dracula's Castle to defeat Dracula and his associates. The team consists of Adam (Frankenstein's Monster), Elsa (Bride), Lawrence (Wolfman), Maleva, Kharis (Mummy), Aksanamun, Gill-Man (Creature), Radcliffe (Invisible), Alucard, Marya, Paula (Ape Woman), and Erik (Phantom), with some additional help from Dr. Zorka's Robot and Dynamo Dan. (This puts all the Universal Monsters on the same team.) Meanwhile, the zombies/ghouls are fought off by the Witch, the Headless Horseman, Dorian Gray, Dr. Jekyll, Mandrake, the Boogieman, and some of Dr. Moreau's creatures (all the monsters either not part of or only partially part of the Universal pantheon), and may feature some additional monsters only briefly seen or referred to, such as The Fly, The Golem, The Wasp Woman, The Fifty-Foot Woman, etc.
After defeating Dracula's team, the zombie apocalypse is thwarted by altering Dracula's voodoo curse in such a way that the Grim Reaper is empowered/authorized to put a stop to it, instantly killing all of the low-powered ghouls, and freeing the more advance ghouls (serving Dracula directly) from his influence.
This resolves the main conflict, but the newly expanded monster universe will carry on.
More Easter eggs: Hill House ("The Haunting"), Bates Motel ("Psycho"), Ivan Igor's Wax Museum ("Mystery of the Wax Museum")
Possible references to: Cthulhu, Godzilla, Gamera, Nancy Archer (The Fifty-Foot Woman), The Thing From Another World, Body-Snatchers, The Blob, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, War of the Worlds Martians, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Dr. Cyclops, Murder Legendere (White Zombie)
Some other things to include: Some elements of Edgar Allen Poe? Something involving Greek mythology, including the Cyclops, the Minotaur, the Sphynx, and finally, Medusa?
Possibly references to the Son or Daughter of Jekyll/Hyde? Does the Devil make an appearance, maybe making a Faustian deal? Maybe include demons from folklore? Something with living gargoyles? Although I'd rather avoid including kaiju (as they tend to completely take over a story), there may be some subtle reference to "Frankenstein vs Godzilla."
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