It was announced today (Jan 28th, 2019) that Jason Blum’s production company, Blumhouse, has taken on Universal’s classic monster properties from the 1930s and 1940s and will begin work on a fresh adaptation of H. G. Wells’ The Invisible Man, with Leigh Whannell attached. To some, this may look like another studio chasing established franchises—Blumhouse has already revived Halloween and Jason Blum has signaled interest in working on new instalments, reboots or remakes of franchises such as Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer—but for fans of classic horror cinema, this move promises renewed attention to some of the genre’s most enduring characters and themes.
Blumhouse has earned a reputation for producing high-impact horror films on modest budgets, often delivering strong returns and critical attention. Get Out earned a Best Picture Oscar nomination and signaled the company’s capacity for smart, socially aware horror. The 2018 Halloween revival delivered the biggest opening weekend for a slasher film in history, and Blumhouse’s collaborations with streaming services—Cam being a notable, original Netflix title—have shown they can also find success outside the traditional theatrical model. With projects like Happy Death Day 2 on the way, Blumhouse continues to balance commercial viability with a willingness to take creative risks, a combination that keeps them competitive with larger studios while retaining an independent sensibility.
Universal’s own recent attempts to re-establish its monster legacy under a connected “Dark Universe” approach did not go as planned. The 2017 reboot of The Mummy was widely criticized for prioritizing big-budget spectacle and visual effects over character-driven horror and emotional stakes, a decision that left many critics and audiences cold and resulted in poor critical scores. Ambitious plans that included reworkings of The Bride of Frankenstein and The Invisible Man were shelved after disappointing returns, demonstrating the dangers of launching an expansive cinematic universe before the foundational films have found their footing. Past standalone efforts such as I, Frankenstein and Dracula: Untold also failed to ignite sustained interest, showing that heritage alone isn’t enough without a compelling creative vision.
Handing these iconic stories to Blumhouse offers an opportunity to reframe Universal’s monsters with a renewed focus on horror sensibilities, character, and atmosphere—qualities that often resonate most strongly with genre audiences. With horror enjoying a critical renaissance—examples like Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water earning Best Picture recognition at the Oscars and films such as Hereditary gaining a reputation as modern classics—there is both an appetite and a critical openness to reimagined monster stories handled with intelligence and restraint.
That said, strategic restraint will be important. Rushing to assemble a new “monster-verse” risks repeating the same mistakes: building the universe first and hoping audience goodwill will fill the gaps. A more measured approach, similar to how the Marvel era introduced standalone films that later allowed for crossovers, would serve Blumhouse better. Marvel laid hints and connective tissue across individual hits like Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk while keeping each movie narratively self-contained; this allowed the studio to build momentum only after its early films proved successful. Learning from that model—planting possibilities without forcing them—gives any future shared universe room to emerge organically, rather than being overbuilt from the outset.
If Blumhouse proceeds thoughtfully—pairing experienced genre filmmakers with bold creative choices and avoiding the temptation to rush a shared continuity—they can sensibly revive and reinvent these classic monsters for contemporary audiences. Universal and earlier studios like Hammer established the groundwork decades ago; with careful planning and respect for what made the originals resonate, Blumhouse has a real chance to breathe new life into stories that horror fans have long hoped to see revisited.
Article by Kieran Judge
Follow him on Twitter at @KJudgeMental