No series in the history of the cinematic horror genre has endured as long as the Universal Monster classics of the 1930s and '40s - a time marked by the Great Depression, the rise of Hitler's Germany and America's eventual involvement in WWII. At the outset,search for movies on tv, the Universal films were hugely successful with audiences seeking an escape, but by the time the U.S. became embroiled in the conflict, the popularity of the studio's trademark monsters became less inviting to viewers, who turned their attention to war-time enemies as the cinematic nemesis of choice. Before that happened, however, Universal established a litany of Monster Classics that would inspire long-running franchises and become favorites of viewers for generations to come.

Universal's eagerly anticipated UNIVERSAL CLASSIC MONSTERS: THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION arrives on Blu-Ray this week and pays a new, glorious high-definition tribute to eight of the studio's genre benchmarks, all presented in fresh, and impressive, 1080p AVC encoded transfers marked by a surprising amount of detail.

Looking at Tod Browning's 1931 DRACULA is virtually like gazing upon the Bela Lugosi classic for the first time. The movie is best remembered for its opening Transylvanian set-piece that introduces viewers to Lugosi's unforgettable count, and while the London sequences tend to be static and dull by comparison, the increased detail seen here in the Blu-Ray's HD presentation even makes the talky, latter sections of the picture more interesting. In fact, without any overt use of DNR, this ranks as one of the studio's most satisfying catalog transfers to date. The DTS MA mono sound is nearly crackle-free, and Philip Glass' Kronos Quartet score (which makes the stilted drawing room sequences a bit livelier at least) is also available in Dolby Digital stereo.

Supplements include two commentary tracks reprised from prior DVD editions: an authoritative discussion by historian David J. Skal, and a more recent talk with Steve Haberman (screenwriter of the awful Mel Brooks spoof "Dracula: Dead and Loving It"), both offer enlightening analysis and artistic commentary on the film; "The Road to Dracula" (35 mins.), hosted by Carla Laemmle, returns here from its original DVD appearance, as does the still gallery "Dracula Archives" (8 mins.), while "Lugosi: The Dark Prince" (36 mins.), a carry-over from the 75th Anniversary DVD, sports interviews with historians and directors including Joe Dante paying tribute to Lugosi's career. Trailers are included for the whole Universal "Dracula" series (Dracula, Dracula's Daughter, Son of Dracula and House of Dracula), and an eight-minute restoration featurette (HD) includes a look at the studio's efforts to restore both the English and Spanish language versions as a part of their centennial efforts, noting that a portion of the Spanish "Dracula" had to be taken from an international print as the studio's negative was badly damaged during the third reel.

Speaking of the Spanish "Dracula," it too has been lovingly restored here in a 1080p AVC encode that's perhaps not quite as crisp as the Lugosi version, even if the elements seem to be, on balance, in healthier condition. An optional introduction with star Lupita Tovar is included as well.

James Whale's FRANKENSTEIN introduced viewers to Boris Karloff in his legendary role as the Frankenstein monster, and while the film remains a striking work for its 1931 release date, it pales in comparison to THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, the 1935 sequel graced with a spectacular Franz Waxman score that shows, in the space of four short years, how quickly movie-making had progressed as a medium. Whale's playful, inventive direction, the performances of Karloff, Colin Clive and Elsa Lanchester, and that Waxman score - one of the all-time greats - are unforgettable aspects of a film many regard as the finest in the pantheon of Universal Monsters.

Each included here on separate BD platters, "Frankenstein" includes a number of supplements carried over from prior releases: "The Frankenstein Files" is an engaging 45-minute account of picture's production and legacy; "Karloff: The Gentle Monster" (36 mins.) is a carryover from the 75th Anniversary release; "Frankenstein Archives" is another 10-minute assortment of stills; "Boo!" is a fun 1932 Universal "Brevity"; commentaries are provided by Rudy Behlmer and Sir Christopher Frayling; and a full trailer gallery boasts the original coming attractions for Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Ghost of Frankenstein, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man and House of Frankenstein.

Also included on the "Frankenstein" disc is Kevin Bronlow's fine 1998 TCM documentary, "Universal Horror." This examination of the beginnings of Universal's monster franchises is narrated by Kenneth Branagh and offers ample vintage footage, interviews and an entertaining look into the genre's origins.

Visually, both movies look more detailed than I've ever seen before,tv series merchandise, with crisp 1080p presentations that blow past prior DVD releases - even if there does seem to be, perhaps, just a bit more filtering on "Bride of Frankenstein" than "Frankenstein" or especially "Dracula." Regardless, the image still looks exceptionally good, and extra features - not as substantive as the other discs - include the original DVD documentary, "She's Alive! Creating `Bride of Frankenstein,'" plus a stills archive, commentary with historian Scott MacQueen, and trailers for Bride, Ghost and House of Frankenstein (surprisingly, "Son of Frankenstein"'s trailer is nowhere to be found in this set).

In 1932, "Dracula" cinematographer Karl Freund helmed the first appearance of what would ultimately become - thanks to both a handful of sequels and a contemporary series of modern fantasy films (with another version headed to theaters in 2014) - the most durable of Universal's monsters, THE MUMMY. Boris Karloff carved out his second iconic studio role as Imohotep, who lusts after Zita Johann in an entertaining - if somewhat creaky - film with unforgettable imagery (though ironically, Karloff only appears in the patented Mummy make-up for a couple of minutes).

A bit uneven in its overall visual appearance, there's some occasional filtering on-hand in "The Mummy"'s 1080p AVC encoded transfer compared to the other films in this set. It's certainly an appreciable improvement on DVD, however - crisp detail is in evidence during most of the transfer, but some sequences look sharper than others. Extra features include "Mummy Dearest" (30 mins.), a documentary from the original DVD release; "He Who Made Monsters" (24 mins.), a Jack Pierce retrospective; "Unraveling the Legacy of The Mummy" (8 mins.), a brief featurette from the 75th Anniversary DVD; "The Mummy Archives" still gallery; commentaries by Paul M. Jensen and a more recent track with Rick Baker, Scott Essman, Steve Haberman, Bob Burns and Brent Armstrong; and trailers for all the "Mummy" films (The Mummy, Mummy's Hand, Mummy's Tomb, Mummy's Ghost, Mummy's Curse).

Inbetween "Frankenstein" pictures, James Whale helmed a magnificent adaptation of H.G. Wells' THE INVISIBLE MAN, a 1933 classic that, in certain ways, holds up better than any of Universal's earliest genre outings for sheer dramatic impact. Claude Rains gives a memorable performance as a scientist who slowly goes mad after an experiment renders him invisible - a portrayal that relies heavily on his voice since Rains is only on-screen for a few minutes. John P. Fulton's visual effects, especially for their era, are superb, and Gloria Stuart believably renders Rains' sympathetic girlfriend.

Arguably tthe healthiest looking of the original, early `30s Universal Monsters classics, "The Invisible Man" appears in top form in its 1080p AVC encoded HD transfer here - there's still a bit of filtering present in some sequences (like "The Mummy," some scenes seem to be affected more than others), but on balance the transfer is exceptionally good for any film of its vintage. Special features include the original DVD doc, "The Invisible Man Revealed" (35 mins.) plus production photographs, trailers for the Invisible Man series, and commentary by Rudy Behlmer.

Scripted by Curt Siodmak, Universal's 1941 classic THE WOLF MAN stars Lon Chaney as Larry Talbot, who becomes cursed with the fate of a werewolf after wandering in the forests of Wales and bitten by one of the creatures. Claude Rains plays Talbot's father, and the supporting cast includes Maria Ouspenskaya and Bela Lugosi as the Gypsies who predict Talbot's fate, along with Evelyn Ankers as the love interest and additional supporting turns from Ralph Bellamy and Patric Knowles. The settings, atmosphere, and direction (by George Waggner) are all top-notch and the movie compares favorably with the Universal chillers of the period.

Last released on DVD a couple of years ago, "The Wolf Man"'s 1080p AVC encoded HD transfer is solid, generally in-line with the other transfers in the box-set, with deep blacks and added detail over its standard-def releases. Extras are bountiful here, highlighted by David J.Skal's "Monster by Moonlight" documentary, a DVD carryover hosted by John Landis, this is an engaging look into the Wolfman's creation and phenomenon as the last great character to originate from Universal's "Golden Age" horror cycle. Eschewing the testimony of countless historians (as were utilized in Skal's other documentaries) in favor of interviews with make-up artist Rick Baker (who discusses Jack Pierce's lasting legacy) and screenwriter Siodmak, the program is entertaining and enlightening, even though it uses a generous selection of film clips from the Wolfman's subsequent cinematic appearances to round out the program.