Horror is one of the most popular genres in film. While many modern fans think about Michael Myers or Ghostface when the genre is being discussed, the more classic and gothic era of horror has been seeing a resurgence in popularity as of late. Particularly the Universal Monsters thanks to companies like NECA. Now the famous toy company has announced a new line of retro glow-in-the-dark action figures featuring some of the genre’s most iconic monsters.
The 7-inch figures feature The Mummy, Frankenstein, and The Wolf Man with each monster having many points of articulation. This wave is retro for more than one ghoulish reason as it’s inspired by Universal’s own line of 1980s action figures dubbed the Universal Famous Mini Monsters toy collection. Just like what Hasbro has been doing with their retro Star Wars Kenner figures, NECA is bringing back an old line in style, just with the companies added amazing attention to detail. NECA has made a name for themselves with their various movie figures spanning every genre imaginable, but it’s their horror figures that have really captured the hearts of movie fans. Whether it has been their endless releases of characters from the Halloween, Friday the 13th, or Nightmare on Elm Street franchises, their 7-inch figures have been some of the best in the toy business.
Over the last couple of years the company slowly expanded their own horror legacy with the Universal Monsters. In their Ultimate line of 7 inch figures the company has already done Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, Dracula, The Mummy, and they recently announced The Invisible Man would be joining their ever-growing monster squad. What separates these new figures from their Ultimate counterparts are their cool ability to glow-in-the-dark, which is probably going to look very spooky on your toy shelf, and the fact that they don’t come with any accessories. However, this retro line is packaged on a classic tribute blister card which looks identical to the original Monster Mini toys’ packaging.
The Universal Monster franchise, which includes classics like The Bride of Frankenstein and The Wolf Man as Well as underrated gems like The Invisible Man, still contain some of the best films of all time. A Lot of those films celebrated major milestones like Dracula’s 90th anniversary and The Wolf Man’s 80th Anniversary last year. On top of that, The Mummy is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year. Even though they are close to 100 years old, these genre staples are still very much ingrained in our modern pop culture. Every Halloween the Universal Monsters always seem to be on the top of most horror fans’ must-watch list. That is fitting since these new figures are releasing this October just in time for the fright-filled holiday.
Hopefully this new glowing line will see additional figures like Dracula, The Invisible Man, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon as the original Universal line also featured those fan-favorite terrors. That’s a safe bet given NECA’s gleefully monstrous track record. You can find more information on this wave on NECA’s website now and, as we get closer to the spookiest time of year, it’s never a bad night to have a monster marathon. You can also check out images and watch the cool new retro trailer for the figures down below:
