It has been said that the 1933 movie Frankenstein, with Boris Karloff, was the most important horror movie ever made. It might not have been the first ever horror movie, but it was so popular that it enabled Universal to continue with their series of monster movies, and it inspired other movie studios to jump on the bandwagon. What I would add to that, is that Frankenstein led the way not just for horror movies, but also for the horror movie franchise. The way the series of movies developed set the blueprint for future horror franchises like Halloween, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Alien.
There were three sequels to Frankenstein (Bride, Son, and Ghost of Frankenstein) before the crossovers started - Frankenstein meets the Wolf Man, House of Frankenstein, and House of Dracula - then a spoof movie with Abbott and Costello. The first Frankenstein movie was great, and the second one was also good with some interesting new ideas. However, the director and main actors jump ship around episodes 3 - 4, and then the downwards spiral began. Later sequels ignored the plot developments from earlier episodes if they were inconvenient, hoping audiences would not notice. Then, the most celebrated actor from first film (Boris Karloff, who had not had a hit for a while) returned to the franchise in episode 6 after a gap of a few movies. Eventually the series descended into team ups / face-offs with characters from other franchises. If you are a fan of more modern horror movies, does any of that sound familiar?
Other features I would point out is that the monster was killed at end of every episode, forcing the next movie to start with a far-fetched resurrection. Also the monster becomes more powerful in each episode, so that after a few movies it seems to be indestructible (although that doesn't stop it form being killed each time). Also, episode 3 was in 3D - well, okay, maybe not, but it would have been if the technology had existed. Finally, the franchise rebooted a decade or two later.
http://www.black-and-white-movies.com/frankenstein-1931.html
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