TheMonster Highmovies offer a spooky alternate take on the high school drama of many Nickelodeon TV show and film franchises. Originally released in conjunction with Mattel to promote the line of dolls of the same name, theMonster Highfilms have accrued a devoted fanbase since they first arrived in 2010. With 17Monster Highmovies available, fans have a wide range of stories to choose from, all of which come with anAddams Family-like horror-flavoredtwist on many common teen drama tropes.
Continuity isn’t hugely important with theMonster Highmovies, especially since the franchise has gone through several reinventions. The adventures of Frankie, Clawdeen, Draculaura, and the other Monster High students have come a long way since their 2D cartoon beginnings in 2010. The franchise has reinvented itself multiple times, jumping through different styles of CGI and even into live-action. With a newMonster Highmovie in development from Universal Studios, it’s likely that interest in the franchise is only going to increase.
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How To Watch The Monster High Movies In Release Order
There’s Over A Decade Of Monster High Movies To Enjoy
TheMonster Highmovies first arrived in 2010, coinciding with the release of the fashiondoll toy line by Mattel. Made in conjunction with Nickelodeon, each of theMonster Highfilms is tied into a specific line of dolls, though the focus is always on the spooky-themed high school dramas of Frankie, Clawdeen, Draculaura, and the other students of Monster High.There have been 17Monster Highmovies so far, starting with 2010’sMonster High: New Girl @ School,and the series has gone through several reinventions.
Monster High: New Ghoul @ School (2010)
The firstMonster Highmovie was the 2010 TV specialMonster High: New Girl @ School.The film follows Frankie Stein’s first week at Monster High. It’s one of only two 2D animatedMonster Highmovies, and originally aired on Nickelodeon.At 23 minutes long,Monster High: New Girl @ Schoolwas essentially an extended episode of theMonster Highweb series.
Monster High: Fright On! (2011)
The second 2D animatedMonster Highmovie was 2011’sMonster High: Fright On!LikeNew Ghoul @ School,Monster High: Fright On!originally aired on Nickelodeon (and was double the length of the first film, at 46 minutes). The story focuses on two schools, one all-vampire, one all-werewolf, both merging with Monster High.ThisMonster Highmovie had multiple jokes and plot threads to tap into thepopularity of theTwilightfranchise,which was still at its peak in 2011.
Monster High: Why Do Ghouls Fall In Love? (2012)
2012’sMonster High: Why Do Ghouls Fall In Love?was the first animatedMonster Highmovie to be rendered in CGI, setting the style for every film in the franchise that followed it. As the title suggests, the thirdMonster Highmovie is heavily focused on romance.The plot mainly focuses on Draculaura, who finds herself in a love triangle with two vampire boys (Claws and Valentine).
Monster High: Escape From Skull Shores (2012)
Released on Nickelodeon a few months afterWhy Do Ghouls Fall In Love?was the fourthMonster Highmovie, 2012’sMonster High: Escape From Skull Shores.The plot focuses on Frankie, Clawdeen, and Draculaura as they set off on a Spring Break adventure. While they originally plan to vacation in the Great Scarrier Reef, they are tricked by a meddling human who instead takes them to Skull Shores.It’s one of the more action-packedMonster Highmovies, and very different in tone fromWhy Do Ghouls Fall In Love?
Monster High: Ghouls Rule (2012)
2012’sGhouls Rulewas originally released on DVD and Blu-Ray before it aired on Nickelodeon in October the same year.Monster High: Ghouls Ruleexplores Halloween from the perspective of the various races and creatures of Monster High. In the world ofMonster High,Halloween is the night that humans go out monster hunting, and it’s a night the students fear.Of course, by the end of the fifthMonster Highfilm Frankie manages to get everyone to see that humans and monsters can enjoy the holiday together.
Monster High: Friday Night Frights (2013)
The 6thMonster Highmovie arrived in 2013 -Monster High: Friday Night Frights.This film focuses entirely on the Monster High version of Roller Derby, a sport titled SKRM (Skultimate Roller Maze).Of all theMonster Highmovies,Friday Night Frightsis one of the clearest attempts to drum up sales forMonster Highdolls, as the release came alongside the rollerskating-themed Skultimate Roller Maze line.
Monster High: Scaris: City Of Frights (2013)
Monster High: Scaris: City Of Frightsarrived in 2013, and the 7thMonster Highmovie was also one of the most ambitious when it came to the plot.Scaris: City Of Frightsstands out in the franchise as it’s a globetrotting adventure that sees Frankie, Draculaura, Cleo, and several others travel to Scaris, theMonster Highuniverse’s equivalent of Paris.There are plenty of puns on popular Parisian tourist destinations such as the Eiffel Terror instead of the Eiffel Tower, and Ogre Dame instead of Notre Dame.
Monster High: 13 Wishes (2013)
Monster High: 13 Wishesdebuted on Nickelodeon in October 2013. Much likeScaris: City Of Frights,13 Wishesshows a whole new location in the world ofMonster High,in this case a desert region filled with characters based on genies. While the plot in the present day takes place in Monster High itself, it was still interesting to see the lore of the franchise explored a little bit more.There are also some interesting fantasy elements in the 8thMonster Highmovie, such as the rivalry between genie Gig Grant and her sister, Whisp.
Monster High: Frights, Camera, Action! (2014)
The 9thMonster Highmovie is theMonster Hightake on the world of filmmaking and Hollywood. InMonster High: Frights, Camera, Action,Draculaura has serious issues with how vampires are portrayed in the hit filmVampire Majesty,and seems to be alone in her dislike of star Veronica Von Vamp.This eventually leads her and her friends travel to Hauntlywood, theMonster Highversion of Hollywood.
Monster High: Freaky Fusion (2014)
Monster High: Freaky Fusionis the 10thMonster Highmovie and the second to arrive on Nickelodeon in 2014. LikeMonster High: Friday Night Frights,Freaky Fusionwas a clear marketing product, as it tied into 4 lines ofMonster Highdolls, all of which were mashups combining different pairs of fantasy horror creatures.The plot ofFreaky Fusionstill has a considerable amount of action and tension compared to otherMonster Highmovies, as Frankie and her friends are being harassed and chased by Hybrids.
Monster High: Haunted (2015)
2015 saw the arrival of the 11thMonster Highmovie on Nickelodeon following a direct to DVD/Blu-ray release.Monster High: Hauntedsaw ghosts take the center stage, and it’s Spectra who is the focal character rather than Frankie or Draculaura.It’s an entertaining and supernatural adventure, and likeFreaky Fusionhas an above-average amount of action and tension compared to most otherMonster Highmovies.
Monster High: Boo York, Boo York (2015)
In the 12thMonster Highmovie the franchise takes on musicals.Monster High: Boo York, Boo Yorkarrived in 2015, and features its own original songs including “Boo York, Boo York” and “Fright Lights, Big City”.Boo York, Boo Yorkalso followed on fromHauntedby focusing on previously secondary characters, in this case Catty Noir.Travelling around theMonster Highversion of NYC, Boo York, also meant several new characters were introduced, such as robot DJ Elle Eedee.
Monster High: Great Scarrier Reef (2016)
The Great Scarrier Reef was previously mentioned inMonster High: Escape From Skull Shores,but it wasn’t until the 13th movie that the franchise took fans there.Monster High: Great Scarrier Reefdebuted on Nickelodeon in 2016, and the story was centered around mermaids (to tie in with the threeScarrier Reef Monster Highdoll lines).This was also the finalMonster Highmovie prior to the franchise being rebooted.
Welcome To Monster High (2016)
The secondMonster Highmovie to release in 2016 was the 14th film in the franchise, and was also a reboot.Welcome To Monster Highreset the story and characters, giving them all fresh origins alongside a significant tune-up of the animation. Draculaura narrates the new version of the story, revealing that Monster High used to be the mansion of her father, Dracula.The tone was somewhat darker than the previousMonster Highmovies, though it still primarily focuses on high school drama.
Monster High: Electrified (2017)
The 15thMonster Highmovie and second in the rebooted animated franchise isMonster High: Electrified,which debuted on Nickelodeon in 2017. While it was never followed up,Electrifieddid show that the newMonster Highmovies would be stricter with continuity, as it opens with Draculaura recapping the events ofWelcome To Monster High.The plot ofElectrifiedsaw Draculaura and the rest of the Monster High heroes having to drive a horde of zombies from the town, continuing the slightly darker action-themed tone of the newer generation of animatedMonster Highfilms.
Monster High: The Movie (2022)
Monster High: Electrifiedwas the final animatedMonster Highmovie, but after a 5 year hiatus the franchise returned for another feature-length installment, this time in live-action. 2022’sMonster High: The Moviewas directed by Todd Holland and released directly to Nickelodeon and Paramount+.The first live-action movie in the franchise reimagined the world ofMonster Highfrom the ground up and starred Mila Harris as Clawdeen, Ceci Balagot as Frankie, and Nayah Damasen as Draculaura.
Monster High 2 (2023)
Todd Holland returned to directMonster High 2,the second live-actionMonster Highmovie, in 2023. The plot sees Clawdeen struggling with fame and popularity after being the hero who saved the school in the first film.The main cast return, and the second live-actionMonster Highmovie contains just as much action and drama as it does high school romance. A third film was teased at the end, though this was canceled when Universal opted to make their own live-actionMonster Highfranchise.
The Monster High Movies Chronologically (& Generations Explained)
There Are Multiple Phases Of Monster High Movies
There have been 17Monster Highmovies so far, though they’re not all part of the same continuity. The franchise has gone through multiple reinventions over the years, with each bringing a new animation style.The first generation ofMonster Highmovies were 2D and directly tied into the popular web series. Only two films were made in this style, however, and the second generation introduced the CGI style that most fans associate withMonster High.
2010-2011
2
2012-2016
11
2016-2017
2022-2023
Generation 2 of theMonster Highmovies was the longest running, encompassing every film from 2012-2016.This started withMonster High: Why Do Ghouls Fall In Love?and ended withMonster High: Great Scarrier Reef.In total, there were 11 films in the second generation, with a 12th planned. However, this was canceled when Nickelodeon decided to reboot the franchise.The 3rd generation ofMonster Highmovies were also CGI, though short-lived, only lasting two movies released in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
The final generation ofMonster Highmovies were the two live-action films, 2022’SMonster High: The Movieand 2023’sMonster High 2.Originally, the first attempt at a live-actionMonster Highfranchise was intended as a trilogy. However,Monster High 3was canceled due to Universal opting to move ahead with a feature-length theatricalMonster Highfilm.
The Upcoming Monster High Live-Action Movie Explained
A New Live-Action Monster High Is In Development
The most recentMonster Highmovie was 2023’sMonster High 2,though the franchise is far from dead. There is currently a new live-actionMonster Highfilm in development, and it’s yet another reboot for the franchise. Mattel announced in 2024 that they were working with Universal Pictures on aMonster Highmovie with Academy Award winner Akiva Goldsman (known for a variety of moviesincludingI Am Legend) tapped in on screenwriting duties.
So far there’s little else known about the nextMonster Highmovie, though with Universal and Goldsman it could end up being the most successful release for the franchise so far. Interestingly, this is the second time Universal and Mattel have planned a live-actionMonster Highmovie. There was originally a project in development in 2016, with Ari Sandel tapped to direct. However, thisMonster Highfilm was canceled shortly after announcement.
Monster High
Cast
Monster High is an animated supernatural fantasy series based on the doll franchise by Mattel. The series centers on the daughters of three legendary monsters, Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Werewolf as they experience their own version of a supernatural fantasy high school.
