In celebration of Epic Universe finally opening and it being World Goth Day, allow me to offer you some of my personal theories and headcanons about the gloomy world of Darkmoor! ⚡️⚡️⚡️
Theories:
⚰️ For starters, there are five distinct groups: Dr. Frankenstein and Ygor, Dracula and the Monsters, the Hounds of the Burning Blade Tavern, the Mystics, and the Bride.
⚰️ Dr. Victoria Frankenstein, as we have often know at this point, wants to control all the Monsters with her experiments and forever change the history of Frankenstein. For what her real intention is, we have no clue, but we do know that she is considered to be morally grey. It is possible that Victoria treats her creation and Ygor somewhat more kinder than her predecessors (with some exceptions).
⚰️ Dracula is the direct opposite of Victoria, leading the rebellion that occurs within the Monsters Unchained ride. Not every Monster sides with him, but may do so only to gain their freedom and go on their own path. As the self-proclaimed leader, Dracula goes out of his way to reveal the truth behind the Doctor's intentions to everyone and thus answering the question of who is the true monster.
⚰️ The Hounds of the Burning Blade Tavern are the monster hunters of Darkmoor, the ones brave enough to cleanse the world of evil once and for all. While they have had successful hunts, the Hounds have had their failures as well. They are all bound to a code, a vow established by Professor Van Helsing himself, but not every member abides to it. Some are blinded by the thrill of the hunt.
⚰️ The Bride of Frankenstein is a different story; one driven away by the cruelities of both Victoria and Dracula. All she wants is freedom, a peaceful life for her and her Tall Friend. She firmly believes that the outside world is kind and so she often helps him escape the Frankenstein Manor to share that kindness.
⚰️ Both the Creature and his Bride were created and brought to life around the same time, albeit the Bride had more time-consuming complications due to Dr. Pretorius' recipe for Plant-Based Brains. The brain used for Victoria's creation is the same brain used by Henry Frankenstein's creation (Boris Karloff).
⚰️ Due to her Plant-Based Brain, the Bride can comprehend things much faster than her Tall Friend. Unlike her original counterpart (Elsa Lancaster), she can read, write (somewhat), recognize patterns, solve puzzles, and most importantly: love. For what she lacks in strength, she makes up for in sheer intelligence. This proves difficult for Victoria and Ygor, for she is cunning enough to escape their clutches on multiple occasions.
⚰️ The Mystics are a neutral party; natives of Darkmoor who share familial and magical bonds with their ancestors. They share a great history with the warring sides, either by aiding humans or by giving in to the winning side. Either way, they are a wild card, depending on who you ask, and it is always best to heed their warnings.
⚰️ Darkmoor became the village we know today when Dracula was revived after the events of the original 1931 film. It was he who gave his kind a new home, infiltrating the humans into submission through seduction and violence. Eventually, the bloodshed lessened as a deal was struck: the humans will live, but only because the vampires let them willingly.
⚰️ Here's where things get tricky: as to how characters such as Erik the Phantom, Quasimodo, Dr. Jack Griffin, Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde are alive after all these years is unknown. Perhaps Universal changed the timeline of the films so that Dark Universe as a whole can work. After all, it was mentioned long before the park opened that Darkmoor is the result of every Universal Monster film that has occurred. My biggest theory is that Victoria brought these specific characters to life, whereas Dracula, Imhotep, and possibly the Wolfman(?), are immortal.
⚰️ When I say that Victoria brought them to life, I mean as in she summoned them by blending her and Ygor's technology and dark magic. This is where the Mystics come in. It is possible that the Doctor, in her early days of her experiment, once visited or came across the Mystics in search of specimens. Here she learns of their magic, both good and bad, and was warned of the power it held. Despite the warnings, Victoria went on to perform a forbidden summoning ritual and brought the deceased Monsters back to life, using the collection of items found in her manor (queue line after the preshow).
Headcanons:
🦇 Erik, the Phantom of the Opera, and Quasimodo are best friends. Two Frenchmen who were ostracized for their hideousness and died falling in love with their respective young ladies? Can't get more relatable than that!
🦇 Victoria has a ton of body scars underneath her suit and she is very self-conscious about it, hence why you never see her wearing any revealing other than her face. To be honest, I wish Universal gave her a kick ass battle scar on her face. I don't care if it's cliché or if she follows safety procedures to a tee, accidents can and do happen.
🦇 Meanwhile, Ygor is... severely scarred and stitched almost everywhere on his body. More so than Victoria. This is due to being Victoria's occasional lab rat, constantly being killed and revived again and again as well as going through a lot of major accidents and incidents. The guy needs a rest.
🦇 Victoria's Creature, a.k.a. Frankie 2.0, would sometimes have reoccurring memories of the past (events of the OG film). One time while he was walking through Darkmoor with his Bride, they came across the statue of Maria in the graveyard and he suddenly burst into tears.
🦇 The Creature from the Black Lagoon uses sign language to communicate. Sometimes he would sign with Victoria and Ygor, but most of the time he usually signs with the other Monsters. Quasimodo, Erik, Dr. Jekyll, Dr. Griffin, and Larry also use sign language.
🦇 It's unsurprising that Dracula goes through Brides like coffee filters throughout the centuries, but not every knows that he genuinely has interest in every single one of them. There's a reason why he chooses his Brides; not every woman or person is "Bride Material." He mourns for his fallen ones, but the pain lessens after a long while.
🦇 Frankie's experiences with the other Monsters are a mixed bag. Sometimes, Victoria would need an extra pair of hands to restrain the more rowdy subjects. But there have been moments where Frankie would have new friends by the end of the day. He particularly likes Erik, especially when he plays the violin.
🦇 The reason why Dr. Griffin and Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde have their own homes within the village instead of being imprisoned inside the Frankenstein Manor is because they both rivaled against each other and Victoria as mad scientists. They annoyed her so much that she agreed to allow them to have own their place, with the agreement that Ygor must supervise them every day at certain hours.
🦇 The only Monsters that are actually okay with being in the Catacombs underneath Darkmoor are Erik and Quasimodo. They were the first to be captured/resurrected by Victoria and Ygor, saving them from a lonely fate. The only gripe they have is that they would have to cooperate anytime the doctor needs to do an experiment.
