Now that the franchise has ended with its final chapter, the perfect time has come to binge-watch the Hotel Transylvania movies in order. The Hotel Transylvania movies revolve around a spooky hotel run by Dracula, visited by fellow horror icons including the Mummy, the Wolf Man, and Frankenstein’s Monster. From the original movie to Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, the Hotel Transylvania franchise wrings laughs out of the juxtaposition of the most terrifying monsters in movie history enjoying the simple pleasures of a vacation. Then, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania – d as the final film in the saga – wraps up the overarching story with a body-swap premise.
The first three Hotel Transylvania movies star Adam Sandler as the voice of Count Dracula, but the fourth Hotel Transylvania recast the Drac role, with Brian Hull taking over. The franchise also features the voices of Kevin James as Frankenstein’s Monster, David Spade as the Invisible Man, and Steve Buscemi as the Wolf Man. Created by comedy writer Todd Durham, Hotel Transylvania is one of Sony’s most popular animated movie franchises, and it spawned multiple short films and a TV series during its run. With Hotel Transylvania: Transformania concluding the story, there’s never been a better time to watch the Hotel Transylvania movies in order.
Hotel Transylvania (2012)
The original Hotel Transylvania movie, released in 2012, takes place during the titular hotel’s busy time. Johnny, a human backpacker voiced by Andy Samberg, stumbles upon the hotel and instantly falls for Dracula’s daughter Mavis, voiced by Selena Gomez — much to Drac’s chagrin. While the story of a dad’s disapproval of his daughter’s new boyfriend is both familiar and predictable, Hotel Transylvania is a ton of fun. It’s briskly paced, jam-packed with great gags, and full of lovable characters putting a comedic spin on the icons of horror cinema.
- Available to stream on Netflix
Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015)
Set a few years after the first movie, Hotel Transylvania 2 sees Mavis and Johnny have a son named Dennis who shows no monstrous qualities. When the new parents travel to Johnny’s hometown, Dracula and his friends plot to turn Dennis into a vampire. The reviews for Hotel Transylvania 2 were mixed (via Rotten Tomatoes), with some critics deeming it an improvement over the original and others deeming it inferior. Either way, it’s just as much fun as the original, with plenty of wacky humor and vibrant animation.
- Available to stream on Netflix
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018)
The gang sets sail on a luxury cruise in Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation. Drac falls in love with the ship’s captain, Ericka, voiced by Kathryn Hahn. However, Mavis is shocked to learn that Ericka is actually the great-granddaughter of Drac’s arch-nemesis, Abraham Van Helsing (Jim Gaffigan). Based on its 62% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation is the most critically acclaimed entry in the series – and the only one with a “fresh” rating. The threequel was praised for shaking up the formula at sea while still providing the expected goofy gags and colorful animation.
- Available to stream on FXNow, FuboTV, and DirecTV
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania (2022)
Watching the Hotel Transylvania movies in order concludes with Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, marketed as the final chapter of the franchise. In Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, Drac turns into a human and Johnny turns into a monster, and they have to get to South America to reverse their transformations before they become permanent. Like the rom-com storyline of the first movie, the body-swap premise of Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is nothing new, but the movie has more than enough laughs and likability to keep viewers interested.
- Available to stream on Prime Video
