The latest adaptation of Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel of the same name.

It’s Halloween time, and everyone knows what that means; spooky decorations, high fructose corn syrup, and sexy costumes. Famed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro seemed to really take some of these holiday hallmarks to heart when crafting his most recent film, where he served as writer, director, and producer. It’s the name of the doctor, not the monster. It’s Frankenstein.

By his own account, this is an adaptation that Del Toro has been wanting to make for a very long time, noting in interviews as far back as 2007 that he wanted to craft his own take on the classic tale. Since that time, there have been several attempts to get a Del Toro-helmed “Frankenstein” off the ground, but each has been thwarted by the many hurdles of the studio film industry. At one point, a version was in development at Universal Pictures, but it was shelved due to Universal's attempts at launching their “Dark Universe” film franchise. Needless to say, Universal's decision to pursue their own MCU-esque series of films over Guillermo’s vision for the iconic creature was not their most clairvoyant, but had it not been made, the world may have missed out on some of the joy brought to us by the “Dark Universe”.

WATCH - The Mummy Trailer Without Music Or Sound Effects: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRqxyqjpOHs

Del Toro’s efforts would eventually come to fruition in 2023 when he was given the greenlight to make his monster movie as part of a multi-picture deal with Netflix. Once production was underway, several big name stars were announced for the project, including Mia Goth, Oscar Isaac, and Andrew Garfiled. Garfield was set to suit up as the titular doctor's creature, but ultimately, he was forced to drop out due to scheduling conflicts (presumably because filming had to take place on Mondays…). This left the creature feature creatureless, forcing Del Toro and the studio to find a replacement star for the film.

The team decided to stick with their intentions of putting a sexy leading man in the hideous monster role, casting “Euphoria” star Jacob Elordi. The 6’5” Australian heartthrob delivers a powerful and nuanced performance as Frankenstein's monster, all while smoldering through heavy makeup and prosthetics. This proved to be an inspired choice, as a surefire way to get your audience to sympathize with a frightening, strange, deeply ostracized character such as this one is to make him hot.

Perhaps the only thing more visually appealing than the brooding Elordi is the film itself, which drips with Del Toro’s signature style. “Frankenstein’s” lavishly designed sets and backdrops are captured beautifully by cinematographer Dan Lausten, who, while best known as Director of Photography for the “John Wick” series, also collaborated with Del Toro in 2017 for “The Shape of Water” (AKA “Stupid Sexy Fish”).

One's appreciation for the new “Frankenstein” (or lack thereof) will probably come down to how they feel about this signature Del Toro style of filmmaking. Underneath the film’s glistening visuals are the familiar beats of the original Frankenstein novel, but, like any film, presentation means everything, and some may not enjoy the “yassification” of the source material. However, they will undoubtedly appreciate the impressive performances, strong technical execution and clear artistic vision.

I caught a showing of “Frankenstein” in 35mm at the Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles. Netflix purchased this iconic theater back in 2020 and now uses it to screen some of their new films before they land on the streaming platform. There is a lot of discussion about certain movies “belonging” on the big screen, and I think this is a case where the medium mattered. I was engaged throughout “Frankenstein’s” two-and-a-half hour runtime, both because of the aforementioned technical aspects and because, in the dark and quiet theater, I had no other choice. 

Had I been sitting at home watching on Netflix, I fear I may have been tempted to engage in that “second screen experience” of scrolling through my phone or wandering to the kitchen for snacks instead of giving the film my full attention. In fact, the biggest scare this creature flick provides is an interstitial titled “Part 2” very deep into its runtime, which only left me thinking “Gosh, I really hope there isn’t a Part 3.”

“Frankenstein” will certainly appeal to fans of Guillermo Del Toro's previous films, but even for me, who isn’t familiar with his entire filmography, it still serves as an impressive feat of filmmaking. For all its strengths and flaws and uncomfortably hot monsters, it’s a great example of what’s possible when an auteur’s creativity is allowed to take the reins on a feature of this scale. 

The reported budget for the film is $120 million, and it feels like that money went into all the right places. Even though I didn’t personally fall in love with “Frankenstein” (the film, not the monster), I would much rather see studios like Netflix put their resources into projects like this one than the usual big-budget affairs that have saturated the viewing market.

“Frankenstein” (2025) is currently screening in select theaters and will premiere on Netflix November 7th.

For information on "Nate and Moriah in Venice" (which Frank co-produced), visit https://www.sardonicmp.com/