Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein will receive a limited theatrical release on October 17, followed by its Netflix debut on November 7.
Guillermo del Toro’s long-awaited adaptation of Frankenstein delves into the familiar narrative of Mary Shelley’s novel to explore the persistent pain of generational trauma. A passion project for the director for over two decades, the film reimagines the classic tale of creation and rejection as a story about a cycle of abuse passed from father to son.
While del Toro makes minor changes to the source material, the core story remains: a man creates a monster, rejects it, and faces the devastating consequences. Yet, this version feels remarkably fresh, presenting a beautiful and haunting exploration of its classic themes. The narrative establishes that Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) is not the first monster in his family. He is the product of his cruel and abusive father, Leopold (Charles Dance), ensuring that this inherited pain is inevitably inflicted upon his own creation.
The Creature, brought to life by Jacob Elordi, is a marvel of sympathetic monstrosity. In a departure from his roles in Euphoria and Saltburn, Elordi portrays the Creature not as a villain, but as a tragic figure desperate for connection, in the vein of Boris Karloff’s iconic performance. Elordi’s physicality, seemingly channeling del Toro regular Doug Jones, constantly reminds the audience that the Creature is a composite of bodies still learning to exist as one.
Conversely, Oscar Isaac’s Victor often verges on being unlikable. Initial moments of affection between creator and creation dissolve as Victor’s frustration with the Creature’s slow development grows. Echoing the cruelty of his own father, Victor chooses punishment over nurture, nearly positioning himself as the film’s true villain and pushing the boundaries of audience sympathy.
The supporting cast includes Mia Goth, who lends her signature otherworldly quality to Elizabeth Harlander. In a departure from the novel, Elizabeth is engaged to Victor’s brother, William (Felix Kammerer), a change that reconfigures the story’s central relationships. Christoph Waltz also appears as Elizabeth’s uncle and Victor’s benefactor, though his character adds little to the central drama.
Despite being filled with gore and dismemberment, Frankenstein operates not as a horror film but as a grand Gothic romance, much like del Toro’s Crimson Peak. The director creates an engulfing world of stunning, often brutal, beauty—from blood-soaked city streets to a battlefield frozen in time. The Creature’s design is a clear homage to Bernie Wrightson’s famous comic illustrations, one of many influences del Toro masterfully fuses into his singular vision.
Ultimately, the film is a story of atonement, structured in two parts to present the perspectives of both Victor and his Creature. By exploring whether this broken family can find forgiveness and break the cycle of suffering, del Toro seeks a path to redemption for characters long denied it.
