This Forgotten Horror Movie Is the Best Frankenstein Story of the 2020s
In her free time, you can find Emma binging classic sci-fi and horror films (she'll talk your ear off about anything involving time travel), watching the latest Mike Flanagan series, or listening to Hayley Williams and The National.
Frankenstein's Creature may be a reanimated corpse, but Frankenstein is more alive than ever. The 2020s alone have seen a glut of adaptations of Mary Shelley's classic novel, from Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein to Maggie Gyllenhall's The Bride!, released within months of each other. That's not to mention the obviously Frankenstein-inspired Poor Things or Radu Jude's forthcoming Frankenstein In Romania, which is set to star Sebastian Stan as both Creature and creator.
Among this horde of films, however, one not-so-hideous creation has been monstrously overlooked, if not outright forgotten. Zelda Williams' (daughter of the late, great Robin Williams) 2024 horror comedy Lisa Frankenstein divided critics and didn't do particularly well at the box office, but it still has more life in it than many of its Shelley-inspired peers. Led by Kathryn Newton and Cole Sprouse, the film initially scans as a light and frothy '80s homage, but that poppy sheen works to obscure more rigorous themes like grief, isolation, sexual trauma, the death of a parent, and the forging of an unlikely sisterhood. All of these weighty topics are handled with nuance, care, and often outright hilarity, owing to the sharp-as-knives screenplay penned by Diablo Cody (Juno). Lisa Frankenstein may not be the most famous Frankenstein adaptation out there, but it is one of the most feminist — and the most fun.
‘Lisa Frankenstein’ Is One of the Only ‘Frankenstein’ Adaptations To Feature a Female Mad Scientist
Nearly two decades after Shelley first penned her masterpiece, Lisa Frankenstein remains one of the rare Frankenstein adaptations to gender swap its mad scientist. But Lisa (Newton) isn't just female. She's a teenage girl, and — refreshingly — the film allows her to act like one. At the outset of the story, Lisa is almost completely alone. Her mother was violently murdered, and her father (Joe Chrest) seems to only care about his new family — his wretched wife, Janet (Carla Gugino), and his well-meaning but oblivious stepdaughter, Taffy (Liza Soberano). To combat her loneliness, Lisa finds solace in talking to the grave of a young pianist (Sprouse) who was killed in the 19th century. It's a "really weird" coping mechanism, as her stepsister tells her, but Lisa "just [doesn't] think anyone should be forgotten."
This early exchange perfectly sums up the off-kilter, but ultimately sweet tone of the film. After the unnamed man is revived by a bolt of lightning, Lisa continues to make chaotic and impulsive decisions that still feel authentic to a young woman in her position. She exacts gleeful, bloody revenge on those who've wronged her, MacGyvers a hot pink tanning bed to serve as her personal laboratory, stitches body parts onto her new companion with her sewing kit, and teaches the Creature REO Speedwagon so they can duet. Lisa Frankenstein is also as much a coming of age story for Lisa as it is a coming-to-life tale for the Creature. Over the course of the film, the protagonist explores her sexuality, finds her agency, and nails down a killer style that would make even a modern camp icon like Chappell Roan swoon.
'Lisa Frankenstein' is a Modern Camp Classic
Speaking of camp, the film is bursting with it. In an era largely defined by films and TV shows that are way too dark to see properly, Lisa Frankenstein provides a welcome pop of brightness and color. Every room in Lisa's house is painted a different pastel hue, lending a surreal tone to the entire film, à la similarly campy favorite But I'm A Cheerleader. The film's title itself is a play on the beloved but eye-searingly pigmented brand Lisa Frank, which gives a good hint of the film's overall aesthetic. At first glance, Lisa Frankenstein could easily be mistaken for a standard high school rom-com. Lisa and the Creature even get a classic makeover montage set to The Chameleons. You'd never guess the film contained multiple ax-murders, or so many shots of grubs, dirt, and rotting flesh.
Cody's screenplay is also irreverent in a way only the Juno and Jennifer's Body writer can pull off, similarly balancing these aspects of light and dark while constantly reminding the audience that Lisa is a normal teenager in a very abnormal situation. At one point, Lisa admits she wished she was "in the ground, dead" but only because "life sucks and people are jerk-offs." Later, while admonishing a former crush, she makes a genuinely profound point in pitch-perfect teen girl speak: "You want to be the smart one who likes cool stuff, and you don't want your girlfriend to like cool stuff. Do you know how uncool that is?"
Cody's latest project, Forbidden Fruits, hits theaters later this month and looks to have a similarly sharp sense of wit. (Cody just serves as producer this time around. The film is directed by Meredith Alloway from a screenplay Alloway co-wrote with Lily Houghton.) In the meantime, it's well past time to bring Lisa Frankenstein back to life. The horror comedy isn't streaming anywhere as of this writing, but it's available to rent on both Prime Video and Apple TV.
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