By Riley Dauber
Lifestyle Editor
In Hollywood, films inspired by Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” are very much alive.
Two recent films — “Poor Things” and “Lisa Frankenstein” — and two upcoming films — Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “Bride of Frankenstein” — have either strived to directly adapt the source material of Shelley’s 1818 book or pulled plot points and character details to create new projects.
For example, Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things” is based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Alasdair Gray, according to prior Elm coverage.
At the start of the film, a young pregnant woman (Emma Stone) commits suicide. Her dead body is found by the mad scientist Godwin Baxter (Willam Dafoe), who decides to extract the brain of Bella’s unborn baby and place it in her adult body, who he names Bella.
Similar to the original Victor Frankenstein, Godwin attempts to create new life with his strange experiments. However, “Poor Things” shifts its focus from the creator to the creation, as Bella leaves home and learns more about the world around her. She even calls the scientist “God” in reference to Godwin’s interest in creating and controlling new forms of life.
According to English and women’s studies professor at UCLA Anne K. Mellor, “‘Frankenstein’ is essentially about power and how it leads us astray. Victor Frankenstein is trying to take over the ability to create life itself, from Mother Nature and from women. What results is a model of what happens when a woman is erased, which is what patriarchy, in effect, tries to do.”
In an attempt to focus on the woman at the center of the story, Lanthimos and screenwriter Tony McNamara avoided the male narrator from Gray’s novel, according to Time. Instead, the film is told through Bella’s eyes as she educates herself, following in the footsteps of Shelley’s creature.
Since its Dec. 25 release, “Poor Things” has received critical success and 11 Oscar nominations. However, it is not the only “Frankenstein” story as of late.
On Feb. 9, first-time director Zelda Williams released “Lisa Frankenstein,” an adaptation of Shelley’s story that takes place in the 1980s. Written by Academy-Award winner Diablo Cody, the film follows a teenage girl named Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton) who obsesses over a dead boy’s tombstone. One night, after a freak lightning storm, the boy comes alive.
Unlike Victor or Godwin, Lisa does not set out to create life. Creature (Cole Sprouse) stumbles upon her house because she said she wanted to be with him in the afterlife.
Once the two meet, Lisa embraces the mad scientist trope. She utilizes some killer techniques and a borrowed tanning bed to find Creature a new ear and arm, according to prior Elm coverage.
Similar to “Poor Things,” “Lisa Frankenstein” plays around with gender in reference to Shelley’s novel. By making the scientist a woman, Lisa becomes a creator of life, even if that plan was unintentional.
The film’s romantic comedy elements introduce a new aspect where the scientist falls for their creation. Even though he cannot talk, Creature appeals to Lisa through his loyalty and physical actions.
“Poor Things” and “Lisa Frankenstein” also rely on dark comedy when telling their stories. The former allows Stone to twirl around and misunderstand social cues, while the latter has biting dialogue and a stand-out physical performance from Sprouse. Both projects balance the humorous beats with the serious, providing conversations on morality, life, and death.
These films are soon to be joined by two new “Frankenstein” projects.
According to Collider, del Toro is continuing his agreement with Netflix to adapt his own version of Shelley’s novel.
The film was originally set to star Oscar Isaac, Andrew Garfield, and Mia Goth, but in January, Garfield left the project and was replaced with Jacob Elordi. This casting switch also led to the reveal that Isaac is playing Victor and Elordi is playing the Monster.
While little else is known about the project, del Toro has frequently expressed his appreciation of Shelley’s work.
“She gave voice to the voiceless, and presence to the invisible, and showed me that sometimes to talk to monsters, we need to fabricate monsters of our own,” del Toro said.
Along with del Toro, Gyllenhaal is also working on a “Bride of Frankenstein” film, according to ScreenRant.
Production starts soon, with Christian Bale, Peter Saarsgard, Jessie Buckley, Penelope Cruz, and Annette Bening set to star.
Considering the recent and upcoming projects, it is clear that both creatives and viewers are still interested in Shelley’s novel — even 200 years later.
Shelley’s discussion of timeless themes — including life, motherhood, and feminism — help keep the story relevant, and these films continue to put new players at the center. “Poor Things” focuses on the female creature, and “Lisa Frankenstein” sets the story in the 1980s with a female scientist falling in love with her reanimated creature.
According to Collider, “Modern-day ‘Frankenstein’ riffs aren’t just doing straightforward retellings of Shelley’s text, they’re offering up radically new POVs for this familiar tale. These ‘Frankenstein’ variations aren’t meant to suggest there’s something wrong with the original text. It’s simply to ensure that new pieces of art can stand on their own two feet compared to the works that inspired them.”
As of right now, the “Frankenstein” phenomenon is somewhat of a waiting game. Del Toro and Gyllenhaal’s projects are currently in production and are both set to release in 2025, while “Poor Things” and “Lisa Frankenstein” are currently available to stream. Voters are also likely to show their support for Lanthimos’ version of the story at the Academy Awards on March 10, according to Variety.
Regardless of how long fans have to wait to see the next “Frankenstein” film on screen, it is likely that both del Toro and Gyllenhaal’s films will reignite the novel’s popularity and place focus on these adaptations once again.