Guillermo Del Toro's Frankenstein: A new take on an old tale

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of attending the Los Angeles premiere of Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein at the Academy’s David Geffen Theater. The new Netflix film marks another collaboration between the Pinocchio (2022) director and the streaming platform. Rather than creating another traditional monster horror story, Guillermo described the film as a “family drama,” as actress Mia Goth mentioned during the red carpet event.

The movie is divided into two parts. In the first, we follow the story from the perspective of Victor Frankenstein, portrayed by Oscar Isaac, as he shares his family background and reveals how he brought the creature to life. The second part is told through the eyes of his creation, played by Jacob Elordi, allowing us to dive deeply into the creature’s emotions and experience a new side of this timeless story reimagined by Guillermo.

This version of Frankenstein adds new layers to the classic tale and humanizes what was once seen merely as a monster. Despite its 2-hour-and-30-minute runtime, the film’s strong pacing and emotional storytelling keep the audience fully engaged, with every scene feeling essential to the narrative.

Another standout aspect is the film’s breathtaking cinematography and costume design, paired with the remarkable work of the makeup department in bringing Jacob Elordi’s character to life. Alexandre Desplat’s score perfectly complements the film’s atmosphere, evoking feelings of melancholy, tragedy, and empathy toward the creature.

Frankenstein opens in select theaters on October 17th and will be available on Netflix starting November 7th, 2025.