Author Mary Shelley can be credited for writing one of the most well-known novels to man, but Frankenstein shall forever remain her magnum opus. Now, to help the audiences relive the horror and brilliance of that story, director Guillermo Del Toro is coming with a film of the same name. Starring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi in lead roles, the film follows the same age-old story, but with Del Toro’s personal treatment.
To no one’s surprise, the trailer opens up with the shot of Victor Frankenstein discovering that his experiment has borne fruit, and the creature is very much alive. We see shots of Victor scavenging through what looks like a mortuary to find the human parts that he requires in order to complete his experiment. Throughout the trailer, in fact, we see more of Victor going from place to place, but the voice in the background that keeps running isn’t his; it’s the creature’s. He talks about being able to feel memories of different men, who all lived their lives and met their end differently. He talks about his discovering the name of his maker, and just like the original story, he demands love from him, presumably in the form of a female version of himself, because none of the humans will accept him due to his appearance.
He says, “If you shall not reward me with love, then I will indulge in rage.” We see Elizabeth dancing and frolicking with Victor, which is maybe a shot from their wedding night, and we also see a monster wearing the same red dress and hat that Elizabeth was wearing in a different scene, according to the pictures on IMDb. Obviously the trailer will be easier to understand and decode for the ones already familiar with the novel or the million other adaptions. Elordi is definitely stepping into a space which he has never been in before, but now with the audience no longer distracted by his good looks, he has a chance to let his acting do the work.
Directed by Guillermo Del Toro, the cast of the film includes Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, Felix Kammerer, Charles Dance, David Bradley, Lars Mikkelsen, and Christian Convery. It will release in select theatres on October 17, and will be available to stream on Netflix from November 7.
