Frankenstein. Is it worth even discussing just how important this novel is? The iconic gothic tale created by Mary Shelly has been felt dramatically across pop culture over the past 200 years, leading to iconic films, timeless interpretations, and the mark of any true icon; cereal. The story of man playing God and creating life has been retold and reframed countless times and continues to be adapted to this day. Hell, as we speak, Guillermo del Toro is working on his own adaptation. But we’ve seen this story told so many times that one has to wonder; is there even a point anymore? Can anything really be said about this story that hasn’t already been said? Is there any way to approach this tale with nuance and newfound insight after 200 years? Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean a good time can’t still be had, which is what Lisa Frankenstein gave me.

At the undead but beating heart of all, Lisa Frankenstein isn’t exactly treading new ground with its inspirations, yet elements such as the performances, designs and writing made this a hell of lot more fun than I was anticipating. As an ode to both the 80s aesthetic and gothic aura of the original story, the film raunchily plays with the story of girl meets undead boy, delivering on witty dialogue and a humorously dark nihilism that actually kind of surprised me. The lead performances are a ton of campy fun, despite a narrative that never really finds the footing to ground itself in anything all that worthwhile. Still, this was a lot more fun than I expected it to be, and out of the 10 or so new films I’ve had to slog through so far this year, this is certainly my favorite.

In Lisa Frankenstein, an outcast teen drawn to the morbid and the vintage one day finds her life upended by the re-animated corpse of a man whose gravesite she frequently visited. The arrival of this zombie takes her down a path of love, self-discovery and murder; the good old high school experience. 

This familiar story is directed by Zelda Williams in her feature debut, with a script penned by Diablo Cody, who you may know from films like Juno and Jennifer’s Body. I think Williams shows a decent amount of promise here; demonstrating enough competency from the director’s chair but not exactly establishing a super intriguing visual identity. Diablo Cody’s script thankfully manages a lot of the heavy lifting, actually managing to thrive within the confines of a PG-13 rating. I’m definitely not a huge fan of PG-13 horror, often finding it toothless and neutered. Despite that, Cody’s script does find ways to dance around that rating while embracing the vibe of the sillier horror comedies of yesteryear. What the film lacks in blood or uncomfortable body horror is made up for with incredibly witty dialogue and moments that ever so slightly put pressure on the seams that hold this back from being rated R. Didn’t expect to see a severed penis fly through the air here, but hey, I’m not complaining. Yes, the core of the story itself isn’t anything all that new or interesting, and while I do agree that it holds the film back a bit, there’s also proof of how much fun can be had when the script is actually succeeding at being funny. It actually finds ways to make high school stereotypes that have been done to death not feel tired and played out, which is a hell of an achievement.

Kathryn Newton, who you may recognize from Freaky or most recently, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, is the linchpin of the story, portraying the unfortunately named Lisa Swallows. Saddled with the baggage of a murdered mother and a new high school to navigate, Lisa receives a confidence boost from the unlikely source of a re-animated corpse. Newton’s already shown her horror comedy chops before, and she manages to be a good amount of fun. She’s that “everyone’s dumb but me” kind of outcast that constantly has her hubris blown up in her face as she descends down an empowering path of self-discovery that does cause her to continuously dig herself a deeper grave. Paired alongside her is Cole Sprouse as the zombie referred to as the Creature. His performance gave me the most joy, mostly because the character has no lines and has to rely on a purely physical performance. Sprouse nails this through his abnormal body movements and well-timed facial expressions, serving as both a fish out of water in a brand new time and a hopeless romantic trying to make Lisa as happy as she can be. A few standout supporting actors include Liza Soberano as peppy but caring stepsister Taffy and Carla Gugino as terrible, manipulating stepmother Janet. 

While the majority of the film is shot in a standard but serviceable style, there are little moments of creativity that exemplify the film’s gothic inspirations, from Bride of Frankenstein to even A Trip to the Moon from 1920. This admiration of the vintage is shown through small dashes of daydream-like scenes that really allow the set and costume designers to play. I found a lot of the set-design capturing a charming nostalgia of horror’s past, one defined by twisting trees and large, ornate tombstones. These sets never really feel cheap or fake because it’s clear the film is settling itself right in with the look and feel of 80s classics. Yet the film does manage to avoid the most obvious trappings that come with the 80s, opting to avoid the expected neon and synthwave aesthetic for a more believable, pastel piece of history. But like I said, the film doesn’t really keep this style up as much as I would have liked, really feeling like it wants to be Tim Burton-esque but being too afraid to fully commit to crafting this offbeat world.

This kind of leads to the film feeling indecisive, passing between different tones while never really establishing anything more worthwhile under the surface. The threads of the film’s world and rules feel incredibly loose at times, with characters feeling just a tad too inhuman to establish any real emotional connection with. Lisa’s intentions and feelings towards everything feel all over the place at times, and while that may be reflective of typical coming of age films, it still leaves you with a protagonist that you can’t always get behind but you can’t exactly hate either. 

Finally, I don’t really feel like the film did enough to utilize the concept of the original Frankenstein. Sure, this is as loose of an adaptation as you can get, but it neither uses the previously established themes of the original, nor does it try to spin the concept into anything all that interesting. Under the surface there’s a lot of emotions dying to be unpacked, like how everyone is so quick to move on from your tragedy when it feels like you’ve barely had any time to process it, or how romanticizing the past can keep you from experiencing the present. None of these ideas are ever really brought full circle, which is a shame because the film is often quite clever at times with its jokes and setups, but ultimately struggles with its execution.

The writing and performances are the saving grace of a film that either doesn’t fully know what it wants to be or isn’t trying hard enough to achieve it. I can respect its edgy, ratings pushing demeanor and its morbid humor, but I can’t help but feel there was a darker, meaner, possibly more poignant film underneath dying to breach the surface. Even with its shortcomings, I still think this is a pretty fun time to indulge in the familiar and enjoy the simplicity. It needs a few more body parts to become whole, but there’s way worse films delivered unto us by January and February, and I definitely think this is worth your time if it sounds up your alley.

Rating

Actually, Frankenstein Was the Name of the Cocktail

If you too find yourself struggling to wake up and profess your feelings to that goth geek in your life, then boy do I have a hell of a concoction for you. Brewed in the likeness of the Frankenstein monster, or at least the most well known image, this is a big green cocktail packed with 3 different types of rum, some delicious fruit juice, and a handy handful of matcha to shock your system and wake you up. Up front you’ll notice bright, slightly tart fruit flavors, which blends nicely with a creamy complexion and finishes with a slightly earthy but invigorating earthy aftertaste.

Ingredients

• 2oz rum
• 1/2oz overproof rum
• 1/2oz banana rum
• 1oz vanilla syrup
• 3/4oz pineapple juice
• 3/4oz orange juice
• 3/4oz lime juice
• 1oz coconut milk
• 1/2tsp matcha powder
• Garnish: Mint sprigs

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to a shaker and shake with ice.
2. Strain over ice in a tall tiki glass.
3. Garnish with mint leaves.