Guillermo del Toro’s long-awaited adaptation of Frankenstein is finally rising from the depths—and it lands on Netflix this November. A true passion project for the Oscar-winning director, the film reimagines Mary Shelley’s gothic classic through del Toro’s signature lens: lush visuals, emotional complexity, and unsettling beauty.
Jacob Elordi stars as the Monster, brought to life by Oscar Isaac’s brooding Dr. Viktor Frankenstein. The film is set against a richly detailed 18th-century backdrop, including a towering, waterlogged laboratory that doubles as Frankenstein’s home. In a first look shared by Vanity Fair, Elordi’s creature emerges cloaked in shadows and gothic grandeur—haunted, curious, and raw.
Initially hesitant to study past portrayals, Elordi eventually binged the Boris Karloff-era films at del Toro’s insistence. “It’s a movie, it can’t f–king hurt you,” the director told him. The actor dove deep, trying to channel the innocence, pain, and existential hunger at the heart of Shelley’s creation.
Del Toro describes the monster’s arc as “a crash course in humanity”—a being exposed to love, loss, violence, and wonder within moments of life. The cast also includes Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, and Charles Dance, adding gravitas to a story both timeless and tragically personal.
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