Overview
A brilliant scientist's hubris leads to a tragic confrontation with his own creation.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- brooding
- melancholic
- visceral
- halloween night
- gothic movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praise the film as a visually sumptuous, emotionally powerful, and unusually faithful adaptation that transforms Shelley's Gothic tragedy through Guillermo del Toro's distinctive fairy-tale and body-horror sensibility.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Victor's relationship with the Creature is framed through abandonment, rejection, and the destructive obligations of creation.
The film remains unusually faithful to Mary Shelley's core pathos while expanding it into a distinctly del Toro Gothic vision.
Reanimation, graveyard-derived body parts, wounds, and the Creature's physicality connect grotesque imagery to empathy and rejection.
Critics describe the film as a grand Romantic tragedy and a boldly personal Gothic romance rooted in Shelley's tragic spirit.
Films like Frankenstein, and why
Crimson Peak
gothic romanticism, ornate production design, tragic supernatural romance, and del Toro's macabre fairy-tale sensibility
Interview with the Vampire
literary gothic horror, tragic immortality themes, lush period atmosphere, and morally conflicted monsters
Bram Stoker's Dracula
sumptuous gothic romance, supernatural horror, heightened melodrama, and adaptation of a foundational horror novel
The Shape of Water
sympathetic monster perspective, fairy-tale imagery, body horror, and emotionally tragic outsider themes
Movie Details
- Director
- Guillermo del Toro
- Release Date
- 2025-10-17
- Runtime
- 150 min
- Rating
- 7.6 / 10 (3894)
Cast
- Oscar Isaac
- Jacob Elordi
- Christoph Waltz
- Mia Goth
- Felix Kammerer
- Charles Dance
- David Bradley
- Lars Mikkelsen
- Christian Convery
- Nikolaj Lie Kaas
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Frankenstein about?
- Guillermo del Toro turns Mary Shelley's creation myth into a sumptuous, tragic Gothic romance about scientific hubris, abandonment, and the humanity of a monster.
- What is Frankenstein like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Frankenstein as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Frankenstein violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Frankenstein as graphic.
- What did critics think of Frankenstein?
- Critics broadly praise the film as a visually sumptuous, emotionally powerful, and unusually faithful adaptation that transforms Shelley's Gothic tragedy through Guillermo del Toro's distinctive fairy-tale and body-horror sensibility.
- Which films are like Frankenstein?
- Films with a similar feel include Crimson Peak, Interview with the Vampire, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and The Shape of Water.
- How long is Frankenstein?
- Frankenstein runs 150 minutes.
- Where can I watch Frankenstein?
- In United States, Frankenstein streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.
