Lisa Frankenstein came out in 2024 to very mixed reviews. What could have been a lovely goth rom-com sadly faceplanted into a grave.
A Spooky Legacy
Whether you love her style or hate it, screenwriter Diablo Cody made waves back in the day with Jennifer’s Body. Between her signature sharp dialogue and progressive themes, she shook the foundations of teen horror.
The marketing did this movie dirty and I’ll gladly die on that hill.
This time, we have Zelda Williams in the director’s chair. Yes, the daughter of our beloved Robin Williams herself!
A “Flanagan-Approved” Cast
On the casting side, we’re dealing with heavy hitters. We have Kathryn Newton (Freaky, Abigail), Cole Sprouse (who started his career as Ben in Friends), and the horror goddess of the Mike Flanagan universe in the flesh, Carla Gugino—even if she only has a -sadly- minor role here. Her despicable character starts off the mutilation trade, so even it’s only for very little screen time, she’s still part of the plot.
Just for fun, I should also mention that Joe Chrest, who played Mike and Nancy Wheeler’s uncaring father in Stranger Things, basically reprises the exact same role here. It’s a hilarious bit of typecasting.
He’s found a very niche job for himself and I love that for him.
Flatlining
On paper, Lisa Frankenstein had everything to succeed.
I was clearly the target audience for that one. I loved Jennifer’s Body, I adore the Tim Burton aesthetic, I’m a fan of zombies and neon 80’s color palette… this movie was basically made for me !
But unfortunately, it falls a bit short. There are lovely homages everywhere. I love the Creature design, the Edward Scissorhands-style neighborhood, the flashbacks, the outfits, and even some of Cody’s signature dialogue but I just can’t bring myself to like Lisa’s eccentricity.
She’s either being too extra or not enough.
The funeral of hearts
Her relationship with the Creature could have been perfect, but it feels a bit too vain to be truly convincing.
A few more touching moments between them could have made this movie great, but it’s missing that vital heartbeat.
Looking back at it, there were some similar issues with Warm Bodies, even if the characters worked harder for their romance. Trying to force an unbelievable love story onto an audience doesn’t always do the trick. And I hate the fact that she was pining for him first, and completely gave up.
I get it, he’s gross AF and smells terrible, but we’ve witnessed so much worse where yearning still existed, somehow.
Beating the odds. Imagine for a moment Frankenstein‘s monster giving his bride the cold shoulder for half of the run time. It’s a weird concept.
A “Jack & Sally” problem : why the romance doesn’t work
The story still holds up, some jokes are mostly ok, the deaths are fairly solid for a teen movie, but the script needed a few more passes. I’m not sure if a lot was cut, but it often feels like we’re rushing from point A to point B without much meaning or enough padding in between.
I know I might get cancelled for this, but to me it’s like the ending of The Nightmare Before Christmas.
We see Sally supporting Jack throughout the movie, being scared for his well being, but we never actually see Jack think of Sally as anything more than a seamstress for his Santa costume.
And yet they end up together and everyone thinks it’s a great love story. But it’s not. At all.
It’s a similar vibe here : the Creature falls for Lisa, but Lisa is pining for someone else for most of the runtime.
Their “afterlife” together doesn’t feel earned to the audience.
The emo generation would have cherished this movie if it had held its ground.
We’re known for loving the Burton universe, awkward humor, and weird love stories.
Hell, we’re even into creepy-looking creatures if Nosferatu was to prove anything.
If Lisa Frankenstein had stuck the landing, she could have been our icon for the next decade.
Final tan
Public reception is still mixed, and it didn’t exactly make waves at the box office.
In itself, it doesn’t deserve a sequel, so it’s not too disturbing if none is made, as the ending is sufficient in itself.
They did not live happily ever after and had no children.
I loved the nod to Robin Williams in the final scene, with the Creature wearing suspenders identical to his.
It was a beautiful tribute.
My rating : 3/5 bats
🦇🦇🦇🧟♀️🧟♀️