Review: Guillermo del Toro's FRANKENSTEIN Is a Gothic Masterpiece of Horror and Heart
I’ve been waiting to see Guillermo Del Toro’s vision of Frankenstein for years, and now that it’s finally here, I can say it was well worth the wait. I loved the movie!
Del Toro made a movie with a story that sticks with you. You feel it in your chest, this is a story that’s been brewing in Del Toro’s mind for ages, and you can see that passion on every single frame. Thanks to Netflix, he finally got the chance to make his movie, and the result is just phenomenal.
The visuals, the pacing, the characters, the wonderful performances. It’s a rich and elegant film. The design of the Creature, the gloomy atmosphere, the old-world textures, all of it pulls you into this bleak, tragic world.
Del Toro understands that horror isn’t just about the scares. It’s about what scares us as people, and in this case, it’s the horror of rejection, of creation without love, of trying to make sense of a world where we feel like we don’t belong.
Oscar Isaac plays Victor Frankenstein like he’s burning from the inside out, the perfect balance of ego and desperation. He brings a kind of dangerous energy to Victor that makes him riveting to watch.
Then there’s Jacob Elordi as the Creature, and he delivered an amazing performance that I wasn’t expecting. This version of the monster isn’t the one you’ve seen in countless other adaptations. Elordi makes him heartbreakingly human. It’s a raw performance that manages to be more sad than scary. Mia Goth is also great as her presence has this eerie elegance, and she fits into this world perfectly.
Del Toro doesn’t just retell the story of Frankenstein, he reshapes it. He shifts the classic “playing God” angle into something more personal, it’s about a man trying and failing to be a father. That re-framing turns the whole story into something deeper.
This is a film about broken people trying to fill the void with love, power, or purpose, and it’s not afraid to sit in that pain.
At its core, Frankenstein isn’t just a story about science gone wrong, it’s about the unbearable weight of abandonment and the human need for connection. Guillermo del Toro leans into the emotional layers of Mary Shelley’s novel, framing the relationship between Victor and his creation as one of failed parenthood rather than simple hubris.
It becomes a tragic exploration of what happens when a creator refuses to love what he’s made, and the fallout that comes from that rejection. The Creature’s journey isn’t driven by vengeance alone, it’s a search for meaning, identity, and belonging in a world that sees him as a mistake.
That longing, paired with Victor’s own spiraling guilt, turns this monster tale into something deeply personal and hauntingly relatable.
I loved how much empathy is baked into this movie. Switching between Victor’s and the Creature’s perspectives gives you a full, painful picture of their dynamic. Neither is purely villain or victim. They’re locked in this brutal cycle of abandonment and longing, and when it finally breaks, it’s gets pretty emotional.
Their final moments together were the most beautifully moving I’ve seen from two strong characters in a movie this year.
As for the visuals in Frankenstein, the are absolutely mesmerizing. Every frame is meticulously crafted, and Del Toro builds a world that’s cold, decaying, and drenched in gothic mood, and it’s full of life and texture.
While the movie has horror vibes with its dark dark story, gothic visuals, unsettling body horror, monsters, violence, and blood. Underneath all that is a story about forgiveness, about what it means to be created, to be left behind, to be hated for existing.
Frankenstein manages to be gorgeous and gut-wrenching. It’s a movie about monsters, and how the real ones aren’t always the ones with scars or stitches.
I’m so happy that I got to see this one on the big screen. Frankenstein is visually massive, it’s the kind of cinematic experience that deserves a proper theatrical release, even if Netflix only gave it a limited run.
If you have the chance to see it in a theater, don’t think twice. The scale of this thing, the detailed production design, the stunning gothic visuals, it deserves to tower over you and be seen on the big screen.
Del Toro made something honest and stunning here. Something elegant, tragic, and completely captivating. When you watch it, I hope you enjoy it!