Frankenstein (2025) Review: The Return of Gothic Horror

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

A Career Culmination: del Toro’s Ultimate Monster Tale

Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein feels like the movie he’s been building toward his entire career. The fairy-tale horror of Pan’s Labyrinth, the tender monster romance of The Shape of Water, and the gothic ache of Crimson Peak all converge here. He’s back in the lab, but this time the experiment is Mary Shelley’s enduring tale of creation and consequence, and the result is something both familiar and astonishingly alive.

More Than a Retelling: A Gothic Resurrection

The story is one we know well: a brilliant but egotistical scientist brings a creature to life in an act of hubris that destroys them both. But del Toro’s take isn’t just a retelling; it’s a resurrection. The world he’s built feels soaked in candle wax and sorrow, a decaying cathedral of science and regret. Each frame feels textured, with smoke drifting through cracked glass, rain streaking down stone corridors, and the hum of lightning that feels almost holy.

A Feast for the Senses: The Power of Practical Effects

Watching Frankenstein was like attending a sumptuous feast for the senses. The sheer fact that del Toro utilized physical sets, special effects makeup, and minimal CGI allows the viewer to fully immerse themselves. It’s a lived-in world, tangible and tactile. You can almost feel the cold of the stone walls and the damp of the laboratory floor. The production design and practical artistry breathe life into every inch of this monster’s world, something often missing in today’s digital-heavy blockbusters.

Jacob Elordi as the Creature: Terrifying and Tragic

As for the creature himself, Jacob Elordi delivers a performance that’s equal parts terrifying and tragic. I’m not too familiar with his work, but he will be remembered as Frankenstein’s monster for years to come. He’s a force to be reckoned with, all presence and pain. It’s also a thrill to see that del Toro used Bernie Wrightson’s design as inspiration for the creature. There’s a haunted beauty in how the monster moves, stitched together yet strangely graceful, carrying echoes of the souls that make him. One chilling moment finds him reflecting that he can recall memories from the various body parts used in his creation—a concept that’s both poetic and horrifying.

The Heart of the Story: Empathy for a Lost Soul

What makes this version so affecting is how deeply you empathize with the monster. In Kenneth Branagh’s 1994 film, Robert De Niro’s creature felt stripped of humanity, a man damned from the start. Elordi’s version is something different—a lost soul trying to reconcile the fragments of others living inside him. He isn’t born evil; he’s born confused and desperate to be understood. Del Toro leans hard into that emotional thread, and it pays off beautifully.

Final Verdict: A Must-See Theatrical Experience

Netflix has decided to give Frankenstein a limited theatrical run before it hits their service on November 7. If you’re near a theater playing it, see it on the biggest screen possible. The film’s visual richness deserves that space to breathe.

In the end, del Toro’s Frankenstein isn’t just about man creating life; it’s about art creating empathy. It’s a monster movie that remembers the monster is human, too. This is a stunning, heartfelt, and visually magnificent masterpiece.

Details

• Rating Certificate: R (for bloody violence and grisly images.)
• Studios & Distributors: Bluegrass Pictures | Demilo Films | Double Dare You (DDY) | Netflix
• Director: Guillermo del Toro
• Written By: Guillermo del Toro (story/screenplay) | Mary Shelley (book)
• Country: Mexico | USA
• Language: English | Danish | French
• Run Time: 149 Mins.
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Release Date: 17 October 2025 (limited) | 7 November 2025 (Netflix)