Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Robin Woitesek, ’24
Features Editor
rudolphwoitese@lakeforest.edu
Starring Kathryn Newton and Cole Sprouse, Zelda Williams’ feature directorial debut tells the story of Lisa, an eccentric teenager with a dark past who loves horror and spends most of her time in graveyards. As such, her biggest crush is a deceased unmarried Victorian man and after he’s brought back to life, the pair embark on a journey of self-discovery, love, revenge, and look for some body parts along the way. Can their love transcend death or is their relationship doomed to decompose before it’s even begun?
This horror romantic comedy was not only a fantastic homage to both silent and classic horror films, which is clear from its title as well as a surrealist dream sequence which harkens back to the German expressionist roots of horror but also allows its story to be inspired by the genre while adding something new. In doing so, this film’s ability to blend a variety of genre tropes while creating its own pointed sense of humor makes this story stand out within a genre that has become overrun with remakes, reboots, and sequels.
Much like Poor Things, this film is a feminist retelling of Frankenstein, but rather than the film portraying the creature’s journey towards self-actualization, this time we actually return to form as we’re shown things from the inventor’s perspective. This is because not only does Lisa inadvertently bring the creature to life, but is also responsible for his socio-cultural development as he acclimates to the modern world, which in this case is 1989.
This film not only makes great use of its 80s aesthetic (the costumes and hair are immaculate), but also allows its setting to enhance the camp within the story. Whether it was the garish pastel decoration of Lisa’s new home, the stylized color lighting, or using a malfunctioning tanning bed for electrical reanimation, this film brought a very unique spin to the Frankenstein story that we know so well. The camp not only allowed this film to have a distinctly light tone but elevated the comedy to be more than simple 80s references as much of the humor stemmed from the horror within the story.
The relationship between Lisa and the creature is the heart of the film and is also its strongest aspect, which is not only made possible with Newton and Sprouse’s fantastic performances, but because the characters allow one another to be their full selves. Lisa, who’s constantly being defined by others as ‘weird’, ‘destructive’, and even ‘crazy’ because of her past, learns to embrace the darker parts of herself that are often held against her. The creature is able to literally reclaim parts of himself and through Lisa’s help, the creature is also able to regain his sense of self as he goes from a zombie-like corpse to a reinvigorated musician. This is shown in one scene when Lisa sews back on the creature’s right hand and he leads Lisa to the family’s piano to share his musicianship with her and this culminates in an endearing rendition of REO Speedwagon’s “Can’t Fight This Feeling”.
All of this is to say that rather than the film portraying an inventor’s creation losing control and needing to be destroyed due to societal misunderstandings, this is a film about how the inventor and creature build each other up to become better people. Neither one tries to change the other, they only embrace what makes the other different and in doing so, the pair are able to reach beyond their potential through mutually supporting one another through collective action, even if those actions have some bloody consequences.
This film will not be for everyone, nor will it impact everyone the same way, especially since it leans much more heavily towards camp, but it’s a comedic horror film that never loses its spunk. Screenwriter Diablo Cody has done it again and this film is sure to be a future cult classic for those who enjoy the sentimentally violent weirdness within an undeniably feminist romantic relationship. This film will not only warm your resurrected heart but will absolutely leave you in stitches.
