RELEASED: 9 February 2024 (US), 1 March 2024 (UK)
STARRING: Kathryn Newton (Lisa), Cole Sprouse (The Creature), Liza Soberano (Taffy), Henry Eikenberry (Michael), Joe Chrest (Dale), Carla Gugino (Janet)
WRITER: Diablo Cody
DIRECTOR: Zelda Williams
Lisa Frankenstein 2024 Review
Lisa has moved to a new town after a tragic and traumatic incident which left her mother dead. Her father has remarried in haste to Janet, the stepmother from hell, but Lisa thankfully has an unlikely ally in vacuous stepsister Taffy.
Lisa is an artistic soul, who likes nothing more than taking charcoal rubbings from gravestones and tending to the neglected grave of a lovesick pianist who died in 1837, stating “nobody should be forgotten”.
When a freak storm hits the graveyard, and specifically that particular grave, the musician is partially revived and makes his way to Lisa, like a shambling zombie. Initially shocked, Lisa makes the connection that the rotting creature in front of her is the same vintage corpse (who remains nameless) that she has been lovingly leaving gifts and trinkets for.
Resolving to help the poor chap, Lisa doesn’t actually create her “creature” per se, but she does add his finishing touches, attaching an ear here, a hand there, and a… no, I won’t spoil it, but Lisa’s efforts, and the assistance of Taffy’s tanning bed gradually bring him away from his undead appearance to something more human and alive, Lisa effectively building her own perfect man as she goes and, like myriad screen Frankensteins before her, not above committing murder to get the spare parts required.
The sense of period is captured superbly, with a choice soundtrack of the time from Chameleons, Echo & The Bunnymen, Jesus & Mary Chain and more, and I think it’s safe to say nobody will hear Jeffrey Osborne’s “On The Wings Of Love” in quite the same way after its use here. And yet, the film’s determination to seemingly acknowledge every single one of its influences perhaps works to its detriment.
The scattershot barrage of film references (think Weird Science, Heathers, Edward Scissorhands and Day Of The Dead for starters…), comically gory moments, more romantic gothic touches (aided by gorgeous cinematography by Paula Huidobro) and some frat house gags don’t always make comfortable bedfellows – as the film progresses, it feels like it’s struggling to figure out precisely what it wants to be.
Amongst all of that, the characterisations struggle for space, and most come off as somewhat two dimensional, although Kathryn Newton makes for a fine lead, transforming admirably from social outcast to cocksure gothic slayer and Cole Sprouce strikes a nice balance between comic shambling and pathos as the creature, evoking shades of Peter Boyle in Young Frankenstein. Yet, for all that, there is a nagging feeling that the creature’s backstory is screaming out to be heard – one can’t help but wonder if the enterprise might have worked better as a limited series.
Nevertheless, Lisa Frankenstein does have a certain charm, and there’s no denying that it is a lot of fun. There’s some real belly laughs to be had and some novel ideas in play, such as the emotional creature’s tears giving off a foul, nauseating stench.
Whilst it only occasionally reaches the heights of its cultural touchpoints, Lisa Frankenstein’s heart is very much in the right place and any movie which has one of my favourite bands, The Zombies, playing over the end credits will always score a bonus point from me.
And, if the closing moments don’t awaken the gothic romantic in you, nothing will. Lisa Frankenstein is more than worthy of a place on a Halloween watch list.
TRIVIA POINTS: Interestingly, Diablo Cody stated that Lisa Frankenstein is set in the same fictional universe as her earlier darkly-comic horror, Jennifer’s Body (2009).
The feature directorial debut of Zelda Williams, daughter of the late, great Robin Williams.
