Mary Shelley’sFrankensteinhas remained one of the most enduring pieces of horror literature since its debut over two-hundred years ago. The classic 1931 Universal adaptation is perhaps the best-known (and most revered) interpretation of the novel, but it actually wasn’t the first: that distinction belongs to a 1910 silent short film produced by Edison studios, also calledFrankenstein.The next big filmmaker to tackle the horror-IP will be Guillermo del Toro, whose adaptation is set to star Oscar Isaac, Andrew Garfield, and Mia Goth.
Over the last 100 years, there have been more than 70 films that have featured the mad scientist’s monster in some capacity. In addition to these films, there are dozens more that, while not direct adaptations, feature characters that have been inspired by Shelley’s novel. Here are ten movie monsters that were heavily influenced byFrankenstein.
Related:Best Frankenstein Movies of All Time, Ranked
10Bella Baxter - Poor Things
Poor Things,Yorgos Lathimos’s follow-up to his critical hitThe Favourite, has yet to be released, but we do know a thing or two about the surreally-Victorian film, which promises an unhinged descent into a world of Frankenstein-inspired madness.
Reuniting with screenwriter Tony McNamara,Poor Thingsis an adaptation of the late Alasdair Gray’s 1992 novel of the same name. According to IMDb, Emma Stone stars as Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant but unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter. Although it’s unclear just how far Lathimos will go, the novel sees Bella - who’s new brain was taken from an unborn fetus - embark on a hedonistic odyssey across Europe, Africa, and Asia alongside her deceptive lover, Duncan Wedderburn (played in the film by Mark Ruffalo).
Regardless of what direction the film takes, and how far it deviates from Gray’s novel, theFrankensteininfluences are glaring.
9May - May
Lucky McKee’s directorial debutMayis a grotesque but utterly captivating psychological horrorfilm that features a truly stand-out performance from Angela Bettis as the titular May, a socially-awkward veterinary assistant who has spent most of her life alone and isolated, her only company being that of a childhood doll she had sewn together out of various different parts. When her attempts at forming connections with other people fail, she takes matters into her own hands by building her own “friend” out of severed limbs and body parts.
AlthoughMaymay not explicitly reference Frankenstein, the parallels are obvious, not just in May’s attempts at creating “life” from human remains, but in the film’s exploration of loneliness and rejection, and the obsessive pursuit for perfection at all costs.
8Dren - Splice
Vincenzo Natali’s disturbing sci-fi horror movieSplice- which was executive produced by Guillermo del Toro -stars Adrien Brodyand Sarah Polley as Clive Nicolo and Elsa Kast, two genetic scientists hoping to stun the world by creating a brand-new, hybrid organism by splicing together DNA strands from different animals. When their experiments end in failure, they secretly introduce human DNA into the trials, resulting in the creation of a small, amphibious humanoid organism they call Dren. As Dren grows both physically and mentally, its behavior becomes more unpredictable and dangerous, and the scientists are forced to face consequences of manipulating nature.
In her book, Shelley made sure to treat Frankenstein’s monster with a great deal of sympathy. Natali doesn’t do the same inSplice; Dren is a worst-case-consequence of humanity’s ongoing quest to control nature and play God.
7Jeffrey Franken - Frankenhooker
Frankenhookeris a 1990 horror-comedy directed by Frank Henenlotter, the man behind cult hitsBasket CaseandBrain Damage. Unlike most movies on this list,Frankenhookerisn’t very concerned with exploring the moral and ethical quandaries at the heart of Shelley’s novel; rather, it takes the basic elements of the story and twists it into avery offensive (yet very funny) B-movie.
The film stars James Lorinz as Jeffrey Franken, a brilliant medical student whose fiance, Elizabeth, is accidently killed in a freak lawn mower accident. Wrecked by grief and unable to accept her death, Franken concocts a plan to reassemble his dead fiance using the body parts of prostitutes he’s murdered. Using the power of lighting, Jeffrey brings life back into his once-dead fiance.
However, there’s a problem: the reanimated Elizabeth has a ravenous appetite for sex. Worse still, anyone who comes in contact with her literally explodes from the electricity coursing through her. Jeffrey attempts to keep her in his basement, but Elizabeth manages to escape, leaving a trail of death and destruction across New York City.
6Edward - Edward Scissorhands
Frankensteinis a deeply melancholic novel, and as a result, most interpretations of the material share a similar tone. Most adaptations focus on humanity’s cruelty; Tim Burton’sEdward Scissorhandsembraces humanity’s kindness.
Johnny Depp stars as the titular Edward Scissorhands, an ageless humanoid trapped in the decrepit mansion of his late inventor, stuck with scissors for hands because he was never given real ones. When Ed meets Peg, a lovable door-to-door salesperson, she welcomes Ed into her family, giving the “monster” the love and affection he never received but always wanted.
Despite a sad undercurrent,Scissorhandsis a much sweeter take on the Frankenstein material. It’s as if Burton read Shelley’s novel and set out to make a companion piece that didn’t end in total and utter disaster.
5Ava - Ex Machina
Sleek and incredibly-timely,Alex Garland’s directorial debutEx Machinais a modern interpretation of Shelley’s timeless novel.
Caleb (Domhall Gleeson) is a programmer who wins a competition to spend a week at the private retreat of Nathan (Oscar Isaac), the brilliant but enigmatic CEO of the world’s biggest software company. But upon his arrival, Caleb discovers his true reason for being there: to administer the Turing test to Ava (Alicia Vikander), the world’s first artificially-intelligent robot.
BothFrankensteinandEx Machinadeal with the creation of artificial life, albeit using different “parts.” Nathan serves as Garland’s mad scientist, and Ava his creation. Compared to Frankenstein’s monster, Ava is more mature and far more intelligent - arguably even more so than her own creator. Much like Shelley, Garland acknowledges and even sympathizes with Ava’s cruel existence; imprisoned, isolated, and alone.
4Seth Brundle - The Fly
In David Cronenberg’s sci-fi horror filmThe Fly, Jeff Goldblum plays Seth Brundle, a scientist working on a groundbreaking teleportation device. But he’s hit a snag: although the machine can easily transport inanimate objects, life forms - both living or dead - have been a tougher nut to crack. Nevertheless, Brundle’s grit eventually leads to a scientific breakthrough. Emboldened, he attempts to transport himself, but a freak accident involving a housefly results in his monstrous transformation into a half-human, half-fly hybrid.
Technically speaking, Seth Brundle embodies both Dr. Frankenstein and his monster. Although Brundle and the mad scientist may appear different at first (Goldblum is far more charismatic), both characters are driven by scientific hubris and their desire to disrupt the natural order. And much like Shelley, Cronenberg treats the Monster with sympathy, even when relishing in its grotesqueness.
3Herbert West - Re-Animator
Directed by Stuart Gordon andbased on an H.P. Lovecraft story,Re-Animatortells the story of Herbert West (Jeffery Combs), a - you guessed it - “brilliant but eccentric” medical student who develops a serum that can reanimate dead tissue with some unforeseen - and gross - consequences. Driven by his obsession to conquer death, West’s experiments become more and more unhinged.
WhileRe-Animatoris known for its outrageous violence and moments of over-the-top gore, it also dabbles in the ethics of scientific experimentation and the lengths some individuals may go to in their pursuit of knowledge and power, which has no doubt contributed to its reputation as a celebrated cult classic.
2Vera Cruz - The Skin I Live In
The Skin I LiveIn is a psychological horror moviefrom the mind of Pedro Almodovar. The film tells the story of Dr. Robert Ledgard (Antonio Banderas in one of his best performances), a brilliant plastic surgeon obsessed with creating a fire-resistant synthetic skin after his wife burns to death in a fiery car crash. He conducts his secretive experiments within the confines of an isolated mansion, where a young woman named Vera Cruz (Elena Anaya) serves as his test subject.
AlthoughThe Skin I Live InandFrankensteindiffer in their narratives (specifically in the later half of the movie, which won’t be spoiled here), both works share a number of thematic similarities, such as the ethical dilemmas surrounding scientific experimentation and the pursuit of identity and connection in the face of loneliness.
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1Alex Murphy - Robocop
At first glance,Paul Verhoeven’s classicsci-fi satireRobocoplooks like the furthest thing fromFrankenstein, but dig beneath its chrome exterior and you’ll find it has more in common with Shelley’s novel than you might imagine.
Think about it: Robocop was assembled from the body parts of our protagonist Alex Murphy, a police officer who was brutally killed in the line of action and then resurrected as the titular cyborg. The corrupt Omni Consumer Products serves as the film’s mad Dr. Frankenstein; a multinational conglomerate that specializes in creating boundary-pushing scientific experiments.
Much like Shelley’s novel,Robocopalso questions the moral implications of such a scientific venture (albeit set in a dystopian and futuristic Detroit), and explores the profound loneliness the “monster” experiences as a result of its creation. Despite the movie’s viciously playful tone, Verhoeven is sure to treat Murphy as a sympathetic bein - a robot more human that the people that created it.
