Acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro returns to the mythic horrors of creation with his 2025 adaptation of Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. Starring Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein, Jacob Elordi as the Creature and Mia Goth as Elizabeth (and in a dual role), the film uses Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel as a launching point for exploration of ambition, identity and redemption.

A monster re‑born

Frankenstein has long been one of the most remade characters in film history, with over 400 feature films and more than 200 short films featuring some version of the monster.
Del Toro’s version stands out by diving into the emotional inner life of the Creature and the moral collapse of his creator, positioning the monster not merely as terror incarnate, but as a deeply wounded being.

Story structure & visual tapestry

The film opens aboard an ice‑bound Danish ship rescuing Victor Frankenstein, setting a dramatic frame that echoes the novel’s structure. From there it shifts into two main arcs: Victor’s Tale and The Creature’s Tale. 
Del Toro teams with cinematographer Dan Laustsen and production designer Tamara Deverell to craft a world with sweeping gothic architecture, circle motifs symbolising life and death, and a palette soaked in decayed greens and steely blues.

Themes: creation, trauma & forgiveness

Victor is portrayed as a brilliant but tortured surgeon haunted by childhood trauma and obsessed with conquering death. His creation, the Creature, evolves not only physically but intellectually and emotionally — learning language, forming compassion, and seeking belonging.
Mia Goth’s dual casting as Victor’s mother and Elizabeth underlines generational pain and connection. The Creature’s eventual act of forgiveness — “I forgive you” — marks one of the film’s most poignant moments.

More than horror

Del Toro insists this is not a traditional horror movie. He calls it “an emotional story” about what it means to be human, what we fear, love, create and destroy. 
The result is a lush, operatic adaptation that honours both Shelley’s tragedy and del Toro’s signature vision.

Release & reception

The film premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on August 30, 2025, where it earned a 13‑minute standing ovation. 
It then rolled out theatrically starting October 17, 2025, before streaming globally on Netflix beginning November 7, 2025.