New Horror Movie to Reinvent the Horror Wheel
A look into the upcoming Lisa Frankenstein movie and its potential impact on the horror genre.
The Legacy of Frankenstein
Frankenstein is arguably the second most popular movie monster next to Dracula, but the upcoming Lisa Frankenstein movie proves he might just be the current king of classic monsters. While there have been many iconic portrayals of Frankenstein, the hulking monster has always lived in Dracula's shadow despite his equally interesting lore and appearance. Nevertheless, Hollywood has insisted on bringing different versions of the gentle giant to the big screen that have enjoyed varying degrees of success. Based on the 1818 classic Mary Shelley novel, Frankenstein is ultimately a heartbreaking story about the dangers of mob mentalities and what they can do to a society when it allows fear to overcome empathy.
Kathryn Newton as Lisa Swallows and Cole Sprouse in Lisa Frankenstein.
English actor Boris Karloff first played the iconic monster in the 1931 film, Frankenstein, and delivered a career-defining performance as the misunderstood monster. Since then, Frankenstein has featured in many TV shows, cartoons, video games, and movies that, despite taking liberties with the character's lore, have largely maintained Shelley's original vision. Nevertheless, with Dracula receiving even more updates and attention than Frankenstein, the character has largely fallen out of step with modern audiences. However, movies like The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster, Huesera: The Bone Woman, and Poor Things have set the stage for 2024's take on the legendary Frankenstein.
Cole Sprouse and Kathryn Newton as Lisa Swallows in Lisa Frankenstein.
Lisa Frankenstein Can Join The Recent Success Of Frankenstein Monster Movies. The movie's interesting take on Frankenstein can breathe new life into the horror movie genre. Billed as a 'coming-of-rage story,' Lisa Frankenstein is set in 1989 and centers around the love between a teenager named Lisa Swallows and her boyfriend who happens to be a corpse. While embarking on a quest to restore the corpse's missing body parts, the two fall in love and discover new things about themselves and each other along the way. Despite the limited details surrounding Lisa Frankenstein, the movie is directed by the late Robin Williams' daughter, Zelda Williams, and written by Juno and Jennifer's Body writer, Diablo Cody. With the level of talent involved and the fresh take on Frankenstein, Lisa Frankenstein is positioned to do well.
The Decline of Vampire Movies
Vampire movie fatigue has left horror audiences clamoring for something new. Perhaps the greatest reason as to why vampire movies have struggled in more recent years is due to Hollywood's lack of diversifying the long-running genre's depictions of vampires. While movies like Dracula Untold and Morbius have gone through great lengths to reinvent the vampire genre, their proclivities for action over horror and suspense contributed to their poor reception, as their failure to commit to a genre made them neither faithful reinterpretations of the classic vampire mythos, or interesting action movies. Frankenstein movies like Frankenweenie and Poor Things have successfully reinvented the wheel while maintaining the essence of what makes Frankenstein appealing.
With vampiric flops in the 2020s such as Morbius, Renfield, and The Last Voyage of the Demeter, it's safe to say that vampire movies are losing steam regarding their status among the horror movie genre. Additionally, movies such as Halloween Kills, Halloween Ends, X, Scream, and Scream VI, have proven that audiences are more interested in different types of horror movies. Furthermore, with filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro adapting a Frankenstein movie and Lisa Frankenstein's interesting premise, Dracula movies will need to step back and assess the playing field. Frankenstein is a legendary monster, and Lisa Frankenstein will hopefully carry the classic character's legacy.
The Impact of Lisa Frankenstein
Billed as a 'coming-of-rage story,' Lisa Frankenstein is set in 1989 and centers around the love between a teenager named Lisa Swallows and her boyfriend who happens to be a corpse. While embarking on a quest to restore the corpse's missing body parts, the two fall in love and discover new things about themselves and each other along the way. Despite the limited details surrounding Lisa Frankenstein, the movie is directed by the late Robin Williams' daughter, Zelda Williams, and written by Juno and Jennifer's Body writer, Diablo Cody. With the level of talent involved and the fresh take on Frankenstein, Lisa Frankenstein is positioned to do well.
