Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” has finally arrived after more than two decades of anticipation, marking one of the filmmaker’s most ambitious projects to date. Written and directed by the Oscar-winning visionary, the gothic science fiction horror film reimagines Mary Shelley’s timeless 1818 novel with del Toro’s signature blend of dark fantasy and emotional depth.
The story follows Victor Frankenstein, played by Oscar Isaac, a brilliant yet egotistical scientist whose attempt to defy mortality unleashes a creature, portrayed by Jacob Elordi, setting off a tragic chain of events that entangles creator and creation alike.
Bringing together a powerhouse cast that also includes Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, Felix Kammerer, Charles Dance, and Lars Mikkelsen, del Toro combines a faithful respect for Shelley’s themes with his own distinct visual world-building. Produced under his multi-year deal with Netflix, the picture promises a haunting exploration of obsession, morality, and humanity. And when “Frankenstein” finally premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, the audience’s reaction spoke volumes.
Del Toro’s Dream Project Wins Venice Hearts
When “Frankenstein” premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, the anticipation was palpable and Guillermo del Toro delivered a spectacle that moved the audience to its feet. Following the screening, the film received a thunderous 15-minute standing ovation, a rare honor even by Venice standards, signaling that del Toro’s decades-long passion project had struck a powerful chord. The director stood alongside stars Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, and Christoph Waltz as the crowd roared, cementing the premiere as one of the festival’s most memorable moments.
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Speaking during the festival’s official press conference, as reported by Deadline, del Toro shared his inspiration and lifelong connection to Mary Shelley’s story. “It was a religion for me,” he said, recalling his childhood fascination with Boris Karloff’s iconic portrayal.
“Since I was a kid — I was raised very Catholic — I never quite understood the saints. And then when I saw Boris Karloff on the screen, I understood what a saint or a messiah looked like. So I’ve been following the creature since I was a kid, and I always waited for the movie to be done in the right conditions, both creatively in terms of achieving the scope that it needed for me to make it different, to make it at a scale that you could reconstruct the whole world.”
Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi also reflected on their experiences during the same press conference. Isaac spoke about his two-year collaboration with del Toro, saying, “I can’t believe that I’m here right now. I can’t believe we got to this place from two years ago, sitting at your table [looking at Del Toro] eating Cuban pork; just talking about our fathers and our life too…It was like a fusion. I just hooked myself into Guillermo, and we flung ourselves down the well.”
Elordi, who portrays the Creature, described the role as transformative: “It was a vessel that I could put every part of myself into. From the moment that I was born to being here with you today, all of it is, is in that character. And in so many ways, the the creature that’s on screen in this movie is the sort of purest form of myself. He’s more me than than I am.” For both actors and for del Toro, Venice represented far more than a premiere; it was the culmination of a journey decades in the making.
