Guillermo del Toro, a filmmaker known for his passion for monster stories, has finally realized his dream of adapting Mary Shelley’s classic novel Frankenstein into a film. The movie, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival and is now streaming on Netflix, features Jacob Elordi as the Creature and Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein. The film explores the complex relationship between creator and creation, delving into themes of pain, regret, and forgiveness while showcasing a monster story rooted in deep emotional resonance. Central to this narrative is the unique voice Elordi crafted for the Creature, which adds a haunting, human dimension to the character.
The Director’s Lifelong Connection to Frankenstein
Del Toro’s fascination with Frankenstein dates back decades, and it took years of dedication before this project came to fruition. He is a devoted fan of Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, preserving a significant collection of Frankenstein memorabilia at his home, known as the Bleak House, in Los Angeles. Originally, the filmmaker intended to create two separate films: one about Victor Frankenstein and the other about the Creature. However, he ultimately merged these perspectives into a single, two-act film that deeply examines both characters’ emotional journeys.
From Prosthetics to Performance: The Creation of the Creature
Jacob Elordi’s transformation into the Creature involved extensive prosthetics and physical training, yet the makeup was far from a limitation. Elordi described wearing the prosthetics as an immersive experience, likening it to “dreams playing live,” allowing him to fully inhabit his character’s form and essence. The prosthetic artist Mike Hill played a crucial role in designing the Creature’s appearance, crafting a look that balanced vulnerability and otherworldliness. Del Toro emphasized Hill’s artistry, noting that while most makeup artists create monsters, Hill creates characters—an approach that brought the Creature to life with startling humanity.
Discovering the Creature’s Voice: A Process of Growth and Depth
One of the most critical challenges for Elordi was developing the Creature’s voice, which needed to reflect the character’s evolution and inner pain. Shooting largely in chronological order allowed Elordi to shape the vocal development naturally, responding to the Creature’s shifting emotions and experiences. Elordi worked closely with Oscar Isaac and voice coach Gerry Grennell, experimenting with a Tibetan throat chant technique to add gravel and texture to his voice. This method emphasized the physicality of the character and imbued the voice with layers of meaning drawn from the Creature’s memories, experiences, and suffering.
Elordi explained the voice
“comes from every incision, every memory, every different bit of flesh, every life lived,”
highlighting the profound effort to capture the Creature’s complex humanity. The collaboration with David Bradley, who plays the Blind Man in the film, also impacted Elordi’s vocalization, as he absorbed nuances from Bradley’s storytelling rhythms and Shakespearean delivery.
Actor Insights: Oscar Isaac’s Approach to Victor Frankenstein
Oscar Isaac approached the role of Victor Frankenstein with a recognition that this was a departure from naturalistic acting. Del Toro’s direction demanded rapid emotional and verbal intensity, which Isaac found exhilarating yet demanding. The character demanded a heightened style, with “speed of thought” and “speed of language” driving the performance. Isaac also had to embody a physicality that was both elemental and archetypal, running around in small boots and portraying a man consumed by obsessive creation.
Isaac’s personal connection to the film extended to his father, a doctor who visited the set and later attended the Venice premiere. Isaac recounted how his father initially questioned the number of takes and techniques used in filming, but ultimately gained appreciation for the film’s medical accuracy and emotional impact.
The Emotional Core: Themes of Family and Forgiveness
At the heart of del Toro’s adaptation is a father-son dynamic that explores the legacy of pain passed through generations. This emotional core expands on Shelley’s original themes of suffering and regret by introducing forgiveness as a pivotal element. Del Toro described how the Creature and Victor Frankenstein represent both cruelty and the potential for compassion, reflecting a “hall of mirrors” where characters and creators grapple with their own humanity.
Elordi echoed this profound connection, noting that playing the Creature required mining deeply into his own emotional truths. The role provided a rare opportunity to explore the depths of identity and vulnerability, pushing him toward new creative territories. He described it as a journey to
“fully go to the bottom of whoever you are,”
stressing that honest portrayal demanded complete immersion.
Unexpected Challenges and Surprising Collaborations
Despite the intense emotional demands of the project, the actors found joy in the creative process. Isaac kept a journal throughout filming to capture his enthusiasm, writing about days that
“were even better than the last.”
Yet, the collaborative atmosphere also presented challenges, particularly in navigating the intense scenes shared between Isaac and Elordi. Both actors recognized the difficulty but valued the growth it brought to their performances.
Del Toro himself felt this film emerged as his most emotionally involving work, a rare experience of method directing that affected him deeply. He acknowledged identifying with both Victor Frankenstein’s good and bad traits, an acknowledgment that softened his personal perspective on the story.
Reimagining the Ending: A New Hope in Frankenstein’s Tale
Del Toro’s adaptation diverges from Mary Shelley’s novel by offering a slightly altered conclusion that introduces hope and liberation. In this version, the Creature makes a conscious choice to respond to love with love and hatred with hatred. A moving moment arises when the Creature frees the people who attacked him by pushing a ship away from destruction. Del Toro considered this a pivotal shot that imbued the story with a note of possible redemption absent from the original text, allowing the film to end on a more hopeful emotional tone.
Collaboration and Craft: The Making of a Creature
The synergy between director, actors, and crew was instrumental in shaping the final film. Del Toro highlighted how each actor brought unexpected qualities to their characters, noting that sometimes essence outweighs range in casting. His initial meetings with Isaac and Elordi revealed qualities that perfectly matched the characters, enabling a tailored development process that let their performances flourish organically.
Elordi’s close collaboration with Isaac, Grennell, and David Bradley shaped the Creature’s voice and presence. Their work extended beyond acting, blending physicality, vocal experimentation, and emotional expression to create a fully realized character. This multi-layered approach reflected del Toro’s intent to make his monsters symbols with psychological and emotional depth rather than purely visual spectacles.
The Creature as Reflection and Redemption
The film invites viewers to see the Creature not simply as a monster but as a reflection of humanity’s capacity for both cruelty and compassion. Del Toro emphasized the film’s focus on the “purity of the moment” when Victor touches the Creature’s cheek, a brief glimpse of potential happiness that ultimately is denied. Through Elordi’s portrayal, the Creature’s voice and demeanor communicate this inner complexity, allowing audiences to connect with a character traditionally viewed as monstrous in a new, profound way.
Looking Ahead: Frankenstein’s Place in Modern Storytelling
With its debut on Netflix, this new interpretation of Frankenstein offers a timely exploration of family, identity, and forgiveness through the lens of Gothic horror. Del Toro’s vision, aided by Elordi’s evocative performance and vocal work, challenges the audience to reconsider the boundaries between monster and man. This adaptation is likely to influence future approaches to classic tales by blending intense emotional resonance with vivid cinematic artistry, ensuring Frankenstein remains a compelling story for contemporary viewers.
