The first teaser trailer for Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein hit the internet during Netflix’s Tudum 2025 event on June 1, 2025, and it’s everything fans of the visionary director hoped for. This take on Mary Shelley’s 1818 classic Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus looks like a haunting, emotional journey, packed with del Toro’s signature blend of beauty and darkness. Set to drop on Netflix in November 2025, with a theatrical run also in the works, the film stars Oscar Isaac as Dr. Victor Frankenstein, Jacob Elordi as the Creature, and Mia Goth as Elizabeth Lavenza. The trailer has fans buzzing, and it’s easy to see why.
The trailer kicks off with Isaac’s Victor, looking worn and desperate in the icy Arctic, spilling his story of ambition and regret to a stranded ship’s crew, just like in Shelley’s novel. “In seeking life, I created death,” he says, setting a heavy, tragic vibe. We get flashes of Victor piecing together the Creature, played by Elordi, who’s all towering stitches, long black hair, and eerie red eyes that somehow feel more sad than scary. The trailer leans hard into the Creature’s point of view, hinting at his longing to be understood—a nod to Shelley’s focus on his humanity. Goth’s Elizabeth shines as a poised aristocrat, while Christoph Waltz’s Dr. Pretorius brings a creepy edge, pulling from Universal’s 1935 Bride of Frankenstein. It’s classic del Toro: moody sets, jaw-dropping makeup, and a sweeping Alexandre Desplat score that promises to hit you right in the feels.
Del Toro, the guy behind The Shape of Water and Pan’s Labyrinth, says Frankenstein is his most personal project yet. “I’ve been carrying this story since I was a kid,” he told the Tudum crowd, standing with Isaac and Goth. “I’ve been trying to make this movie for over 20 years. Some might call it an obsession, and they’re not wrong.” He’s not aiming for straight-up horror but a gothic romance, digging into big questions about creation, family, and what it means to be human. “It’s about being a father, a son,” he told Variety at Cannes. “Gothic romance is all about ruins—creation and destruction clashing, and that’s where the beauty is.”
The cast is stacked, with Felix Kammerer, Lars Mikkelsen, David Bradley, Christian Convery, Charles Dance, Burn Gorman, and a surprise cameo from Ralph Ineson. Filmed in Toronto and Edinburgh, with production wrapping in September 2024, the story’s set in 19th-century Eastern Europe. It follows Dr. Pretorius hunting for the Creature, thought to have perished in a fire 40 years ago, to pick up where Victor left off. This mix of Shelley’s novel and Bride of Frankenstein vibes feels fresh while staying true to the heart of the story.
Del Toro’s been obsessed with Frankenstein forever, from reading Shelley as a kid to geeking out over Boris Karloff’s monster and Bernie Wrightson’s illustrated version. He’s aiming for the Creature’s “Miltonian tragedy,” with Elordi’s monster channeling the same aching loneliness as Christopher Lee’s in the Hammer films. The trailer nails that, making the Creature both terrifying and heartbreaking—a lost soul in a world that rejects him.
This is del Toro’s latest Netflix project, following his Oscar-winning Pinocchio and Cabinet of Curiosities. With a theatrical release planned—though we don’t know how wide it’ll be—Netflix seems to be gunning for awards season. Fans are already hyped, with one calling it “a gothic fever dream that’s somehow gorgeous” after Tudum. Whether you’re a del Toro stan or just love a good monster story, Frankenstein looks like it’ll deliver the kind of emotional, visually wild ride only he can pull off. Get ready for a Creature that’ll break your heart.