At the Cannes Film Festival in May 2025, Guillermo del Toro gave fans a tantalizing peek into his long-awaited Frankenstein, set to hit Netflix in November 2025. Far from the spooky monster movie some might expect, del Toro described the film as “an incredibly emotional movie” during a conversation with composer Alexandre Desplat, emphasizing that it’s not a horror film at all. This passion project, starring Oscar Isaac as Dr. Victor Frankenstein, Jacob Elordi as the Creature, and Mia Goth as Elizabeth Lavenza, is shaping up to be a deeply personal gothic drama that explores themes of family and identity. Here’s why del Toro’s take is already generating buzz.
Speaking at Cannes, del Toro made it clear he’s not chasing scares. “Somebody asked me the other day, does it have really scary scenes? For the first time, I considered that,” he said. “It’s an emotional story for me. It’s as personal as anything. I’m asking a question about being a father, being a son… I’m not doing a horror movie—ever. I’m not trying to do that.” This focus on emotion over horror aligns with del Toro’s knack for finding the heart in misunderstood creatures, like in The Shape of Water or Pan’s Labyrinth. He even recalled a childhood moment watching The Seven Year Itch, where Marilyn Monroe’s line about the Creature needing love struck a chord. “I fell in love with Marilyn, and I fell in love with the Creature in that scene,” he shared, hinting at his lifelong connection to Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel.
The teaser, which dropped at Netflix’s Tudum 2025 event on June 1, 2025, backs up del Toro’s words. It opens with Isaac’s Victor in the Arctic, narrating his tragic tale to a ship’s crew: “In seeking life, I created death.” We get glimpses of the Creature’s creation, with Elordi’s towering, stitched-up figure—complete with long black hair and haunting red eyes—exuding both menace and sorrow. Goth’s Elizabeth appears as a poised aristocrat, while Christoph Waltz’s Dr. Pretorius, a nod to Bride of Frankenstein, adds a sinister vibe. The teaser’s gothic visuals, paired with Desplat’s lyrical score, scream emotional depth over jump scares. “Guillermo’s cinema is very lyrical, and my music is rather lyrical too,” Desplat said at Cannes. “The music of Frankenstein will be something very lyrical and emotional.”
The film’s story, set in 19th-century Eastern Europe, follows Dr. Pretorius tracking down the Creature, believed to have died in a fire 40 years earlier, to continue Victor’s experiments. This setup blends Shelley’s novel with elements of Universal’s Bride of Frankenstein, but del Toro’s focus is on the Creature’s humanity and the father-son dynamic between Victor and his creation. Producer J. Miles Dale, speaking in 2023, called it the third part of del Toro’s “father trilogy” after Nightmare Alley and Pinocchio, noting its deeply personal take on family and loss. The cast, including Felix Kammerer, Lars Mikkelsen, David Bradley, Christian Convery, Charles Dance, and Ralph Ineson in a “pivotal” cameo, adds serious weight to the project.
Del Toro’s obsession with Frankenstein goes back decades. He’s called it his favorite novel, citing influences like Bernie Wrightson’s illustrations and Frank Darabont’s unproduced script, which aimed for a “Miltonian tragedy.” He’s also drawn to Christopher Lee’s empty, tragic Creature in Hammer films, wanting to capture that same sense of longing. Filming wrapped in September 2024 in Toronto and Edinburgh, with del Toro promising a story that’s as much about love and rejection as it is about creation. Mia Goth echoed this at Tudum, calling it “deeply personal and intimate.”
Fans are already hyped, with one calling it “a gothic tearjerker” online after the teaser dropped. Unlike the action-heavy Dark Universe attempts, del Toro’s Frankenstein leans into Shelley’s emotional core, exploring what it means to be a creator and a creation. With a theatrical run planned alongside its Netflix debut, this could be an awards-season contender, building on del Toro’s Oscar-winning legacy. Whether you’re a Shelley fan or just love del Toro’s monster-loving heart, Frankenstein looks like it’ll hit you right in the feels.