Del Toro’s “Frankenstein” Is “Not Horror”

Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro says his upcoming version of “Frankenstein” will avoid the horror focus of past adaptations to offer something different. Participating in a conversation at the Cannes Film Festival with Oscar-winning composer Alexandre Desplat, the celebrated “The Shape of Water” and “Hellboy” director says someone asked him the other day if the film […] The post Del Toro’s “Frankenstein” Is “Not Horror” appeared first on Dark Horizons.

May 19, 2025 - 14:30

Del Toro’s “Frankenstein” Is “Not Horror”

Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro says his upcoming version of “Frankenstein” will avoid the horror focus of past adaptations to offer something different.

Participating in a conversation at the Cannes Film Festival with Oscar-winning composer Alexandre Desplat, the celebrated “The Shape of Water” and “Hellboy” director says someone asked him the other day if the film has scary scenes. He says:

“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… what I can say is, for me, it’s an incredibly emotional movie.”

Desplat is collaborating with Del Toro on the film, handling the movie’s score, and says he concurs with that assessment from the director:

“Guillermo’s cinema is very lyrical, and my music is rather lyrical too. So I think the music of ‘Frankenstein’ will be something very lyrical and emotional… I’m not trying to write horrific music.”

The two have yet to finalize the score for the film which is set in Eastern Europe in the 19th Century. It tells the story of Dr. Pretorious (Christoph Waltz), who needs to track down Frankenstein’s Monster (Jacob Elordi) – believed to have died in a fire 40 years before – in order to continue the experiments of Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac).

The film also stars Mia Goth as Victor’s fiance Elizabeth Lavenza along with Lars Mikkelsen, Ralph Ineson, David Bradley, Felix Kammerer and Charles Dance. It will release on Netflix in November.

Source: Variety

The post Del Toro’s “Frankenstein” Is “Not Horror” appeared first on Dark Horizons.