Frankenstein:”I am not some 'thing'. I am someone.”
- eclectic Stefan
- 12 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Tales about humankind’s creation are common among human societies regardless of their cultural and spiritual origins. From the Iroquois/Haudenosaunee "Sky Woman" creation myth and the Chinese Pangu to the Mesopotamian Enki and the Greek Prometheus, these human creation stories relate to humans being made from dust, clay or divine breath.
English writer Mary Shelley wrote one of the most well-known stories of human creation and the desire to re-animate life from the body parts of cadavers in her classic Gothic horror novel, Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus.
Director Guillermo del Toro’s interpretation of the Frankenstein story is lavish, lush, stunning and a ghoulish masterpiece of design; it’s a visual feast for the eyes. This tends to describe del Toro’s film oeuvre, including his brilliant Oscar winning movies Pan’s Labyrinth and The Shape of Water.
For those who may not be familiar with Shelley’s Frankenstein, it tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who creates a sentient human from body parts. Its visually confronting appearance is a result of gross wounds and suture lines. Dr. Frankenstein rejects and abandons The Creature which leads to The Creature seeking revenge.
Victor Frankenstein’s inability to perceive The Creature as anything more than slabs of meat secured by threads and given the spark of life using elemental forces says more about his monstrous desire to celebrate his achievement than the consideration of a being to whom he has imparted life and then abandoned because he couldn’t foresee the emotional and psychological yearnings of the creature he created. It leads to his downfall as The Modern Prometheus.
PROMETHEUS was the Titan god of forethought and crafty counsel who was given the task of moulding mankind out of clay. His attempts to better the lives of his creation brought him into conflict with Zeus. Firstly he tricked the gods out of the best portion of the sacrificial feast, acquiring the meat for the feasting of man. Then, when Zeus withheld fire, he stole it from heaven and delivered it to mortal kind hidden inside a fennel-stalk. As punishment for these rebellious acts, Zeus ordered the creation of Pandora (the first woman) as a means to deliver misfortune into the house of man, or as a way to cheat mankind of the company of the good spirits. Prometheus meanwhile, was arrested and bound to a stake on Mount Kaukasos (Caucasus) where an eagle was set to feed upon his ever-regenerating liver (or, some say, heart). Generations later the great hero Herakles (Heracles) came along and released the old Titan from his torture.
Original image: Prometheus & Atlas © by Karl-Ludwig G. Poggemann (Creative Commons Attribution)
OFFICIAL TRAILER Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein
Dr. Frankenstein may be seen as the archetypical mad scientist. He is fixated on an idea that will drive him to extreme bouts of emotional distraction. His scientific instability is a result of his insecurity and disordered thinking. He is more than a mad scientist; he is a deeply flawed human lacking empathy and human intuition.
Frankenstein is driven by the knowledge that he can re-animate a re-constructed human. His notions are reviled and condemned by every professional medical expert and organisation of that time--1857. He finds unlimited financial support from Henrich Harlander, an industrialist who funds Frankenstein’s wild notions, although Harlander has undisclosed motives. His approach is not altruistic.
Viktor Frankenstein states directly that he didn’t consider the creature’s creation beyond the anatomical and the re-animation of life. He didn’t reflect on the creature’s human and emotional needs, mainly because he didn’t consider The Creature to be human. The only person who is responsive to The Creature’s human needs is The Creature himself.
The Creature:"I am someone"
That’s where the heart of the story is centered. The movie does not focus on an horrific creature who, due to its inherent hideous and monstrous ways, rampages and murders. The true nature of the story relates to the subtitle of Shelley’s novel, The Modern Prometheus. It is the desire of any human creature to exhibit and be recognised for its humanness; it is also about the yearning to find someone else similar to themselves in order to make a human connection and be accepted regardless of one’s appearance.
"They will hunt you just for what you are" The Creature
The Creature keeps calling Viktor’s name to beseech him to grant him his wish to create another Creature with whom he can share his life. Viktor treats him lower than an animal, partly because he doesn't know what to do beyond the creation of life and partially because he lacks human qaulities that transcend immediate gratification.
Elizabeth: Kindness and empathy
Elizabeth, Viktor’s fiancee, is kind beyond measure to The Creature. Although she embodies the qualities of a refined Victorian era lady, she sees more than scars and deformity and exhibits strength. She empathises and provides succour, something to which Viktor is oblivious. It is his failure to see The Creature’s needs that turns The Creature into the embodiment of rage.
“You are the monster” The Creature addresses Dr. Viktor Frankenstein
Viktor Frankenstein: The monster within
The movie is sumptuous and, at times, an assault on our senses, especially in the scenes of Frankenstein amputating limbs while standing in a laboratory soaked with the blood of the many bodies from which he harvests body parts to build a creature.
Elizabeth: Victorian sensibilities and a sincere, measured demeanour
Yet, amongst the horror, there is beauty to be found everywhere. The set design and the costumes add flair and elegance to counterbalance the horror. Primary colours accentuate the characters’ identity, highlight emotional high points and calm our senses. Oscar Awards for Best Art Direction and Best Production Design for Pan’s Lanyrith and The Shape of Water are reflected in the production design for Frankenstein.
VIDEO: Guillermo del Too's Frankenstein: Costumes
Viktor eventually sees beyond the physical to the emotional qualities that define human existence. By that time, it is too late for him, for Elizabeth and for The Creature.
Guillermo del Toro’s cinematic vision is clearcut and impressive; he is an inventive and visionary filmmaker. Frankenstein is a stunning addition to his film artistry.
VIDEO: How del Toro Made Frankenstein
(Eye Candy versus Eye Protein)
OFFICIAL POSTER
Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein
Awards and Nominations
Major Awards and Nominations (2025-2026 Season)
Academy Awards (Oscars 2026):
9 Nominations: Best Picture, Supporting Actor (Jacob Elordi), Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Original Score, Costume Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, Production Design, and Sound.
Golden Globe Awards:
5 nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Isaac), Best Supporting Actor (Elordi), and Best Score.
Critics Choice Awards 4 awards--Best Supporting Actor (Jacob Elordi), Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Hair and Makeup.
All Official Stills & Official Videos © Double Dare You, Demilo Films, Bluegrass 7, & Netflix
FILM EXTRAS: Creatures & Monsters
James Whale’s Frankenstein (1931)
James Whale's 1931 seminal horror film Frankenstein from Universal Studios
Dr. Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) uses electricity to reanimate a body made of corpses, accidentally giving it a criminal brain. The innocent yet dangerous creature (Boris Karloff) escapes and is pursued by a mob.
Guillermo del Toro's Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
Set in 1944 post-Civil War Spain, Pan's Labyrinth follows Ofelia, a young girl who moves with her ailing mother to a rural military outpost commanded by her sadistic stepfather, Captain Vidal. Amidst the harsh reality of Vidal hunting rebels, Ofelia discovers a mysterious labyrinth and meets a faun who claims she is a lost princess. To regain her throne, she must complete three dangerous tasks, paralleling the dark, violent world of the adults around her. The monster with the hands with eyes is utterly terryfying.
Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water (2017)
Elisa is a mute woman who works as a cleaning lady in a hidden, high-security government laboratory in 1962 Baltimore. Her life changes forever when she discovers the lab's classified secret -- a mysterious, scaled creature from South America that lives in a water tank. As Elisa develops a unique bond with her new friend, she soon learns that its fate and very survival lies in the hands of a hostile government agent and a marine biologist.
