Victor Frankenstein and his monster are back. The anticipated movie by Guillermo del Toro just hit theaters on October 17, 2025, and will also be available on Netflix starting November 7. The Gothic science fiction film has a star-studded cast, including Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein, Mia Goth as both the scientist’s love interest and his late mother, Christoph Waltz as a wealthy arms dealer who funds Victor’s experiments, and Charles Dance as Victor’s overbearing father. Frankenstein has been received extremely well by critics and currently has an 88% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
First appearing in Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, the scientist and his monster have been the subject of numerous movies. Many follow the blueprint set by the author in her book, while others take the monster to new and exciting places. Such are the kind you’d presumably be more interested in seeing after watching Guillermo del Toro’s version.
Here are 10 unique Frankenstein movies that take both the man and the monster to entirely new places.
‘Blackenstein’ (1973)
You haven’t experienced Blaxploitation at its wildest until you’ve watched Blackenstein. Here, Vietnam War veteran, Eddie Turner (John De Sue), loses his limbs in combat, but his fiancée, Dr. Winifred Walker (Ivory Stone) has an idea. She takes him to Dr. Stein (John Hart), a Nobel Prize–winning scientist, who is a master at cellular regeneration experiments. Dr. Stein (ha ha ha ha) manages to restore Eddie’s limbs, only for a clumsy assistant to tamper with the procedure, causing Eddie to morph into a murderous creature.
Nothing’s Gone According to Plan
This terrifying, gorgeously photographed movie exemplifies the magical heights the now-dormant genre reached in the 1970s. Bolstered by a consistently twisty screenplay, with comicality, romance, and science complementing the horror, Blackenstein is a bizarre film but a milestone in so-bad-it’s-good cinema. Born as an obvious attempt to capitalize on the success of Blacula, the movie wasn’t a box office hit when it premiered, but it soon earned cult classic status.
‘Frankenstein Unbound’ (1990)
In 2031, Dr. Joe Buchanan (John Hurt) is deep in his “mad scientist” frame of mind. He has invented a powerful energy weapon that can destroy everything in its path. Unfortunately, it also tears open a time rift, sending the genius back to 1817 Switzerland. There, he meets Victor Frankenstein (Raul Julia), the Creature (Nick Brimble), and even a young Mary Shelley (Bridget Fonda), author of the Frankenstein novels. Which way next in Frankenstein Unbound?
Mary’s Monster
Frankenstein and his monster interacting with the woman who created them? Now that’s new. The picture provides a last glimpse of Roger Corman as a director. This was his last time holding a camera, and he sure made something enjoyable, with great special effects and a free-flowing story. The one admirable novelty in the film’s conception is that audiences have an unfiltered God’s-eye view of everything that is going on, while the bewildered characters have a misguided, blinkered view, constantly misunderstanding what they encounter, and making inexpedient choices.
‘Frankenstein’ (2015)
Set in modern Los Angeles, Frankenstein tells the story from the Creature’s perspective. Victor Frankenstein (Danny Huston) and his wife, Elizabeth (Carrie-Anne Moss), created (Xavier Samuel), a handsome man with the mind of a baby. Unfortunately, his cells fail to generate correctly, causing deformities. Frankenstein tries to euthanize him, but he escapes and starts causing havoc.
Almost Human
Unique but never straying far from the source material, Bernard Rose’s Frankenstein makes for thrilling entertainment, in no tiny part because the two leads had each worked in a few horror and thriller movies before. Shot with handheld-style intensity, the film manages to capture all the monster’s emotions, whether it’s fear or rage. We can’t fault him when he calls full John Wick after the police kill his dog, but we immediately call for his head when he accidentally breaks the spine of a prostitute who refused to have sex with him. Undoubtedly, the most emotionally complex version of the creature.
‘The Bride’ (1985)
We are in 19th-century Europe in The Bride, and Baron Charles Frankenstein (Sting) is rewriting the Book of Genesis on his own. After creating the Creature, he creates Eva (Jennifer Beals) to be his mate. Sadly, Eva rejects the Creature, prompting Frankenstein to banish him from his estate. As the Creature wanders around, trying to find meaning in life, Frankenstein falls for Eva.
A Forsaken Creature
It’s fun to watch Frankenstein’s delusion in the movie. He bets his peers that in just a few weeks, he can transform his creation into a lady of highborn elocution who will fool her betters. But the ditzy Eva, who feels like a quintessential dumb blonde, is more intelligent than she seems. We thus get a movie full of relationship challenges. There are also feminist and tolerance undertones. Jennifer Beals is radiant as the young beauty who is irked by the fact that she has to live in a world where men make decisions for her. Clancy Brown is also great as a rejected creature who embraces humanity and bonds with a person of short stature.
‘Frankenstein: The True Story’ (1973)
After his brother’s tragic death, Victor Frankenstein (Leonard Whiting) becomes an atheist and vows to research until he creates a man. He eventually comes up with the Creature (Michael Sarrazin), a good-looking man whom he is proud to introduce to high society. However, as time passes, the Creature’s flesh starts decaying. What’s going on in Frankenstein: The True Story?
How Bad Will His Looks Get?
A slowly decaying Creature impresses more than one who is ugly from the start. With its unblinkered stance on religion and science, The True Story seems cut from the same cloth as modern movies rather than other ‘70s classics. At the same time, the remarkable film manages to make audiences sympathize with a character who might not have the best of intentions, only because he is too intelligent. Written by English novelist Christopher Isherwood, the movie is over three hours long, but it stays riveting. And it sure deserves a bigger audience.
‘Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter’ (1966)
In the early 1880s, Jesse James never wavers from his commitment to crime. To him, conscience is never more important than duty. But things don’t always go well. After a botched bank robbery, he and his wounded partner Hank Tracy (Cal Bolder) seek refuge in a small frontier town, where they are hosted by Frankenstein’s granddaughter, Maria. Unknown to them, she is evil, full of childish enthusiasm for the unusual ideals she had been taught. Midway into Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter, the turns Hank into a mind-controlled monster. What now?
Gunslinger Vs. Evil Scientist
Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter is a good movie, but had a little more effort gone into the script, it could have been excellent, a Western-horror classic, in the same league as Westworld and Bone Tomahawk. As it is, it’s a dark and clever study of fear and one-upmanship, probing the absolute limits of psychological terror. It presents all the familiar shockers and nastiness that we often associate with Shelley’s lore, but it doesn’t do enough to endear itself to audiences who demand more flesh and spice in their horror films. The latter category will doubtless be left a little starved by this ‘60s unrestrained gore fest, but casual viewers will be full.
‘Lisa Frankenstein’ (2024)
A romantic comedy horror twist on the Frankenstein tale, Lisa Frankenstein follows ‘80s goth teen Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton), who falls for a Victorian-era corpse (Cole Sprouse) after a freak lightning storm resurrects him. Eager to make him perfect, she helps rebuild his body using parts from people who have been to her, including her stepmother and a man who has been sexually harassing her.
Build Your Perfect Partner
Scripted by Diablo Cody (better known for Jennifer’s Body), the hugely entertaining Lisa Frankenstein pairs an energetic Kathryn Newton with the lovably reserved Cole Sprouse to a great outcome. Together, they share bumpy adventures across a hostile society, coming out on top. There is a Wednesday-like vibe here, with the film effortlessly blending macabre weirdness with witty dialogue and teen tropes. No scene will leave you bored
‘Frankenstein vs. Baragon’ (1965)
Frankenstein vs. Baragon (also known as Frankenstein Conquers the World) makes the mistake many people make: calling the creature Frankenstein. But let that not discourage you. The World War II movie sees Frankenstein’s immortal heart taken from Nazi Germany to Japan for research. There, it survives the Hiroshima bombing, but soon mutates into a giant but well-meaning creature. When an evil Kaiju known as Baragon emerges, ‘Frankenstein’ takes it on.
‘Frankenstein’ in Japan
Director Ishirō Honda uses a WWII backdrop to reinvigorate this beloved franchise, all while never losing touch with the most intriguing elements. According to Honda’s memoir, it was an arduous production process for everyone involved, but the work paid off. The filmmaker renders the buzzing land and sea environments of Japan in grandiose, eye-popping Technicolor, and the special effects seem advanced for the time. Don’t miss the incredible fight between ‘Frankenstein’ and Baragon.
‘Flesh for Frankenstein’ (1973)
In Flesh for Frankenstein, Baron von Frankenstein (Udo Kier) intends to create a master race using human body parts. He seeks the head of a man with a high libido to ensure procreation, but mistakenly procures the head of a celibate man, intending to become a priest. Meanwhile, the Baron’s sexually frustrated wife starts sleeping with the farmhand, whose head the Baron is targeting. Soon, they all find themselves at dangerous crossroads.
A Classic Case of Clashing Interests
Remolding Mary Shelley’s tale, director Paul Morrissey delivers this most achingly absurd meditation on ambition and love stained by lust and meanness. Beneath all the decorum, deadly games play out, leaving audiences stunned. The gore and eroticism border on the excessive, so much so that Flesh for Frankenstein was rated X by the MPAA. But if you can look beyond the lusty mess, you’ll find plenty of substance in the movie.
‘Frankenstein Created Woman’ (1967)
The soul transference experiments of Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) seem to be going nowhere until his assistant, Hans (Robert Morris), is wrongly executed for murder, and Hans’ disfigured girlfriend, Christina (Susan Denberg), gets overwhelmed by grief and drowns herself. The scientist takes Hans’ soul and implants it into Christina’s now-perfected body. Revived, Christina vows to seduce and murder the men who framed Hans. Will she achieve her objective in Frankenstein Created Woman?
Serving Revenge in Its Chilly Form
A welcome outlier among the Mary Shelley adaptations, Frankenstein Created Woman is a tour de force of filmmaking. The camera of Terence Fisher glides effortlessly around furniture and faces, recording all the subtle expressions and whispers. Cushing is explosive as Frankenstein, and the rest of the cast members do not disappoint. You’ll also appreciate the philosophical depth. Many films about the ambitious scientist only dwell on science, so the dive into fantasy feels refreshing.
- Release Date
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October 17, 2025
- Runtime
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149 Minutes
- Producers
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J. Miles Dale