Lisa Frankenstein Synopsis: In 1989, a misunderstood teenager has a high school crush — who just happens to be a handsome corpse! After a set of playfully horrific circumstances bring him back to life, the two embark on a murderous journey to find love, happiness…and a few missing body parts along the way.
After witnessing her mother’s horrific murder, Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton) is adjusting to life in a new town when her father remarries. Lisa’s stepmother, Janet, is tightly wound, while her stepsister, Taffy, is perky, popular, and ecstatic over having a new sister. Taffy attempts to get Lisa to socialize more, but Lisa would much rather hang out in the local cemetery, where she has taken it upon herself to care for the headstone of a young Victorian man.
After being assaulted at a party, Lisa wanders back to the cemetery, where she tells the man’s headstone that she wishes she were with him. A strange storm sweeps through the town that night, bringing back to life the dead Victorian, whose name is never revealed but is known as “The Creature” in the credits.
Lisa finds something of a confidante in The Creature (Cole Sprouse) and begins to help him replace missing body parts by unsavory means. The Creature appears more human with each new part and a zap from Taffy’s temperamental tanning bed. But while The Creature is slowly regaining his humanity, Lisa seems to be falling apart, spiraling into madness. They are both misfits, outsiders who want to be loved. It just so happens that their journey to that love is covered in a lot of blood and body parts.
Diablo Cody has done a fantastic job crafting a modernized, playful take on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and perfectly captures the 80s, creating an atmosphere of nostalgia with crimpers, aerosol hairspray, Jellies, the hot glow of neon pink, and a kickass 80s soundtrack.
Lisa Frankenstein is very Burton-esque, with its whimsical and gothic animated opening sequence, Janet’s unique, pink house that sticks out like a sore thumb on an otherwise dull suburban street, and the creepy, overgrown cemetery complete with a wrought iron fence. It’s not shy about embracing its imitation of the 80s movies that have inspired it. I got so many Heathers vibes from this film, and Kathryn Newton’s big-eyed, gothic Lisa would have fit in perfectly with the female horror heroines/anti-heroines of that era.
While there is plenty of bloody camp to enjoy, the bright spots of Lisa Frankenstein are the moments between Lisa and The Creature. Kathryn Newton is fantastic as Lisa. She is your average teenager, living with an unconcerned father (Joe Chrest, essentially playing his role as Ted in Stranger Things) and an emotionally abusive stepmother (the wonderfully bitchy Carla Gugino). She’s had to bury the trauma of witnessing her mother’s murder, and the inability to deal with the mental health issues it caused has certainly contributed to her interest in the macabre and, soon, her emotional unraveling. Lisa’s transformation from awkward and sweet to confident and callous is mesmerizing, thanks to Newton’s increasingly unhinged performance.
Cole Sprouse’s performance is 99% physical, as The Creature is non-verbal, though Lisa seems to understand his croaks and groans well enough, so communication is not that difficult. Sprouse has fun with it, because what else can you do? I’ve never been a big fan of his acting, but I will admit he showcases some comedic chops here. Newton and Sprouse play well off of one another, and their chemistry is strong enough that, despite all their bad behavior, you kind of want them to get away with it!
I also really enjoyed Lisa’s relationship with her pretty, popular stepsister, Taffy, played by a charming Liza Soberano. Taffy could have easily been the stereotypical mean girl, a popular cheerleader designed to make Lisa’s life even more miserable. But Taffy is the exact opposite and perhaps the only truly sympathetic character in the movie. She is supportive of Lisa and perhaps just as misunderstood as Lisa, just in a different way. I appreciated Diablo Cody subverting the mean girl trope so often found in these movies, and Newton and Soberano were just as captivating on screen together as Newton and Sprouse.
Lisa Frankenstein is a quirky horror-rom-com and probably not for everyone. It has some pacing issues, and I think the movie occasionally plays it safe. Maybe it would have been better with an R-rating? Let the blood rain! Still, it’s a clever, campy take on burgeoning womanhood and how difficult it is to grow up and find love, and I think this is a movie I’ll find myself watching a lot in the fall when the spooky vibes begin to creep in.
Watched: 02/10/2024
Notable Song: Can’t Fight This Feeling by REO Speedwagon
