Guillermo del Toro’s new film, Frankenstein, has just dropped on Netflix, and people who love Mary Shelley’s iconic 1818 novel might wonder: How close is it to the original story?
Del Toro, who’s called Shelley’s book his “Bible,” brings his own dark and emotional twist to the gothic classic. The film stars Oscar Isaac as the ambitious Victor Frankenstein, Jacob Elordi as the Creature, and Mia Goth as Elizabeth. But while it keeps the heart of Shelley’s tale, it definitely takes a few creative turns along the way.
So, what’s del Toro’s Frankenstein all about??
via Netflix
Speaking to Variety, Julie Carlson, a Mary Shelley expert and professor at the University of California, explained exactly how close del Toro’s Frankenstein is to the original novel.
At its core, it’s still the same tragic story: A brilliant but obsessed scientist creates life and then must face the consequences. But del Toro’s take is less about science gone wrong and more about emotion, shame and forgiveness.
As Carlson explained, del Toro clearly has a deep respect for the novel. “I did feel, certainly in comparison to other renditions, there was real love for the book and for Mary Shelley’s brilliance,” she said. “It was more faithful to the framed narrative, to the ways that Victor and the Creature get to tell their own story.”
Victor has a new backstory
via Netflix
In the Netflix film, Victor’s father is a violent doctor who abuses him and experiments on his mother, a major addition not found in the novel. This change shifts the story’s focus.
Carlson pointed out that it’s less about Victor’s pride and ambition (as in the book) and more about his shame and need to prove himself. “It’s less about hubris, although of course that’s there, and more about shame. The way the father slaps [Victor] around when he can’t learn his lessons, and then he strikes the Creature when the Creature doesn’t learn as quickly as he wants him to, I think that’s interesting,” she said. “It seemed to me there was a little less Faustian stuff about knowledge and power, and more about knowledge and shame and not living up to the name Victor or his father’s reputation.”
Elizabeth gets a whole new role
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One of the biggest changes in the film is the character of Elizabeth. In Shelley’s book, she’s Victor’s fiancée and quite passive. In the movie, though, she’s engaged to Victor’s younger brother and is a scientist herself, an entomologist who studies insects.
Carlson actually thinks this is a clever move. “Shelley once described Elizabeth as ‘playful as an insect,’” she noted. Basically, Del Toro turns that tiny detail into something meaningful.”
Here, Elizabeth is confident, independent, and not afraid to challenge Victor. She even calls him out when he tries to pretend everything’s fine.
Also, Elizabeth and the Creature have a surprising bond in the film. In the book, they don’t meet until the end, when he kills her on her wedding night. But del Toro flips this completely. In his version, they meet several times, and she’s one of the only people who shows him kindness.
Their connection feels deep, almost romantic at times, though Carlson said it’s really about understanding. “I think there is a sympathy between the Creature and Elizabeth that is about being a subordinated figure,” she explained. “I think she identifies with him.”
The Creature feels more human than ever
via Netflix
Jacob Elordi’s Creature is nothing like the classic green monster from the old films. Instead, he’s gentle, thoughtful and heartbreakingly human.
Carlson loved this change. “He humanises the Creature,” she said. “And he does a lot more with face-to-face communication.”
But she also pointed out that Shelley’s original story was more about responsibility, what happens when you create life and then abandon it. Del Toro softens that edge, turning the Creature into a symbol of compassion instead of terror.
So, how close is del Toro’s version to the book?
via Netflix
Del Toro’s Frankenstein isn’t a scene-by-scene retelling, but it absolutely captures the heart of Shelley’s original. It swaps out some of her social commentary for more personal emotion, yet the story still asks the same haunting questions: What makes us human, and what happens when we lose empathy?
Del Toro even includes one part of the book that’s usually skipped in most adaptations, the Creature’s time with the De Lacey family. Carlson called this one of the film’s most faithful and emotional sequences. She said that it really captures Shelley’s ideas about friendship and humanity.
Overall, Carlson believes del Toro’s version stays true to the spirit of the novel, even if it changes some details. “It’s closer to the multi-layered nature of Shelley’s text. It really does divide the film like the book and frames it in the same way. And it’s really not a horror film, it’s a gothic film. I would certainly say it’s more like the book, and it’s trying to honour not just the book, but Mary Shelley”
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