Want to hear more from the actors and creators of your favorite shows and films? Subscribe to The Cinema Spot on YouTube for all of our upcoming interviews!
A life long cinephile from the Bay Area in Northern California. Aside from having written for various outlets since 2019, I've been podcasting since 2020.
(Currently Co-Hosting the Geekly Goods Roundup)
When I'm not indulged in a ridiculous amount of media consumption or losing track of days on my Nintendo Switch, I can be found at concerts or playing basketball.
Lisa Frankenstein is a hilarious, Gothic celebration of a few different things. On one hand, it marks the return of Academy Award winning screenwriter Diablo Cody. We also have the highly anticipated directorial feature debut of Zelda Williams, one of the late great Robin Williams’s two children. On the other hand, we have a ridiculously macabre dark comedy that pays homage to a number of great 1980s teen comedies. The film succeeds in its aesthetic while simultaneously marching to its own psychotic beat.
Dear Diary, My Teenage Angst Spawned a Bloody Romance
Like a 2024 Goth mixtape highlighting the humor of Daniel Waters and the style of Tim Burton, Lisa Frankenstein is a scrumptious, cinematic cocktail. It’s got a mean kick that adeptly walks the fine line of death being a punchline versus being a horrific tragedy. It commits and covers up murder as if it were an innocent typo in a comic fashion I haven’t seen since 1988’s Heathers. Diablo Cody’s sharp tongue and snarky dialogue keep a snappy pace and flow throughout. Mark Worthington’s punchy production design has bright pastels and colorful suburbs that echo so many classic ’80s films that have come before. Despite that familiarity, Williams & Cody still leave an indelible mark with a tongue-in-cheek attitude and music video-esque perspective that quite simply pops.
Young Stars Just Light It Up, Baby
A horror rom-com like Lisa Frankenstein wouldn’t work without an excellent young cast and they sure deliver! Kathryn Newton (Freaky, Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania) delivers an iconic performance as Lisa, whether it’s her stilted, lifeless despair or her riotous, rebellious transformation. Not to be outdone, Filipino-American Liza Soberano also shines as her bubbly stepsister Taffy, who embodies your typical hot, popular girl with ease. Their relationship grounds the more other-worldly aspects of the story and both of them show impressive range throughout the film. Cole Sprouse’s turn as “The Creature” is at times adorable and sometimes chilling as he uses his eyes and physical mannerisms to great effect.
Rounding out the cast are Lisa and Taffy’s parents, played to perfection by Carla Gugino and Joe Chrest. Chrest nonchalantly plays the quiet, pushover dad seen in countless other films, a role he has already mastered most recently as Ted Wheeler in Netflix’s Stranger Things. Gugino is fantastic as usual, playing Lisa’s ferocious “evil” stepmother Janet.
Love Me Gently With A Hatchet Axe
First-time director Zelda Williams paints quite the psychedelic, edgy picture with Lisa Frankenstein. The film is a blood-soaked love letter to what came before but delivered with manic energy and a winning, infectious wit thanks to Diablo Cody. Fans of Heathers, Beetlejuice, Weird Science, and even Edward Scissorhands are sure to enjoy this sweet, twisted tale of lust and romance.
4.5/5 stars
A life long cinephile from the Bay Area in Northern California. Aside from having written for various outlets since 2019, I've been podcasting since 2020.
(Currently Co-Hosting the Geekly Goods Roundup)
When I'm not indulged in a ridiculous amount of media consumption or losing track of days on my Nintendo Switch, I can be found at concerts or playing basketball.
