Frankenstein is the monster Guillermo del Toro dreamed of for 30 years: genesis and curiosities about the film

Much more than a simple adaptation of Mary Shelley's famous gothic literature classic: Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein is a deeply personal work, reflecting the imagination and obsessions of the Mexican director, who has reached his full artistic maturity.

Among the many monsters that populate his filmography - The Devil's Backbone, Pan's Labyrinth, The Shape of Water - this is certainly the most desired and the most difficult to bring to the screen. A project rooted in over fifty years of passions, drawings, attempts, and renunciations, which Del Toro recounted at the film's presentation at the Lido.

The Origins of an Obsession

Del Toro's first encounter with the myth of Frankenstein dates back to 1971, when at just seven years old, he was captivated by the 1931 classic directed by James Whale, starring Boris Karloff as the Creature.

A few years later, at just eleven, he read Mary Shelley's novel for the first time: love at first sight destined to turn into an obsession. Young Guillermo reread it constantly, filling notebooks with notes, sketches, and ideas that over time would form the basis of his creature. During his formative years as a director and his entry into the world of cinema, Del Toro was already working on the monster's design, inspired by Bernie Wrightson's illustrations. Work on the look of his creature intensified further after his arrival in Hollywood: in short, Del Toro never stopped cultivating the idea of his own Frankenstein, even when the project only existed in his head.

The dream seemed ready to come true in 2007. Universal contacted him to direct a new version of Shelley's monster, and Del Toro enthusiastically accepted. However, the project soon faded, sacrificed by the studio's ambitious and ultimately unsuccessful attempt to launch a Dark Universe based on the creatures that made Universal's fortune at the beginning of the century (The Invisible Man, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, Dracula's Wife): the construction of a renaissance of Universal monsters, however, foundered at the outset with the flop of The Mummy starring Sofia Boutella and Tom Cruise.

Meanwhile, Del Toro established himself with acclaimed and beloved films, such as The Shape of Water (winner of the Golden Lion and Oscar), but he did not give up on the dream. When Netflix proposed to finance the film by imposing creative constraints, he had invested so much time and creative energy in his idea that he rejected the proposal, not having carte blanche on budget and artistic direction. He preferred to present the streaming giant with a project to make his animated Pinocchio, which proved to be a great success. Only later, with his recognition now consolidated, did Del Toro get the green light from Netflix, both economically and creatively, to tackle his Frankenstein.

Even after the green light, the film's genesis was not without obstacles. Initially, the Creature was indeed meant to have the face of Andrew Garfield. Del Toro and makeup artist Mike Hill developed a design around his physicality, but after nine months of tailor-made work, the actor withdrew due to a scheduling conflict caused by the long halt related to the Hollywood writers' strike. Jacob Elordi then stepped in, a rising young star and imposing in his stature, which forced a complete rethinking of the monster's aesthetic.

Elordi underwent eight months of daily makeup, ten hours a day, during filming in Canada. An experience that, he says, helped him get into the character's psychology, feeling protected by the creature's shell and free to show vulnerability.

Frankenstein as Confession

Del Toro has often emphasized that his film is not intended to be a faithful adaptation, but a personal mirror. Just as Mary Shelley poured her life's fears and experiences into the novel, so the director states that he sought the same sincerity:

"My duty was to be equally confessional and sincere. The book is there, on the shelf. The film is on the screen. If I have done my job well, you will recognize its spirit. The film asks: what does it mean to be human in a time of accelerated technology, disinformation, war?"

As in much of his cinema, a strong moral imprint also emerges here. The film includes a powerful anti-war message: Victor Frankenstein is financed by a nobleman who enriched himself through arms trade, and war becomes the backdrop against which science, money, and violated bodies intertwine.

At the same time, the heart of the story remains the bond between creator and creature. A father-son relationship made of love, violence, and mutual recognition, which reflects one of the great themes of Del Toro's poetics.

Alongside Victor and the Creature, the character played by Mia Goth stands out. In line with the tradition of the director's heroines, she is a woman who does not fear monsters but rather establishes a deep connection with them. Modern and independent even within the canons of the era, a student of entomology, she is the first to recognize the Creature's emotional intelligence, perceiving its humanity.