To All the ‘Frankensteins’ I’ve Loved Before: A Trip Down Memory Lane
- Thivyashree Inthiran
- Nov 2, 2025
- 4 min read
The latest Frankenstein adaptation from Guillermo del Toro is hitting the big screens soon (really putting Jacob Elordi's height to good use). Our Film and TV Writer, Thivyaa, shares some of her favourite rebirths from the past century, and how each one carries forward Mary Shelley's legacy.
Forget vampires and werewolves, Frankenstein’s creature has been resurrected on screen for nearly a century, and we are still not finished with him.
With Guillermo del Toro’s much-anticipated Frankenstein on the horizon, I found myself proclaiming my next horror obsession and revisiting some of the memorable adaptations that have shaped how we see the creature. Since Mary Shelley first published ‘Frankenstein’ or ‘The Modern Prometheus’ in 1818, her story has been reborn countless times in horror, comedy, and even animation. Each version interprets the creature differently. Sometimes as a monster, sometimes as a misunderstood soul, and sometimes as a hero. For me, the haunting Frankenstein (1931), Tim Burton’s heartfelt Frankenweenie (2012), and the action-fueled I, Frankenstein (2014) stood out the most for their creativity and emotional depth.
Frankenstein (1931) Where It All Began: The Birth of a Monster
James Whale’s Frankenstein (1931), starring Boris Karloff, is the version that truly defined how the world would imagine the creature. With its flickering lab lights, stormy skies, and the unforgettable cry of “It’s alive!”, this film became the blueprint for every Frankenstein that followed. While Shelley’s novel explored deep questions about creation, morality, and loneliness, Whale’s version simplified the story into pure Gothic horror. The creature is less philosophical outcast of the book and more a tragic being of brute strength and confusion.
Yet, that simplicity is what makes the film timeless. The 1930s were the golden age of monster movies, and while audiences wanted fear, Whale granted their wishes with a side of empathy too. Karloff’s performance infused the creature with childlike innocence, turning him into both a terror and a tragedy. When he reaches for light or recoils from violence, we do not see evil; we see rejection. Even though the movie stripped away Shelley’s complex narration, it still captured the pain of being created but unloved. That mix of horror and heartbreak is what keeps this version haunting after all these years.
Frankenweenie (2012): A Monster Made of Love
Fast forward to Frankenweenie (2012), where Tim Burton transforms Shelley’s gothic tale into a black-and-white stop-motion story about love, loss, and the innocence of childhood. Here, young Victor Frankenstein reanimates his beloved dog, Sparky, after a tragic car accident. It’s the same experiment Shelley imagined, but this time, it is driven by grief instead of ambition.
Burton replaces terror with tenderness. Instead of asking whether humans should play God, it asks a simpler but equally powerful question: what would you do if you could bring back someone you love from the grave? Every frame pays homage to the monster movies that inspired Burton’s career, yet the emotional core is pure sincerity. Victor’s experiment isn’t about power, instead about love that refuses to be let go.
What I adore about Frankenweenie is how it captures Shelley’s emotional heartbeat in such a gentle form. The story reminds us that grief and creation often come from the same place, the ache to hold onto something we have lost. It may look quirky and cute, but underneath the clay figures and lightning bolts lies a universal truth: love can be just as monstrous as science when it refuses to accept death.
I, Frankenstein (2014): From Outcast to Avenger
Then there’s I, Frankenstein (2014), directed by Stuart Beattie and starring Aaron Eckhart. In this movie, Shelley’s Creature, now called Adam, turns out to be a supernatural action hero caught in a war between gargoyles and demons. The result is part fantasy epic, part Gothic spectacle, and entirely different from the original novel.
Gone are the philosophical debates and moral struggles. Instead, I, Frankenstein gives us a creature with muscles, abs, and weapons. The kind of monster who looks more at home in a Marvel movie than in a lab. It’s loud, fast, and full of special effects, but underneath all the chaos is still a hint of Shelley’s theme: identity. Adam might be fighting demons rather than his creator, but he is still battling the question of who he is and why he exists.
While it is not the most faithful adaptation, I can’t help but appreciate how boldly it reimagines the story, proving that Shelley’s creation can survive any transformation, even as an action hero in a leather coat. It may trade emotion for adrenaline, but it keeps the core idea alive: that being human is about more than just being alive.
Final Thoughts: The Monster That Keeps Coming Back
From the crackling thunder of 1931’s laboratory to the tender spark of Frankenweenie, and the gothic chaos of I, Frankenstein, each adaptation captures a different heartbeat of Shelley’s legacy. The 1931 film gave the creature a face, Frankenweenie gave him a heart, and I, Frankenstein gave him a sword. Together, they prove that Frankenstein isn’t just a horror story; it’s a mirror, reflecting every generation’s fears and desires.
As audiences gear up for Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation, it feels poetic that a story about creation keeps being recreated. Two centuries later, Frankenstein’s monster isn’t just alive, he’s thriving, reborn repeatedly to remind us that the line between monster and man is never as clear as we would like to think. And I, for one, would be seated for it as long as it lives.
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