NEED TO KNOW
October can be a tough time for rom-com lovers, especially those who don’t do horror movies.
It’s too brisk for binging summer romances, too early for a Love Actually rewatch — it’s not Hugh Grant season just yet — and far too easy to cycle through Nora Ephron’s entire autumnal oeurve before landlords even turn the heat on. It’s an annual dilemma that many face, but do not fret: The perfect Halloween rom-com does exist. It’s called Lisa Frankenstein.
Zelda Williams’ directorial debut, penned by Jennifer’s Body screenwriter Diablo Cody, fills the spooky-romance void you didn’t know you had, crawling into the crevice alongside all-timers like Penelope, Edward Scissorhands and Practical Magic. Perhaps better described by its tagline “coming of rage love story,” it is the ideal Halloween watch for non-horror buffs, offering up an eccentric and romantic ‘80s-tinged spin on the OG monster tale (yes, the one with a movie adaptation starring Jacob Elordi currently in theaters) that never takes itself too seriously.
Lisa Frankenstein centers on awkward and antisocial high schooler Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton) after the violent demise of her mother. Her father (Stranger Things’ Joe Chrest) has found a new family in Janet (Carla Gugino), a Cinderella-level evil stepmother clad in shoulder pads and legwarmers, and Taffy (Liza Soberano), Janet’s valley-girl daughter with a heart of gold buried beneath a passive aggressive exterior.
Michele K. Short/Focus Features
Things take a turn for the whimsical when, with the help of some lightning — and later, Taffy’s tanning bed — Lisa finds a companion in an undead, Victorian-era Cole Sprouse, a hopeless romantic who communicates exclusively in grunts, and whose devotion to Lisa knows no bounds. (And I mean no bounds.)
It’s Warm Bodies meets May with a candy-goth aesthetic à la Sinead from But I’m a Cheerleader, if that means anything to you. If it does, you will probably love this film.
When it first hit theaters last February, a lot of people did not.
Much like Jennifer’s Body 15 years earlier, Lisa Frankenstein had a lackluster box office run, and inspired lukewarm critic reviews. (The Guardian billed Lisa Frankenstein as “a wannabe cult classic that you’ll have sadly forgotten by the morning.” Ouch!)
But if TikTok chatter is any indication, just the opposite has happened: The horror-romance is also already on the road to cult status, similar to Cody’s Megan Fox-fronted opus. This comment also tickles me, given just how often lines from the film inevitably pop into my head. (Lisa: “He doesn’t play sports, he’s cerebral.” Taffy: “He’s in a wheelchair?”)
Michele K. Short/FOCUS FEATURES
Not to mention the stunning, black-and-white dream sequence in which Newton dons a Victorian-style Pabst Blue Ribbon gown and Bride of Frankenstein-inspired hair. I think about it daily. Oh, and the Tim Burton-esque animated opening sequence that doubles as the origin of Sprouse’s creature.
This movie oozes style — and actual undead sludge, occasionally — along with Cody’s signature sense of humor.
“‘I got to go change my pad’ is one of the lines expected to trigger howls of laughter,” reads an AP News review that dubbed the film “unwatchable.” Guess what? For me and my friends, it did, thanks to Newton’s earnest yet deadpan delivery. People swear they want a quirky, offbeat protagonist until they actually get one!
Sullen and death-obsessed, Lisa has no filter, a flair for the dramatic and a body full of raging hormones. She’s weird, and refuses to apologize for it; why should she? One of her best moments comes in the form of a monologue that — without spoiling — will speak to any woman who has ever dated a self-described “artistic” or “sensitive” man. It’s bloody brilliant. (And shortly thereafter, just plain bloody.)
Michele K. Short/FOCUS FEATURES
It’s almost as if, like Jennifer’s Body before it, some of the jokes in a movie starring a teenage female protagonist don’t have to land directly in the path of the male gaze. Just a thought!
That being said, I strongly believe that Lisa Frankenstein has something for everyone. Fight Club-loving film bro? Come for the Pixies needledrop. Hopeless romantic? Come for the undeniable yearning. Nostalgic for the ‘80s? Come for the kitschy interior design, high-waisted jeans and, well, just about everything else.
This campy, Burton-esque spin on Mary Shelley’s classic tale is unapologetic, and so is my love for it. It is the perfect Halloween rom-com.
