Zelda Williams’s directorial debut Lisa Frankenstein curates horror, comedy, and romance for an arthouse audience. Much like the 2023s cult classic Bottoms, the film pays thematic homage to 80s dark comedy classics Heathers and Beetlejuice.
Williams maintains a bold aesthetic – contrasting neon pastel pops of pink and blue against the Gothic stylings of Lisa (Kathryn Newton) and her zombie accomplice The Creature (Cole Sprouse). These visual choices echo those made in the grave-digging horror comedy The Loneliest Boy in the World, which opened Manchester’s Grimmfest in 2022, and Season 3 of Netflix’s 80s-set show Stranger Things. Joe Chrest, from the latter, plays the apathetic father in Lisa Frankenstein as well.
Disney recently capitalised on 80s romantic nostalgia with their romcom Prom Pact and chronicled the love story of a zombie and a teenage girl in their Zombies franchise (a fourth instalment is on its way).
But how does Lisa Frankenstein stand out from the crowd? Initially, it doesn’t. Well-worn coming-of-age clichés come in thick and fast. High schooler Lisa and her stepsister Taffy (Liza Soberano) attend a house party, where one of Lisa’s classmates insists that Lisa isn’t the drinking type. This line of dialogue has an inevitable conclusion. Lisa’s drink, however, has been spiked. In the haze of her panic and disorientation, she stumbles to her safe place – a young Victorian man’s grave in the local cemetery – and says ‘I wish I was with you.’ Though she means being together in death, not life, her wish resurrects him as a lovesick zombie.
Lisa and The Creature swiftly develop a camaraderie reminiscent of Bonnie and Clyde. He supports Lisa to exact the revenge we could only wish to see fairytale villains face. Though the heinous acts are played for comedy, the underlying feeling is heartwarming. The Creature fiercely defends Lisa without restricting her agency and warmly embraces her being unapologetically herself. In return, she helps restore him to his functional self.
Newton is as electric as the awkwardly savvy Lisa, portraying her character’s growth in a consistently authentic manner. Lisa Frankenstein is as impressive an addition to her romcom portfolio as Amazon Prime’s The Map of Tiny Perfect Things. She impeccably delivers the film’s punchiest humour – which is sadly lacking given its quirky premise.
Sprouse, however, is mute for almost the entire film – contrary to his seven-year stint as main character and narrator Jughead Jones on the CW’s hit TV show Riverdale. Supported by a movement and mime coach off-screen, he gives an impressive physical performance – writhing with all the rigidity of someone who hasn’t moved in a century. His array of grunts, and nuanced facial expressions, successfully close the communication gap between The Creature and Lisa. With a stronger narrative behind him, Sprouse far surpasses his prior romantic outings in Five Feet Apart and Moonshot.
Tastefully merging Gothic glamour with graveyard gore, Lisa Frankenstein breathes new life into the coming-of-age genre, making horror herstory.
Winner of Writer of the Year (The Mancunion) (SU Awards 2023) | Highly Commended for Best Newcomer (The Mancunion) (SU Awards 2023) | Shortlisted for Best Newcomer (Rising Star) in the UK (SPA National Awards 2023)
I sat down with director Elias Demetriou to talk about his film ‘Maricel’ which follows a Filipino domestic worker in Cyprus caring for an elderly couple who have a lot of unspoken family drama.
