Frankenstein 2025 Review: Guillermo del Toro’s Gothic Horror Masterpiece

Frankenstein 2025 Review: Guillermo del Toro’s Gothic Horror Masterpiece – When I first heard that Guillermo del Toro was finally making his Frankenstein movie, I was genuinely excited because the guy’s been talking about wanting to do this for like decades now. Pan’s Labyrinth and Shape of Water were masterful, and knowing del Toro’s love for monsters and outcasts, I knew he was the perfect director for this. So when Netflix announced it in 2023, I was waiting for this with high expectations.

Frankenstein 2025 Review Scores

Review scores are based on publicly available data collected on December 15, 2025.

The movie dropped on Netflix November 7th and holy shit, this might be one of the best things del Toro has ever done. The opening with the ship trapped in ice and Victor Frankenstein telling his story was so atmospheric and dark, setting the tone perfectly.

Oscar Isaac plays Victor Frankenstein and he’s really good at making you hate this guy. Victor is supposed to be brilliant scientist but he’s also completely selfish and cruel, treating his creation like garbage just because it doesn’t look the way he wanted. Isaac brings this manic energy that makes Victor feel dangerous and obsessed.

But the real star here is Jacob Elordi as the Creature. I knew him from Euphoria and Saltburn, but this is something completely different. The way he moves at first, like a newborn trying to figure out how his body works..it’s heartbreaking actually. And then when he starts learning to speak, his voice has this growling quality that’s mostly Elordi’s actual performance. The creature’s awakening feels fresh and vital, making you genuinely care about what happens to him even though you know the story probably won’t end well.

What really got me is how del Toro makes you root for the monster completely. Like the movie is so clear that Victor is the actual monster here, not the Creature. The Creature just wants to be loved and understood, but society keeps rejecting him because of how he looks. There’s this scene where he saves people on a ship and you’re just thinking, see? He’s not evil, he’s trying to help. And then Victor still treats him like he’s nothing. It’s frustrating in the best way possible because the movie makes you feel the Creature’s pain and loneliness so deeply.

The gothic atmosphere is insane too. Every frame looks like a painting, with these dark Victorian settings and vibrant jewel tones that pop off the screen. Del Toro built actual full sets instead of using CGI which is refreshing, everything feels tangible and real.

The movie hit number one on Netflix with 29.1 million views in its first week and topped the charts in 72 countries, which is pretty remarkable for a dark gothic horror film. Critics loved it too, sitting at 86% on Rotten Tomatoes.

What I appreciate most is how this isn’t typical horror movie. It’s more of a tragic character study about creation, abandonment, and what makes someone a monster. Del Toro has always been great at making you sympathize with creatures that society rejects, and he does that masterfully here. Honestly, I’m hoping this becomes the start of something bigger – like imagine del Toro creating a whole universe of these classic monster stories with his dark gothic vision. The way he handles Frankenstein makes me want to see him tackle Dracula, Jekyll and Hyde, or other gothic characters in this same world. That would be insane.

So do I recommend Frankenstein 2025?

I would recommend this movie in a heartbeat, but it’s best that you need to see if you’re someone who’s fan of this gothic dark fantasy genre or category. If you’re into that kind of atmospheric storytelling with tragic monsters and beautiful darkness, then yeah, this is absolutely worth your time. Jacob Elordi’s performance alone makes it worth watching, and del Toro’s vision is something special that deserves to be experienced.