Frankenstein (2025): Guillermo del Toro's adaptation that closes its Gothic cycle and won 3 Oscars

Frankenstein (2025) is the adaptation that Guillermo del Toro had been preparing for decades. Written, directed and co-produced by the Mexican filmmaker for Netflix, it takes up the gothic novel by Mary Shelley (1818) with a cast led by Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as the Creature. The film closed its cycle at the 2025 Venice Film Festival and became one of the most awarded titles of the season: nine Oscar nominations and three statuettes.

A lifelong project

Del Toro read Frankenstein as a child and has said that the novel informed everything he did afterward. He wrote the definitive script in recent years, but the obsession came from afar: it is the film that, in his words, "closes the cycle" that goes from Cronos to The Devil's Backbone, Pan's Labyrinth and Crimson Peak. After winning the Oscar for best animated film with Pinocchio (2022), Netflix reactivated the project with a multi-year agreement with the director.

Synopsis and narrative structure

The film follows Shelley's chapter structure: a prelude aboard a ship trapped in the Arctic ice, Victor Frankenstein's story to Captain Walton, and, in the second half, the story told from the Creature's point of view. Del Toro rewrites the myth with his usual empathy towards the "monster": Jacob Elordi plays a being composed of "memories of different men" who demands a moral explanation from his creator. Mia Goth plays Elizabeth; Christoph Waltz to Victor's patron; Charles Dance to the scientist's father.

Technically, the film relies on practical effects and full-scale sets—including a complete sailboat—with del Toro's usual team: director of photography Dan Laustsen, production designer Tamara Deverell, editor Evan Schiff and composer Alexandre Desplat.

Production and cast

Filming began in February 2024. Andrew Garfield was initially attached to the role of the Creature, but scheduling conflicts following the SAG-AFTRA strike led to Jacob Elordi, recommended by a stylist who worked with him on Priscilla. Del Toro had spent nine months designing the creature's look for Garfield and had just nine weeks to redesign it for the taller, burlier Elordi. Felix Kammerer, Lars Mikkelsen, David Bradley and Ralph Ineson also participate in a "pivotal" cameo.

Premiere and reception

Frankenstein premiered in competition at the 82nd Venice Film Festival (August 30, 2025). It had a limited release in American theaters from October 17 and arrived on Netflix on November 7, 2025. Both the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute included it among the ten best films of 2025.

Prizes

• 98th Oscar (2026): 9 nominations (best picture, adapted screenplay, supporting actor for Elordi, etc.) · wins in production design (Tamara Deverell, Shane Vieau), costumes (Kate Hawley) and makeup and hair (Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, Cliona Furey).
• Golden Globes 2026: 5 nominations, including best drama film.
• BAFTA 2026: 8 nominations · 3 wins.

Where to see it

Netflix has the global streaming rights. The film is still available on the platform with audio and subtitles in Spanish. Check the official file at Netflix Tudum.