Lisa Frankenstein review: "A neat mash-up of high-school comedy and horror tropes"
Feb. 7, 2024A neat mash-up of high-school comedy and horror tropes. Pity it flounders in the final third, though.
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Though she has a crush on the hunky editor of the school lit magazine (Henry Eikenberry), Lisa soon finds her real love – at the graveyard – when a corpse (Riverdale’s Cole Sprouse) comes back to life. He doesn’t speak and cries tears that smell like vomit. Nevertheless, hiding him at home in her closet, Lisa is smitten – and becomes more so as things get increasingly macabre.
Directed by Zelda Williams (daughter of Robin), Lisa Frankenstein contains some very funny moments, including one exchange that involves a woeful misunderstanding of the word ‘cerebral’. Another high point is the musical interlude featuring a version of REO Speedwagon’s ‘Can’t Fight This Feeling’, adeptly sung by a game Newton (who at times is a dead ringer for Ally Sheedy in The Breakfast Club).
Sprouse gives a lively and expressive Edward Scissorhands-esque performance as ‘The Creature’, but sadly, the more violent the film gets, the less engaging it becomes. The final act also drifts, lacking bite, when it should arrow towards a darkly comic denouement. Still, filled with Cody’s trademark wit and some nifty 1980s design schemes, it’s a slick, sick ride with strong teen appeal.
Lisa Frankenstein is in US theaters on February 9 and in UK cinemas on 1 March.
For more, here’s our guide to all theupcoming horror movieson the way.
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James Mottram is a freelance film journalist, author of books that dive deep into films like Die Hard and Tenet, and a regular guest on the Total Film podcast. You’ll find his writings on GamesRadar+ and Total Film, and in newspapers and magazines from across the world like The Times, The Independent, The i, Metro, The National, Marie Claire, and MindFood.
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