When there’s a holiday devoted solely to being in love, those who see themselves as perpetually lonely like to lean into their feelings and say “Oh yeah? Well I don’t even WANT to be in love!” It’s as human an inclination as any, and it has classically created an appetite for alt-Valentine’s Day programming. This is where movies like My Bloody Valentine (or the above average remake) really have a chance to shine. Such material is certainly fun for lovelorn adults, but alt-Valentine’s programming is like crack to the most hormonal audience in the planet: teenagers. With their lofty romantic goals and a media market designed to tap into their emotions, it’s no wonder they all wallow in heartbreak despite having less than two decades of life experience.
No judgment, of course. My generation is responsible for emo.
Anywho, these wonderful youths deserve entertainment too (I know I was a sucker for things geared toward hopeless romantics back when I was sixteen), which is exactly what Lisa Frankenstein aims to do, and mostly succeeds at.
Written by Diablo Cody and directed by Zelda Williams, Lisa Frankenstein calls itself a “coming of RAGE” tale. In it we follow Lisa (Kathryn Newton), an awkward teenager whose mother was somewhat recently murdered. Now she lives with her loving but spineless father (Joe Chrest), her overconfident, but very kind step-sister (Liza Soberano), and her bitchy, cocky, clueless stepmother (Carla Gugino, who steals every second of the movie she’s in). Lisa is not the most sociable or popular girl. She avoids extracurricular pursuits, instead choosing to spend her free time hanging out at the graveyard, where she fantasizes about the life of a Victorian man who’s buried there (Cole Sprouse).
As you know, circumstances soon resurrect this man, and now it’s up to Lisa to help him thrive…and keep him secret.
Lisa Frankenstein wears its influences on its sleeve, both directly and indirectly referencing bullet point entries in the horror canon, but ultimately finds originality through Williams’ direction. A few strong compositions remain in my memory, many of which involve classic visual techniques like shadow puppetry and rotoscoped animation (I don’t know if it was actually rotoscoped, but it has that feel). A heightened, neon color palette (with goth elements) bleeds into the film as the relationship between Lisa and The Creature grows closer and more violent, preserving the overall romantic tone even as the bodies start to pile up.
The film takes its time getting to the crux of the story, which leaves the first act feeling a bit unfocused. Even so, it’s never not enjoyable. Cody’s script embraces as many tropes as it subverts, meaning that it goes to some surprising places while also adhering to a pretty typical black swan story — yes, there is a “trying on outfits” montage for each of our protagonists that showcases the social effects they have on one another. It’s a classic comedy gag and it works both times it’s employed, due as much to the characterizations developed in the script as it is to the duo of committed performances bringing them to life.
Newton and Sprouse are fantastic together, the latter giving a near-silent performance that leans on physical theatricality. Newton, whose performance in Freaky first showcased her ability to do horror, pushes even further into the needs of the genre while also delivering one of the more believable teen movie glow-ups you’re apt to see. It’s a task typically handled by the wardrobe department, but Newton does the heavy lifting here (no love lost to the wardrobe department, who knocks it out of the park).
As a middle-aged man, Lisa Frankenstein does not include me in its target audience, but I enjoyed it all the same. I suspect that the scattered nature of the film’s first half may be a symptom of this — more a me problem than a script problem — but I also suspect that a kitchen sink mentality may be at fault. If Lisa Frankenstein weren’t trying to be so many things it once, it would certainly have a sharper edge.
Then again, it’s appropriate for a Frankenstein movie to be made of disparate parts.
Directed by Zelda Williams
Written by Diablo Cody
Starring Kathryn Newton, Liza Soberano, Cole Sprouse, Carla Gugino
Rated PG-13, 101 minutes