Guillermo del Toro promised viewers a `Frankenstein` without horrors

The director brought another element of the cult story to the forefront.

In November 2025, a gothic film directed by Guillermo del Toro, “Frankenstein,” will be released on Netflix. The project has been in the works since 2008. The main roles feature Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, and Mia Goth. The film also stars Charles Dance, Christoph Waltz, and Lars Mikkelsen.

Despite Wikipedia describing the upcoming film as a science fiction horror, the director himself stated at a Cannes Film Festival event that he is not making a horror film.

“Someone asked me the other day if it really has scary scenes,” del Toro is quoted by Variety. “I thought about it for the first time. For me, it's an emotional story. It's as personal as anything else. I'm asking questions about being a father, being a son... I am not making a horror film at all. I am not trying to do that.”
Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein proving his theory to scientists
A scene from "Frankenstein" featuring Oscar Isaac
Source: Netflix
The director once again collaborated with composer Alexandre Desplat, with whom he worked on “The Shape of Water” (2017) and “Pinocchio” (2022). Desplat promised that the music for the new film would be “very lyrical and emotional,” but not terrifying.

It is worth noting that the story of Victor Frankenstein has long been an archetype of the horror genre. However, it also explores the relationship between creator and creation, father and son, as Guillermo del Toro wishes to present it. Previously, zoomboola.com wrote about how the tale of Bambi was turned into a horror film.