Lisa Frankenstein (2024) - For the Weird Girls

Lisa Frankenstein(2024) is a fun, quirky zom-rom-com. It's also an endearing gothic love story.

The film follows Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton), still adjusting to life with a new stepfamily after her mother was murdered by an axe-welding maniac. After spending time tending a graveyard, and with a little bit of lightning, she accidentally revives a corpse (Cole Sprouse). Unfortunately, he's missing a few pieces, and the pair start handpicking (literally) who to get them from.

You might have guessed that this film isn't exactly serious - and it's not trying to be. It leans into the ridiculousness with ease, aided by Newton's portrayal of teen awkwardness and Sprouse's facial expressions. From body parts flying through the air to the tune of Jeffrey Osborne's 'On the Wings of Love' to Rocky Horror references, my screening certainly had a good time.

But Lisa Frankenstein has a genuine heart. It takes its time to build a connection between Lisa and the creature; creating soft scenes straight from a goth teen's daydreams. The film twists the rules of the genre for girls like Lisa; the ones who think Christine should have chosen the Phantom in Phantom of the Opera.

Because Lisa also knows the rules of the genre. She's a huge black & white horror fanatic, and Newton pays homage to the breathless frightened heroines of Universal's classic line up in her acting; the difference is, Lisa's enjoying herself. She knows the role she's been assigned - it's her dream role - the question is, will she break out of it, to get what she really wants?

The creature is given humanity too. Through animated opening credits, we learn his story, and his isolation is a parallel to Lisa's. Yes, he serves as the conduit for most of the comedy, but he's also given depth in being able to play the piano again; in being able to create.

Yes, Lisa and the creature kill, but in a fashion reminiscent of Heathers and Jennifer's Body; those characters are caricatures. They're less moral choices and more plot devices - as the body count stacks, its harder for our pair to escape notice. This reckless murdering is balanced out by Lisa's genuine friendship with her step-sister, Taffy (Liza Soberano). Their complicated, but positive, relationship is a breath of fresh air.

Lisa Frankenstein is also aesthetically stunning; from pink houses that look like they've leapt off the same street as Edward Scissorhands, to neon lighting that seeps '80s.' The film has a strong colour scheme throughout that's as thoughtfully sewn together as the creature's limbs. The costume design is just as delightful; with Lisa's descent into goth and nods to the iconic fashion of the 80s. The hair and make-up, of course, matches, and there's some great work bringing the creature back from the dead, one tanning bed session at a time.

For an 80s Frankenstein retelling, it captures much more of the original novel than you'd think - right down to it's core of humanity. Lisa Frankenstein feels like it was written with the weird girls in mind, who'd totally daydream about their boyfriend being a reanimated corpse from the 1830s.