Bibliographic Information:
Title: Lisa Frankenstein
Executive Producer: Diablo Cody
Network: Focus Features
Release Date: 2024
Cast: Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse, Liza Soberano, Henry Eikenberry, and more.
Age Rating: PG-13
Genre / Format of the Title: Comedy, Horror, Romance, Crossover / Film
Plot Summary:
Lisa Swallows lives with her father, stepmother Janet, and stepsister Taffy in a small town in 1989, where she still struggles to come to terms with the death of her mother two years prior. She spends a bit too much time in Bachelor’s Cemetery, where men who died single in centuries past are buried, making impressions of their headstones and writing poetry. One night Taffy invites Lisa to a party where she is drugged and nearly taken advantage of. As she runs home she goes through Bachelor’s Cemetery and cries over her favorite grave, saying she wishes she could be with him (implying she wishes to be dead). Through unnatural events the next night, that very bachelor rises from the grave assuming Lisa wants to marry him. Now navigating both high school and a dead new friend, Lisa begins to help the Creature piece himself back together while he helps her come to terms with her crush. Death, decay, and tanning beds are the root of this love story.
Creator Background:
Diablo Cody, the entertainment name of Brook Maurio, has a bachelor’s degree in media, but her first work as an adult was blogging and adult dancing. Blogging about her life eventually produced the book Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper, and through encouragement from others eventually wrote her first screenplay which later became the hit film Juno (2007). Since then she is known for Jennifer’s Body (2009), a comedy horror movie, and has continued to work in film and television since. Lisa Frankenstein is her most recent creation, with Zelda Williams making her directorial debut (Diablo Cody). Fun fact: Cody said that Lisa Frankenstein takes place in the same fictional universe as Jennifer’s Body!
Critical Evaluation:
Although Lisa Frankenstein did not do as well as some of Cody’s other movies (Juno and Jennifer’s Body, I believe that this movie was better than the reviews that it received or the box office profits that it did not receive. The acting was superb, the screenplay was entertaining and intriguing, and the designs for the set, hair, makeup and clothing were all just the right amount of gaudy for the 80’s. Specifically speaking, Kathryn Newton is truly making herself a staple of the horror comedy genre, and Lisa Frankenstein shows exactly why deserves to be the actress with that designation.
While there is no end in sight for remakes of classic monsters in the horror genre, I do believe that Lisa Frankenstein put a new, fun twist on the original material making it both a reference to Mary Shelley’s work but also its own unique story line. Perhaps the biggest emotional moment for me was when Lisa begins to accept herself and tells a joke to her dad and Taffy at breakfast one morning, but otherwise there was not an emotional roller coaster. Simply put, this movie is just a fun watch!
Creative Use for a Library Program:
Lisa is skilled at sewing, and I think this would be a great way to do an introduction to sewing class! Teaching basic stitches to help young adults learn how to mend their own clothes like Lisa does. I think this would be a good idea for a library program in relation to Lisa Frankenstein as it ties into part of the character of the movie but also helps teach a life skill to young adults.
Speed-Round Recommendation:
Lisa Swallows is tired of her life: she’s tired of missing her dead mom, tired of living with her dad and stepmom, and tired of how people treat her at school. One night she wishes she could join a dead bachelor - meaning be dead with him - but an electrical storm instead brings him to her. Now tasked with helping this creature with piecing himself back together, and trying to get her crush to notice her, Lisa realizes that maybe being bad can be fun.
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation:
Well, it is a horror movie at the core: there is violence, gore, and death perpetrated by the lead characters. Due to this, there could very well be some challenges from adults who believe the movie is inappropriate for those under the age of 18: as for defense, the gore and death shown in the movie is not obscene, is not overly violent, and is shown in a humor-based manner.
Reason for Inclusion:
Horror-comedies are a great way to combine both genres without going for low blows with jokes, or too much gore with death. Lisa Frankenstein is the perfect combination of both genres, while also being a crossover that adults love, and honestly, it’s just a good movie. The film is relatively camp, entertaining, and has just the right amount of gore to still be considered horror without actually relying on jump-scares or a serial killer.
References:
(2006, September 11). Diablo Cody. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diablo_Cody
Comments