It’s Alive!: Horror’s 9 Best Frankenstein-Inspired Films & TV Episodes
Published in January 1818, Frankenstein; Or The Modern Prometheus written by Mary Shelley is one of the most pivotal and influential gothic novels ever written. Written after a night of telling ghost stories with her traveling companions Lord Byron, her husband Percy Shelley, and the doctor John William Polidori, the story of Frankenstein depicts scientist Doctor Victor Frankenstein as he attempts to build a creature by combining body parts stolen from graves and public executions. He then uses his scientific knowledge to bring his creature to life.
As well as gothic novel classic Dracula by Irish author Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has gone on to inspire and influence countless films and television shows, cementing its legacy as one of the greatest horror tales of all time. Here are the nine best adaptations of Shelley’s horror novel.
May (2002, dir. Lucky McKee)
The directorial debut of Lucky McKee, May stars Angela Bettis as the titular character, who after a difficult and traumatic childhood caused by her mother, struggles to build connections and relationships with those around her. Desperately lonely, she clings to a precious porcelain doll, and harbors an obsession over the body parts of those around her. A moving and oddly endearing quasi-slasher, May culminates in and revels in its full-on Frankenstein-esque conclusion through May’s pursuit of the ultimate friend.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 2 Episode 2: “Some Assembly Required“
In the first of the Frankenstein-influenced Buffy episodes, the Scooby Gang discovers empty graves and body parts scattered around Sunnydale. This leads them to Chris Epps, a scientifically gifted student who, along with his friend Eric, has successfully revived the corpse of his dead brother Daryl, who now demands a girlfriend, preferably with the head of Cordelia. With influence from the second half of Shelley’s novel where the creature demands that Dr. Frankenstein make him a mate, “Some Assembly Required” touches on the novel’s themes of loneliness, parental rejection, and abuse of science.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 4
Two seasons later, once Buffy and the gang attend college, they discover an underground governmental demon-fighting facility called The Initiative. Their leader Dr. Maggie Walsh has gone full-on Victor Frankenstein and has created the ultimate weapon. Made up of human and machine body parts, as well as those of monsters The Initiative has captured, Adam is an unstoppable cyborg. Much like Dr. Frankenstein’s creature, Adam exceeds the expectations of his creator and develops his own autonomous quest for power, plotting to overthrow humanity. Despite Adam being the obvious main villain of the season due to the epic battle against the slayer and her friends in the penultimate episode, just like in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the real villain of the piece could be seen as Adam’s creator Dr. Maggie Walsh.
Criminal Minds, Season 7 Episode 7: “There’s No Place Like Home“
The FBI’s Behavioral Analysis team is called to Kansas to investigate the recent crop of dismembered young male body parts that are being recovered after tornadoes hit communities. Through their investigation, the team discovers an unsub (unknown subject) who is murdering teenagers, dismembering their bodies, and piecing them together to attempt to recreate the body of his dead brother. Just like Victor Frankenstein’s inspiration rooted in his experience with lightning, the murderer believes he can harness the power of the storms and tornadoes to reanimate the corpse.
Re-Animator (1985, dir. Stuart Gordon)
Although based on H.P Lovecraft’s 1922 novelette Herbert West – Reanimator (which Lovecraft wrote as a Frankenstein parody), nobody can deny that Re-Animator and its sequel Bride of Re-Animator would not exist without Shelley’s landmark gothic science-fiction novel. Jeffrey Combs stars as Dr. Herbert West, a medical student who has developed a reanimating agent to bring back to life corpses. In true mad scientist tradition, West’s creation soon goes beyond his control, to disastrous consequences. Director Stuart Gordon cited the 1958 Hammer horror film The Revenge of Frankenstein as his inspiration behind Re-Animator. With the question of the ethics behind playing with the natural order of life and death, Re-Animator is a sick and twisted take on Shelley’s monstrous tale.
New Religion (2022, dir. Keishi Kondo)
Directed by Keishi Kondo, New Religion is a Japanese arthouse film deeply inspired by science-fiction horror, with flecks of Frankenstein woven through. Newly divorced call girl Miyabi is attempting to navigate her life and her grief following the tragic death of her young daughter. When a mysterious client asks to photograph Miyabi’s limbs and various body parts one at a time, she begins to discover that the spirit of her daughter is able to make contact with her through that specific body part. New Religion marries the science-fiction elements of Shelley’s novel, with a futuristic society obsessed with the ghosts of the past.
The X-Files, Season 5 Episode 5: “The PostModern Prometheus“
Perhaps the most obviously influenced entry on this list, The X-Files episode “The PostModern Prometheus” is filmed in black and white, adding to the Universal Pictures horror film atmosphere, and is a monster of the week episode. Mulder and Scully journey to rural Indiana to investigate a mysterious serial impregnation of a woman. Whilst there they discover a Dr. Pollidori (named after one of Mary Shelley’s traveling companions) who has created a human-like genetic experiment called The Great Mutato. After rejecting his creation, it was Pollidori’s father who took the creature in, and from whom The Great Mutato begs for a bride. Complete with angry crowds and mobs, the question arises once again over who is the real monster, creator or creation?
The Fly (1986, dir. David Cronenberg)
Jeff Goldblum stars as Seth Brundle, a brilliant and committed scientist who is developing a machine that can facilitate teleportation between two pods. Despite being successful in teleporting inanimate objects, the telepod has failed with live subjects. When experimenting with the machine while drunk, Seth teleports himself. But unknown to him, a fly also enters the machine, resulting in Seth’s transformation and consequential deterioration. The similarities between scientist Seth Brundle and Dr. Victor Frankenstein are undeniable, with both abusing science and messing with a natural order of life to disastrous effects.
Edward Scissorhands (1990, dir. Tim Burton)
Tim Burton’s fourth feature film depicts a humanoid creature who was created by a scientist who died before being able to give him hands. This results in the creation having scissors and blades as fingers. Discovered by Avon lady Peg (Dianne Wiest), Edward then attempts to integrate within “normal” society and finds himself longing to fall in love with Peg’s daughter Kim (Winona Ryder). Featuring Vincent Price in his final feature film role before his death, Edward Scissorhands is a combination of a Beauty and The Beast-esque fairytale and the scientific experimentation of Frankenstein. It also touches on the themes of loneliness and isolation that also features in Shelley’s gothic masterpiece.
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