Lisa Frankenstein (2024)

I remember Lisa Frankenstein being promoted prior to it coming out.  A local group that presents cult movies was offering preview passes and, as usual, I had something happening on whatever day it was happening.  It didn't really phase me much as it didn't seem the sort of movie I would want to watch anyway.  It seemed like another cult film that wanted to force the supposed cult-ness of the production on audiences that were hoping for something new and entertaining.  To top it off it was PG-13.  

Fast forward a couple years and this movie has become a genuine cult hit.  It has an '80s aesthetic, a Tim Burton-style romantic plot and has plenty of nods to Heathers.  Despite all that, and despite a number of flaws, it still manages to be its own thing. 

Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton) is slowly coming back to normality after her mother was killed by a psychotic killer.  Now living with her father Dale (Joe Chrest) and stepmother Janet (Carla Gugino), her only close friend is her stepsister Taffy (Liza Soberano).  In contrast to Lisa, Taffy is a popular cheerleader that tries to help Lisa reintegrate.  For her part, Lisa has two loves: an intellectual student named Michael Trent (Henry Eikenberry), whom she is too shy to open up to, and a dead composer whose grave she frequents. 

After having her drink spiked at a party Lisa barely makes it home during a thunderstorm which has enough force that, when lightning strikes her favorite grave, the inhabitant (Cole Sprouse) comes back to life and makes his way to Lisa's house.  At first, she is frightened, but after cleaning him up and realizing who he is she befriends him.  Only problem is he's still pretty much a walking corpse with several parts missing.  However, there are enough people in Lisa's life that have done her wrong that the parts are not too hard to come by. 

Diablo Cody wrote the film and has made a career of being on the quirky side and, though I usually use that term with derision when it comes to how most writers present characters that are different than the mainstream, that pretty much is a good description of Lisa Frankenstein.  Rather than a laboratory the upgrades to the Creature are done in a malfunctioning tanning bed, while the relationship between our two main characters takes a number of interesting turns.

The main issue, however, is the PG-13 rating.  This movie needed to be R-rated, and at one point had a lot more blood during the kills.  The cuts are pretty obvious, with some of the practical effect clumsily replaced by digital blood.  It is a movie that would appeal to older teens but that doesn't mean it needed to be censored.  If anything, the movie doesn't go far enough into dysfunctional relationships or teenage women being objectified, something Heathers was able to more honestly explore back in 1988 than this movie did in 2024.  It is the equivalent of contemporary internet trends where sensitive subjects are often censored rather than being discussed openly due to a fear of demonetization or shadow banning.

Much of what was intended is still here, with Zelda Williams making an impressive debut as a director, Cole Sprouse doing some old-fashioned silent movie style acting to present the Creature and, of course, Kathryn Newton in what should have been a defining role if this movie had been properly promoted and the studio had trusted its intended audience to be able to handle the underlying subject matter.  

Lisa Frankenstein (2024)

Time: 101 minutes

Starring: Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse, Liza Soberano, Carla Gugino

Director: Zelda Williams