For those who’ve been following this blog for a while, you’re probably aware that sci-fi comedy and horror-comedy are my favorite genres for just about any form of media. That’s why I’ve been excited to see Lisa Frankenstein for quite some time now. I unfortunately missed it while it was in theaters, but it’s thankfully now made its way to streaming. Let’s dig into this gruesome romance to see if it’s the niche movie experience weirdos like me are looking for or if it’s a total dud.

The Good

First off, Lisa Frankenstein feels like if John Hughes directed Edward Scissorhands. I mean this in the best way possible. Zelda Williams and Diablo Cody manage to capture what works so well in Burton’s and Hughes’ works. The two styles mesh in the most fun of ways. It celebrates both while finding ways to stand out as its own entity. Fans of both genres are sure to have a blast with this one.

The performances throughout the film are fantastic. The actors embrace the bizarre nature of the movie while making it all feel real. They ground the story by making their characters feel lifelike and their emotions relatable. You completely buy them as real people. The standout performance, though, would definitely be Cole Sprouse as the Creature. With limited dialogue and exaggerated face and body movements, he steals the show with some of the best humor and best horror moments. His performance should be remembered as a gold standard for body acting.

The script is filled with witty dialogue. This is no surprise from the writer of Juno, but it’s still worth mentioning. There are lines that are hilarious and clever throughout the movie. Some are brilliant from the get-go while others make one think back and laugh after the fact. On top of being funny, the dialogue also allows characters to stand out from each other quite a bit while also keeping the audience interested. It’s all very well-written.

The costumes, hair, and makeup departments absolutely excelled in this movie. From capturing the 80s looks creating an undead Creature that gradually becomes more and more alive throughout the film, everything looks incredible. It all works together to make the movie that much more of an immersive experience.

The comedy and horror elements are blended perfectly throughout. It’s funny when it needs to be and scary when it needs to. The laughs and the murders never distract from each other or feel out of place. The jokes and the scares are balanced nicely and even enhance each other at times. It’s definitely a good time for fans of Gremlins or Tucker & Dale vs. Evil.

Lisa Frankenstein feels like an homage, not only to 80s movies, but to horror itself. Outside of the obvious Frankenstein parallel, there are references to the likes of Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and more. There’s plenty for eagle-eyed classic horror buffs to have fun with.

The Bad

One of the most important elements of the story is that Lisa is an outcast because of how weird and quirky she is. However, she doesn’t really feel that weird. The oddest thing about her is that she apparently likes movies and art, which other people do too. The audience is just sort of told she’s weird but we don’t see it as much. It’s there, like by taking care of a gravestone in an abandoned and neglected cemetery, but that’s it. They should have leaned harder into how her behavior is so much weirder than everyone else’s. In something like ParaNorman, it’s obvious. Not so much here.

It’s also worth noting that Lisa mentions others being mean to her, but that’s not really shown either. Her stepmother is absolutely horrible to her, for sure. There is a classmate who sexually abuses her, which is terrible. Other than these instances, people either don’t pay attention to her or are actually nice to her. From what we see, she’s not being bullied or mistreated like she says she is. Again, if they just leaned harder into her feeling like an outcast or being mistreated in general rather than by a couple of people, this important aspect would have been presented a bit better.

The movie does feel a little slow in the beginning before the Creature shows up. There’s some great setup and an occasional good line, but it does start to drag before things really get going. The film flows quite well once the bonkers instances start to occur, thankfully. It just takes a bit to get there.

Conclusion

Lisa Franenstein is a dreadfully delightful horror-comedy that pays homage to classic horror and 80s teen movies while also proving to exist as something of its very own. It’s a uniquely stylized film that will have you laughing, jumping, and thinking. It’s a captivating experience whether you recognize the various homages or not. It needed to go a little further with some elements, but that doesn’t stop it from being creepy fun.

Rating: 8.5/10

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