Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein remains as influential as ever, with numerous notable adaptations and horror movies inspired by the literary classic released in the last year alone. With news of Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Bride of Frankenstein-inspired feature on the horizon, it doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.
The story of a mad scientist creating a monster stitched together from various body parts has contributed to one of horror’s most enduring monsters, bringing with it over two centuries of stage plays, movies, and television adaptations influenced by the classic horror story.
This week’s streaming picks highlight some of the more unique horror movies inspired by Frankenstein. These five titles use the base story to explore new terrain, whether through comedy, gore, or explorations of contemporary themes.
Here’s where you can stream them this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
Bride of Re-Animator – Arrow, Fandor, Night Flight, Tubi
Stuart Gordon’s Re-Animator offered its own unique twist on Dr. Frankenstein through Dr. Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs). Its sequel, helmed by Brian Yuzna, draws from Bride of Frankenstein. Set eight months after the events of the first film, West and roommate Dan Cain (Bruce Abbott) now work as medics on the frontlines of war. The death toll allows West to continue his experiments with raising the dead, and uses the heart of Dan’s deceased love Megan Halsey to lure him into his plans. While West ensures that there’s plenty of gory zombie chaos that ensues, it’s centered around the tragic and ultra-bloody tale of a new monstrous bride inspired heavily by Frankenstein.
Depraved – AMC+, Tubi
Larry Fessenden returns to the director’s chair with this modern update to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. And with it, a very thoughtful approach to the relationship between the mad scientist and his creation. In this version, the creature’s creator, a PTSD suffering field surgeon named Henry (David Call) never abandons his creation. He names him Adam (Alex Breaux), and spends a lengthy span of time teaching motor skills, language skills, and normal daily functions so Adam can survive in civilization. This is a Frankenstein style story so things go awry, naturally, but this time Adam has an easier time articulating his confusion, naivety, and inner pain. It’s a unique and emotionally gripping journey, presenting a refreshing twist to a familiar story with surprising new depth and poignancy.
Frankenhooker – AMC+, Criterion Channel, freevee, Peacock, Plex, Pluto TV, Shudder
Very, very loosely inspired by Mary Shelley’s novel, Frank Henenlotter’s Frankenhooker has all the wacky humor you’d expect and more. When Jeffrey’s fiancée Elizabeth Shelley (get it?) is killed in a lawnmower accident, he decides to bring her back to life. Since most of her parts were shredded to bits, he harvests needed parts from NYC hookers. Meaning that when Elizabeth is resurrected, her instinctual drive is to go seek out customers. Wanna date? Mullen’s signature twitches and her stiff walk as she wanders the streets in search of clientele is a hoot. So too are the gory comedic beats and the charming love story that kickstarts it all.
Frankenstein’s Army – freevee, Plex, SCREAMBOX, Tubi
Russian soldiers pushing into eastern Germany near the end of World War II find a secret Nazi lab. Of course, the lab is home to bizarre experiments courtesy of Victor Frankenstein’s descendent that pieces together dead soldiers to create monstrous super soldiers. Never mind that this inexplicably utilizes the found footage format in World War II, and that it can get frustratingly shaky-cam as a result. Frankenstein’s Army wins major points for fun and inventive creature designs. Sometimes all you need is a bunch of rampaging monsters via kinetic action-horror, and this one more than delivers.
Patchwork – The Roku Channel, Tubi, Vudu
Before Tragedy Girls and It’s a Wonderful Knife, Tyler MacIntyre delivered a darkly comedic new spin on Frankenstein’s monster. Jennifer, Ellie, and Madeleine have nothing in common; they don’t even know each other. They just happen to wake up stitched together after a night out. With three distinct personalities sharing one body, working together to find out what happened and seek revenge will prove extra complicated. This horror-comedy gives each woman plenty of room to relay their perspective in their forced new beginning, leading up to a bloody, fun, and unexpected finale. It’s a horror-comedy blast.
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