Recently, I’ve been trawling through the archive of old Dread Central reviews to start filling in my backlog. There were a lot of movies I missed, especially in the early days of the 2010s when I was drowning in schoolwork. I wanted to watch new movies, but more often, I’d just decompress by putting on Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers for the millionth time.
Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein is one of my most anticipated movies of the year. Even though our review concluded, “Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein feels closer to the bloated, action-heavy Dark Universe than to the sparkling, heartfelt Gothic fantasies we expect from him,” I’m still eager to see what kind of monstrous madness del Toro has resurrected there. Naturally, my backlog search has been principally focused on Frankenstein or Frankenstein-adjacent movies I’ve missed. Last week, I spotlighted Frankenstein’s Army, and this week, I’m all about Bernard Rose’s (Candyman and Paperhouse for the real ones) Frankenstein. We loved it here at Dread Central, and now, you can catch it streaming on Prime Video. Learn more below:
Per Prime Video: A pair of scientists create a modern-day monster in this new adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic.
Frankenstein was a blind watch for me, though I was motivated by our glowing review from the film’s 2015 release. At the time, we wrote, “Bernard Rose’s Frankenstein is nonetheless a remarkably affecting piece of filmmaking sporting some wince-inducing gore and extreme violence,” adding, “Highly intelligent and deeply wounding, Frankenstein stands as a stark reminder that in these so-called enlightened times, we still haven’t made it that far.” In today’s current climate, I’m betting the film resonates even more than it did at the time of its release.
That’s good stuff, all right. And having seen the film myself now, I can confirm. It’s heavy, heady stuff, and as a result, it stands as one of the best adaptations of the Frankenstein mythos I’ve ever seen. In the larger canon, the film doesn’t seem to get the recognition it quite deserves, despite boasting a perfect 100% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Take this as your sign to check Frankenstein out as soon as possible. Especially if you’re a Candyman fan. Bernard Rose works the same magic here.
Be certain to check it out streaming on Prime Video. When you do, check in with me over on Twitter @Chadiscollins and let me know what you think!
Categorized: News
