Lisa Frankenstein

It’s 1989 and Lisa (Kathryn Newton) is a teenager who has had a traumatic recent past and does not quite fit in at her new school. But then thanks to a bizarre series of events a corpse in the abandoned graveyard she regularly visits is reanimated and she finds that she has a kindred spirit after all. 

Lisa Frankenstein is a rather high concept tale that asks what if the Frankenstein story involved a lonely teenage girl and the two protagonists were star crossed lovers. Writer Diablo Cody has form for this kind of horror comedy with her 2009 film Jennifer’s Body sandwiched between her bigger hits of Juno and Young Adult. Whilst debut feature director Zelda Williams, daughter of Robin attempts to give it a quirky feel that reminded me of Winona Ryder 80’s hits Heathers and Beetlejuice. The result is uneven and never rises above being more than just “fine” but there are some bright sparks within. 

The brightest of which is Kathryn Newton who does a good job at keeping the protagonist relatable and engaging. Her comic timing is solid and when her character starts to come alive when she strikes up her relationship with the creature (Cole Sprouse) the film does pick up a little. 

Otherwise the film occasionally shows stylistic quirks that are fun. These include an opening credit sequence detailing the life of our corpse and a black and white dream sequence that blends a number of silent film inspirations. The 80’s styling is also fun. 

Ultimately though everything else is average. The story is about the perils of being a teenage girl where the creature helps her deal with an overbearing stepmother, a disengaged father and a difficulty in getting the attention of boys. The fact that murder is the answer should have been funnier than it was. 

Perhaps this will be a cult hit for teenagers who watch it now in the same way that Heathers or Pump Up The Volume is for people of my generation. For me though this is a film that promises much but delivers little.