10 Movies Inspired by (But Not Adapted From) Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’

When Mary Shelley wrote the Gothic novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus in 1818, she not only invented modern science fiction, but created a myth that continues to evolve with new generations of filmmakers. The first ever adaptation of her classic tale was a 1910 silent short film directed by J. Searle Dawley. James Whale’s 1931 iconic horror classic starring Boris Karloff, although not entirely faithful, is the most globally recognized adaptation — and among the most beloved. From Hammer’s The Curse of Frankenstein to 1994’s Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the tale has been rendered on the screen countless times. Most recently, it was breathtakingly brought to life by Guillermo del Toro.

There’s also a whole treasure trove of films inspired by Frankenstein that aren’t actually based on the novel. Many of these stories also ask what happens when ambition pushes too far. Others explore identity, morality, and what it means to be human. A group of them expose humankind as monsters. Some reimagine Shelley’s tale, taking on new, unrecognizable shapes. They all channel Frankenstein in strikingly different ways.

‘Eyes Without a Face’ (1960)

Georges Franju’s Eyes Without a Face remains one of the most hauntingly poetic echoes of Frankenstein ever put to film. The French horror film follows Dr. Génessier (Pierre Brasseur), a brilliant surgeon turned mad scientist and serial killer. Overwhelmed with guilt for causing a car accident that disfigured his daughter Christiane (Édith Scob), he resorts to abducting and murdering young women to harvest their faces. When the facial transplants don’t work, his assistant Louise (Alida Valli) drops their bodies in the river.

A Sympathetic Subject

Dr. Génnesier is not only driven by guilt, but by ambition, as he recognizes that if he were to be successful, “you coulnd’t put a price on it,” and muses about the potential for eternal youth. Like Victor Frankenstein, he’s a man of science corrupted by his obsession. Both stories present tragic portraits of scientific hubris. Christiane, with her eerily ghost-like mask, is a symbol of Shelley’s Creature, living a lifeless existence and suffering for the sins of her father. Like the Monster, she develops a deep resentment towards her father. Eyes Without a Face echoes Shelley’s themes of loneliness and isolation and overreaching ambition, while adding its own melancholic style, having gone on to influence generations of body horror and psychological horror.

‘Westworld’ (1973)

Before it became a prestige TV series, Westworld began as Michael Crichton’s visionary sci-fi Western about humankind’s thirst for control, human indulgence, and the unforeseen consequences of advanced technology. Like the show, the movie takes place in an amusement park for affluent visitors, where they get to live out their wildest fantasies, from using androids to fulfill any desires to gunning them down completely guilt-free. In the movie, a malfunction causes the androids to turn on their human superiors.

A Masterful Sci-Fi and Western Mash-Up

Shelley’s ideas of creation and retribution find a new form within the framework of artificial intelligence. Like Victor Frankenstein, the park’s creators play God and suffer the inevitable consequences. The androids’ uprising mirrors the Creature’s discovery of self-awareness, as well as his autonomy and rage. Chrichton’s Westworld laid the groundwork for countless AI cautionary tales to come, and proved that Shelley’s questions about hubris, power, humanity, and morality didn’t die with gothic horror.

‘Re-Animator’ (1985)

Stuart Gordon’s Re-Animator is a campy, grotesque, and inventive take on Frankenstein‘s obsession with reanimating life. The horror comedy is based on H.P. Lovecraft’s short story “Herbest West-Reanimator,” which was written as a parody of Shelley’s novel. It stars Jeffrey Combs as Herbert West, a medical student obsessed with conquering death. When he develops a serum that can bring the dead back to life, it comes with disastrous side effects and consequences.

An Irreverent Twist on ‘Frankenstein’

Much like in the novel, the movie depicts the collision between scientific ambition and moral insensibility. Mirroring Victor Frankenstein, Herbert West is a genius undone by his inability to accept human limits. Although the film veers towards comedic and outrageous territory, the underlying tragedy remains, never straying far from Shelley’s truth that just because humankind can play God doesn’t mean we should. The film similarly emphasizes both fascination and terror in the act of creation.

‘The Fly’ (1986)

David Cronenberg’s The Fly transforms Shelley’s cautionary tale and reshapes it into a horrific and grotesque tragedy. The film follows Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum), an awkward, nerdy scientist working on a teleportation device for living creatures. When he decides to teleport himself, a fly ventures into the pod with him. As his health begins to deteriorate, he realizes the insect’s DNA has fused with his, and he slowly mutates into something monstrous.

One of Cronenberg’s Best Works

Using his signature brand of body horror, Cronenberg explores Shelley’s themes and questions. The similarities between both scientists are undeniable, with both abusing science and manipulating life to disastrous effects. Through Brundle’s transformation, the novel’s idea is emphasized that the real monster isn’t the creation, but the transformation of oneself, reminding viewers Dr. Frankenstein was always the monstrous one, not the Creature.

‘May’ (2002)

Lucky McKee’s early 2000s horror movie still holds up today. Criminally underrated, May has garnered cult classic status over the years. Instead of an ambitious narcissist with a god complex, Angela Bettis’ May is a heartbreakingly fragile and lonely soul who cannot reconcile her inner world with reality. Having grown up bullied because of her amblyopia, the socially awkward young woman’s only friend is a glass-encased doll named Suzie. After a few failed connections, May decides to make her own best friend by stitching body parts together.

A Sympathetic Monster You Want To Root For

May’s loneliness and longing is reminiscent of that of Shelley’s Creature. And just like him, May is an incredibly sympathetic monster who makes you question where the darkness truly originated. Unlike Victor Frankenstein, behind May’s twisted actions lies a tragic tenderness. Her creation isn’t an act of arrogance but of yearning.

‘Prometheus’ (2012)

Ridley Scott’s Prometheus reached directly into the mythic core of Frankenstein, pushing Shelley’s ideas into a cosmic context. The Alien prequel follows a team of scientists aboard a spaceship searching for the origins of humanity. Following an ancient star map found in various cultures, they set out to meet the creators of the human race. Michael Fassbender plays the enigmatic android David, whose curiosity in the creation of life evolves into an obsession that drives him to act like God, much like his creators and the “Engineers” that created them.

A Movie With Many Similarities

Like Shelley’s novel, Prometheus explores the consequences of human hubris, ambition, destruction, and creation, while expanding the themes to an existential scale. The Engineers, humans, and David all have echoes of Dr. Frankenstein, while the latter two also mirror the Creature. The Engineers are to humanity what Frankenstein was to the Creature — indifferent gods who abandon their children. Humans treat David like an outsider. Similar to the Creature, David wrestles with the philosophical question of being and then rebels against his creators. In the end, he outdoes Frankenstein and humankind itself.

‘Ex-Machina’ (2014)

Alex Garland’s Ex-Machina is a sleek, cerebral retelling of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, channeling the classic novel’s exploration of creator vs. creation for the AI era. Oscar Isaac is Nathan Bateman, a reclusive inventor and CEO who has built a humanoid robot named Ava (Alicia Vikander), designed to pass as human. When a young programmer, Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson), arrives on his island to test her consciousness, he’s drawn into a power game that exposes both the creator and creation.

Another Story About Unchecked Genius

The film strips Shelley’s tale all the way down to its psychological essence. Ava is built from human ego, just like the Creature. Their similarities don’t stop there. She also yearns for freedom and autonomy. Her liberation through rebellion echoes the Creature’s escape from Victor’s control. In a world run by greed, ambition, and algorithms, Ex-Machina is a reminder that the oldest story of man and his creation has only become more relevant.

‘Poor Things’ (2023)

Based on the novel of the same name by Alasdair Gray and adapted by Tony McNamara, Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things is a wildly odd take on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The film stars Emma Stone as Bella Baxter, a woman who is resurrected by an eccentric scientist (Willem Dafoe), who replaced her brain with her fetus’. What follows is a journey of self-discovery, sexual awakening, and philosophical and intellectual enlightenment, as the audience sees the world through her eyes.

A Tale of Self-Discovery

This Victorian fever dream transforms Shelley’s gothic despair into an ode of autonomy, using surreal visuals and dark humor. Whereas Frankenstein’s Creature only found pain and destruction in seeking humanity, Bella claims her own agency, evolving far beyond her maker’s intentions. In this story, the Monster’s narrative is reclaimed.

‘The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster’ (2023)

Written and directed by Bomani J. Story, The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster is one of the most underrated horror movies of the 2020s. Laya DeLeon Hayes stars as Vicaria, a genius teenager and budding mad scientist grieving the death of her brother, Chris (Edem Atsu-Swanzy). Driven by the idea that “death is a disease,” she sets out to find a cure and brings his corpse back to life. That creation turns out to be vengeful and dangerous.

‘Frankenstein’ Through a Black Lens

The film modernizes Shelley’s classic tale, transforming it into a socially resonant exploration of the systemic violence and oppression that impact Black communities, while also delving into themes of grief and the human condition. The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster deserves more attention than it gets for masterfully blending social commentary with horror and family drama. Other than 1973’s Blackenstein, it’s the only film that explores Shelley’s story from a Black lens.

‘Lisa Frankenstein’ (2024)

Written by Diablo Cody and directed by Zelda Williams, Lisa Frankenstein blends horror, comedy, and gothic sensibilities while giving Frankenstein a modern, feminist revamp. Set in 1989, the movie follows Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton), a quirky teenage girl who spends much of her lonesome time at an abandoned cemetery. After one of the buried corpses is reanimated one thundery night, Lisa forms a bond with him, subsequently supplying his missing body parts with those she takes from her murder victims.

A Visually Stunning Coming-of-Age Horror Comedy

Although the movie was a flop upon release, it has a devoted fan base. Much in the case of Jennifer’s Body, with time, Lisa Frankenstein will be regarded as a brilliant cult classic. The playful film explores themes reminiscent of Shelley’s story, like ethics, self-discovery, identity, and creation. Demonstrating the novel’s versatility and continued relevance, it proves that the myth of Frankenstein can inspire across generations, genres, and tones.