Common Sense Media Review
By Tara McNamara
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Iffy messages in zany but very violent monster romcom.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Lisa Frankenstein
What's the Story?
In LISA FRANKENSTEIN, high school senior Lisa (Kathryn Newton) is recovering from the trauma of witnessing her mother's murder. She moves to a new school, but she prefers spending time in the graveyard to the schoolyard. When a freak lightning storm brings the corpse of a long-dead young pianist (Cole Sprouse) back to life, Lisa takes him in, and their friendship helps turn her into a stronger, happier, and more confident version of herself. But the monster wants his rotting body to return to normal, and he's ready to take deadly action to replace the parts he needs.
Is It Any Good?
For anyone who's fantasized about what a Daniel Waters-Tim Burton-Mel Brooks-John Hughes-Diablo Cody collaborative script would look like (anyone?), this is a fun, if outrageous, payoff. With Lisa Frankenstein, Cody infuses the teen monster zeal of her own Jennifer's Body with the dark high school serial killer humor of Waters' Heathers, the lonely girl whose only friends are dead of Burton's Beetlejuice, the revisionist take on Shelley of Brooks' Young Frankenstein, and the nerds-build-a-girlfriend plot of Hughes' Weird Science. Cody even places her characters at the time that most of those other movies were released—the 1980s—which will likely make the film more enjoyable for adults who grew up with these films. And yet, this is definitely an original take.
It's unfortunate that once it gets past the creative opening, the movie's energy stagnates like a cadaver. But, just like Frankenstein's monster, as appendages are added, the electricity surges. The direction from Zelda Williams (daughter of the late Robin Williams) is uneven, but it's promising. Lisa Frankenstein is both like nothing you've ever seen before and still comfortably familiar.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the references to 1980s movies in Lisa Frankenstein. Which ones did you catch? What negative clichés of some '80s teen movies are addressed and "corrected" here?
How does the movie depict suicide? Is it a responsible depiction? When is it important to talk about mental health, especially if you're worried about a friend or family member? What resources are available to help both kids and adults?
What makes Taffy a counter-stereotypical character? Why do you think cheerleaders and popular girls are usually the villains in teen movies, and why do you think outcasts are usually the heroes?
Are drug use and drinking glamorized here? Why, or why not? Are there realistic consequences? Why does that matter?
The filmmakers reimagined Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818) as a romantic horror comedy set in the 1980s. Think of other classic stories and reimagine them in a different time period or in a different genre.
Movie Details
- In theaters : February 9, 2024
- On DVD or streaming : February 27, 2024
- Cast : Kathryn Newton , Cole Sprouse , Carla Gugino
- Director : Zelda Williams
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Focus Features
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : School ( High School ) , Fantasy
- Run time : 101 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : violent content, bloody images, sexual material, language, sexual assault, teen drinking and drug content
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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