Monster rising

Guillermo del Toro reanimates a horror classic in a stunning Netflix movie

- REBECCA MAHONEY

For director Guillermo del Toro, Mary Shelley's tale of a tortured scientist and his monstrous creation is more than just a story; it's a lifelong obsession. Now, after decades developing his passion project, del Toro's electrifying adaptation of the Frankenstein story comes alive on Netflix.

'I've lived with Mary Shelley's creation all my life, says Mexican-born del Toro, 61, who has won Oscars for Pinocchio (2022) and The Shape of Water (2017). 'For me, it's the Bible, but I wanted to make it my own, to sing it back in a different key with a different emotion.

'I've always dreamt of making two movies: Pinocchio and Frankenstein. I think they tell the same story: what it is to be human, and what it is to be framed in a life by eternity and death.

I wanted to make Frankenstein as personal as it could get.

HUMAN NATURE