Being a teenage girl in the ’80s was hard enough — or so our mothers say. However, being the new girl in school who’s adjusting to life after her mother’s brutal death is a whole new game. If only the perfect fix was just around the… cemetery?
Zelda Williams’ feature film directorial debut, Lisa Frankenstein, is a fun, flirty and thrilling ride. Written by Diablo Cody and starring Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse, and Liza Soberano, the film draws inspiration from the 1818 classic novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley.
In the film, Lisa (Newton) is trying to find a way to cope with her grief following the violent home invasion that took her mother’s life. Less than a year later, she is thrown into a new home with her father, a new stepmother named Janet, and stepsister, Taffy (Soberano). While Janet proves to be the idyllic evil stepmother (making The Parent Trap’s Meredith Blake look like a saint), Taffy causes Lisa to become skeptical of her peppy, perfect personality.
As Lisa struggles to navigate her new normal, she seeks solace in a local abandoned cemetery. However, one grave, in particular, sticks out to the young teen, and she begins to tend to it regularly. She quickly becomes attached to the site that belongs to the handsome corpse (Sprouse) and longs to spend her days with him.
However, as a terrifying storm breaks loose over the town, Lisa quickly learns that her greatest wish may have come to life. Will Lisa be forced into giving up on her seemingly forbidden lust, or can love find a way to prevail?
Lisa Frankenstein is the perfect mixture of comedy, romance and thrill: the best of three worlds. I find that comedy horror flicks often walk a thin line between the right amount of laughter and coming off as too plain silly. This film understood its goal and achieved the perfect amount of fun twists and turns.
From the very beginning of the film, audiences can see that Lisa is the clear outcast and has been through more than someone her age (or anyone for that matter) could handle. Newton does a fantastic job of portraying the grief-stricken girl and adds a loveable tone to her not-so-friendly character.
She also shares undeniable chemistry with Sprouse, and the pair create a convincingly beautiful bond. Even though Sprouse is without a single line for most of the film, he brings charisma to the big screen that even a little corpse dust can’t hide. Soberano also delivers a bubbly performance that nearly steals the show.
Taffy remains optimistic about the struggling relationship she is aiming to build upon with Lisa, all while steering through the obstacles that jump into her life, and Soberano quickly proves why her shining personality is perfect for the role.
The film is a visually picture-perfect representation of the 1980s setting. Each room is vibrantly painted and filled with an assortment of ultimately useless trinkets. A bright blue tanning bed adds to Taffy’s Hawaiian Tropic model-like complexion, while Lisa’s bottom water line is marked with a matching blue eyeliner. From pink bathtubs to a collection of burning hot hair crimpers, the ’80s are alive and well.
The soundtrack is another love letter to the neon-filled, materialist decade. Hits, including Echo & the Bunnymen’s “Lips Like Sugar” and “The Promise” by When in Rome, both set the tone for the funky, loud film. The long list of songs included in the movie helps progress Lisa’s character development and shape her new personality as she discovers who she can become with her newfound creature.