Lisa Frankenstein
2024 Directed by Zelda Williams
Horror Marathon 2024 Day 3 Film 8
For some reason this film is set in 1989-- I assume to appeal to the Stranger Things type nostalgia of the last few years. If 2000's color timing of blue/grey annoys you then the bright neon candy of pink/blue lighting will certainly be another annoying modern predilection. Its overuse in TV shows like Euphoria at least has a sense of dread with pitch black backgrounds. Nicolas Winding Refn also creates this reality distortion when he incorporates it in his films, but here it's literal colored glasses. Beyond the faux 80s aesthetic the movie seems to really strive be to be a 80s teen comedy- without any of the punch or sense of time and place that they had. The high school is just paper thin stand-ins for a place- jocks and nerds archetypes are there, but there's no discovery of their world. Everything beyond that seems painted over in pink and immaculate set design of a Tim Burton Film.
It follows the morose isolated teen imagination of Lisa (Kathryn Newton)- who lost her mother to an ax murderer and happens to live with a checked out Dad and her step-mom and sibling. Everyone is a caricature; the Dad I've seen typecast in previous movies as just a nameless, faceless dad who has no bearing to the story itself. The step-mom played by Carla Gugino is especially cartoonish, but at least her performance stands out. As does the step-sister played by Liza Boberano- whose giddy non-sequitur cheerleader spirit starts to wear thin by the end of the film and threatens to distract from the main character. Kathryn does her best to be this gothic mopey girl who daydreams in graveyards and yearns for love. The corpse walker of her dreams comes from the ground and grunts and gives the occasional gesture, but most of the connection just seems whatever Lisa has applied to him.
As a horror film it barely registers above PG level throughout most the film. Outside of some moments that are played for giggles where a limb is torn off here and there, it's a mostly bland narrative. Nothing seems to threaten the daydream romance, and the best part of the film are some of the stylized set designs.
They even include an “ugly” girl gets noticed because she’s wearing new clothes scene- which is certainly out of place as Lisa is never stylized as ugly in the first place- and goth clothing is doubtful to turn the heads of the cheer squad. It feels much too modern and safe to feel like any 80s film- the grime of Lost Boys or Heathers could have added more tension to scenes that seem to just be held together as small skits.
Without any grounding in reality this feels really aimless- which is a surprise considering Diablo Cody's screenwriting usually captures some deeper exploration. Williams has crafted something with a sheen of cute and gothic, but none of the threads seem to be brought back- even the death of mothers seem to be a throwaway gag. I don’t really know why I should care either- outside of cooing for aesthetic!