Guillermo del ToroThe premiere of the latest genre film “Frankenstein” took place at Netflix last week. The acclaimed director said the film, which stars Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as his monster, was his lifelong passion.
This adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel once again explores the story of a scientist who successfully revives a corpse and the tragic events that follow. Now that the exploits of Victor Frankenstein are the talk of the town again, I'd like to turn your attention away from all the movies featuring the creature and highlight one of my favorite adaptations of the iconic monster story.
There are plenty of movies out there that focus on a mad scientist and his creation, but there's only one TV show that fits the bill – and if you ask me, it's still one of the best gothic movies out there. horror series ever appeared on the small screen: Penny Dreadful. If you've never seen this series, I highly recommend you check it out. Paramount Plus and add it to your watchlist now.
Rory Kinnear stars in Penny Dreadful.
Named after “penny dreadfuls” – mass-produced fantasy pamphlets that were popular in 19th-century Britain and cost a penny per issue – the horror series, created by John Logan, arrived on television more than a decade ago. It would be easy to describe the series as if X-Men or The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen were centered around characters taken straight from the horror literature of the era.
Penny Dreadful has a stellar cast: Timothy Dalton, Eva Green, Billie Piper, Harry Treadaway, Josh Hartnett and Reeve Carney are top notch. What other name is there besides, say, 1987? Monster Squadbrings together men like Dracula, the Wolf Man, Dorian Gray and Dr. Henry Jekyll to fight the forces of evil? I can't think of one.
Victor Frankenstein is here too. Just like the monster he gives life to. Actor Rory Kinnear takes a gigantic role in Frankenstein's creation; his performance is fierce, compassionate and utterly beautiful.
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When you think of Frankenstein, most people probably think of Boris Karloff's performance. Since he appeared on the big screen in the original Frankenstein film, released by Universal Pictures in 1931, the legend of the lumbering creature has been present in pop culture for almost a century. But if you look at Mary Shelley's description of Frankenstein's monster, you'll see radical differences in how he's been portrayed all along.
Much like Elordi's take on the monster in del Toro's latest film, Shelley described the creature as highly intelligent, with shiny black hair, pearly white teeth, large eyes and straight black lips.
You won't see him like this in many titles, but this is how he is portrayed in Penny Dreadful. Victor Frankenstein's creation, as viewers have already seen, is a monster who has the ability to do good, but turns to the notorious dark side, driven by the painful loneliness caused by the apparent otherness of his existence. He is locked in the shadows and ostracized by society. He is a worthy reflection of his creator – a tortured outcast in his own right.
Rory Kinnear stars in Penny Dreadful.
In the series, the monster is referred to as Caliban, but the reanimated corpse eventually takes the name John Clare, after the English poet, signifying the civilized and sophisticated personality the monster longs to embody.
Kinnear's portrayal of the character carries enormous emotional power that both pierces to the core and tugs at the heartstrings. There's a reason he takes the name of a poet: we see his penchant for beauty, empathy, and compassion as he pursues the one thing that makes us all human: connection.
But no matter how much Caliban strives for love, he brings violence with him everywhere. It's a visceral nudge that makes this version of Frankenstein's monster unpredictable, dangerous and ruthlessly worth watching.
Yes, when I first watched Penny Dreadful, I was genuinely rooting for Caliban to become John Clare, mind, body and soul. His journey to find agency spans three seasons, and the conclusion to his character's story is one of the most satisfying elements of the series. It made such a lasting impression on me that whenever Frankenstein comes up in conversation, I immediately jump up and ask, “Have you seen Penny Dreadful?”
Well, what about you? Because if the answer is no, consider it your call to action. Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein is a magnificent achievement of horror cinema and a wonderful portrayal of Mary Shelley's monster. I'm a fan of Karloff's work, but Kinnear's portrayal is my favorite version of the monster. When it comes down to it, in my opinion, there is no other title that comes close to being gothic than Penny Dreadful.
