The Secrets of Netflix’s Frankenstein

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SCR184: A new adaptation of Frankenstein finally treats Mary Shelley’s story with the gravity it deserves. Jeff Haecker is joined by Hannah Grace Murray and Patrick Mason to unpack Guillermo del Toro’s 2025 film, widely hailed as the most faithful version yet—not by copying the book word for word, but by capturing its emotional core. The discussion centers on grief as the engine behind Victor Frankenstein’s obsession and how that grief warps into a dangerous pursuit of knowledge without ethics. Is Victor trying to defeat death—or simply prove he can? And when creation comes without responsibility, who pays the price? The panel also explores the film’s powerful reframing of parenthood. Victor’s failures mirror those of his own father, while the Creature emerges not as a mindless brute, but as a thoughtful, wounded being searching for belonging. The result flips expectations: Victor increasingly looks like the monster, while his creation becomes the most human figure on screen. Hannah highlights the film’s meticulous costume design and symbolic use of color—especially red—to convey life, loss, and obsession. Patrick examines how set design and open versus enclosed spaces reflect the inner lives of Victor and the Creature. Together, they show how visual storytelling deepens the film’s moral questions. Is it possible to create life without love? Can knowledge exist without responsibility? And what does Frankenstein still warn us about today? This conversation reveals why this adaptation resonates so strongly—and why Shelley’s story still matters.

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Thank you to Moon Shadow Studios
This episode of The Secrets of Movies and TV Shows was edited by Patrick McCaffrey of Moon Shadow Studios. To have your own audio professionally edited by Moon Shadow Studios visit them at their web site MoonShadowStudios.biz.

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