Sometimes, a movie just needs to be brought back from the dead. Or at least that’s the case for 2024’s romantic comedyLisa Frankenstein, the brainchild of Diablo Cody (fun fact: a pen name), and the directorial debut of Zelda Williams. Cody is the Academy-Award-winning writer ofJuno,as well as many other female-empowering films likeYoung Adult,Ricky and the Flash,and, of course, the cult horror classicJennifer’s Body. Infamously,Jennifer’s Body, which stars Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried, suffered an egregious case of mismarketing prior to its release.The explicitly feminist, satirical film was packaged by the marketing team as a raunchy sex comedy to cater to male audiences, causing it to be panned by critics for not meeting expectations. Over time,Jennifer’s Bodyhas come to be lovedfor the hilarious and salient movie it always was.
Earlier this year, another horror satire written by Cody,Lisa Frankenstein, was released to arguably limited fanfare, for being singular, clever, and delightfully camp. DidLisa Frankensteinsuffer the same misunderstood fate asJennifer’s Body? It currently has a 52% critic score and 82% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, which certainly suggests there is at least some disconnect between the public perception of the film and its quality. It seems fitting that, according to Cody herself,Lisa FrankensteinandJennifer’s Bodyare canonically in the same cinematic universe! Here are just some of the reasons why you should check out the electrifyingLisa Frankenstein, now streaming on Prime Video.
Lisa Frankenstein
‘Lisa Frankenstein’ Is Wacky in All the Best Ways
Lisa Swallows is a misunderstood teenage girl coping with the recent axe murder of her mother. Now, the year is 1989, and she lives with her father, Dale (Joe Chrest), new evil stepmother, Janet (Carla Gugino), and unconventionally-kind stepsister, Taffy (Liza Soberano). After a traumatic incident takes place at a party that Lisa and Taffy attend, Lisa, always drawn to the macabre, finds herself in a graveyard speaking to the grave of a young pianist who was killed by a lightning strike in 1837. Later,lightning strikes the tombstone, and the young man (Cole Sprouse) is resurrected. The zombified stud finds his way to Lisa’s house and breaks in. Naturally, Lisa keeps him.
As Lisa and her creature begin to bond, and she helps him to un-decay, he begins to notice the nasty ways Janet treats Lisa, such as threatening to send her to an asylum. Suddenly, things take an irreversible whenthe creature murders Janet in defense of Lisa’s honorand cuts off her ear. Lisa sews the ear onto the creature, beginning a mutant process of tuning him up body part by body part. Each time, Lisa uses an electric current from Taffy’s tanning bed to activate the body parts. The morbid Bonnie and Clyde begin a comical murder spree that only gets more ridiculous and unsettling asLisa Frankensteincontinues.The end is quite the shock,so we won’t spoil any further.
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A Love Letter to Pop Culture and Horror
Lisa Frankensteinis a shameless homage to two clear loves of Cody’s: pop culture and horror. Almost every moment ofLisa Frankensteincontains a reference to some iconic momentin music (unintentional, but Lisa bears a remarkable resemblance to Chappell Roan), fashion, and especially movies (Heathers, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and, of course,The Bride of Frankenstein, to name a few),making it an absolute delight for any cinephile.
The pure amount of loving imitation inLisa Frankensteinhas caused many critics to perceive it as derivative and confused. Variety called it, “a horror-com smoothie made mostly of moldy, stolen fruit.” However,these critiques fail to take into accountLisa Frankenstein’s clear self-awareness and anti-consumerist message. Media generally, and particularly the ’80s media that the film satirizes, simplifies women, brutalizes them, and pits them against one another.Lisa Frankenstein, thus, is overtly creating a new amalgamation of all these tropes of ’80s cinema, but in which women are empowered, and friends. It is meant to be over the top with its references.
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Misunderstood? Time Will Tell
But We Certainly Think So
Lisa Frankenstein, marketed as a romance and a comedy (which it is), was said by some critics to “never find its footing”. A review from the Chicago Sun Times says it “suffers from Mixed Genre Syndrome and hops from horror spoof to trauma survivor story to pure camp high school comedy.“However, the implementation of so many genres is exactly what makesLisa Frankensteinso successful as a trauma survivor story.
It is enjoyable while also being honest and unflinching. It is a perfect companion piece toJennifer’s Body, which uses the possession of Jennifer by a demon as an allegory forviolence against women and the male gaze.Lisa Frankensteindoes all the same things, albeit in a much more fantastical way. The second film in the DCSFHCCU (Diablo Cody Satirical Feminist Horror Comedy Cinematic Universe, obviously) is also deliriously funny, poignant, and straight-up gross. There is an audience of women and people who have already recognized this, as it boasts plenty of emphatic 5-star reviews on Letterboxd and user-led sites of the like, but so far, they have mostly been drowned out by middling feedback. It is entirely possible that, likeJennifer’s Body, it will simply take time and a bit of a double take for people to realize whatLisa Frankensteinwas really doing.
