Fans of Jennifer’s Body will not be disappointed in this new entry into the Diablo Cody Monstress Cinematic Universe. The film uses body horror and dark comedy effectively, and comes to a thoughtful conclusion about choice and autonomy. Weird girls rise up!

Jennifer’s Body was released in September of 2009, clearly intended to pair with the spooky season. Lisa Frankenstein was released over a decade later in February of 2024. It has been marketed as an alternative Valentine’s Day film, for a young, female audience. January/February are colloquially known as “dump month,” a period in which studios release fare that they do not have high expectations for financially, critically, or maybe even both. August/September are similarly considered “dump months” for the later half of the year. A scroll through the Instagram account of Lisa Frankenstein is a breath of fresh air compared to the schoolgirl posters of Jennifer’s Body. 

I note this as Jennifer’s Body has become infamous for its poor marketing campaign in 2009. The studio marketed the film towards teenage boys and men by objectifying Megan Fox instead of the female audience the film is clearly meant for. The marketing team of Lisa Frankenstein has learned their lesson, and was creative in a February release. It avoids an oversaturated October 2023 horror release slate while hoping to capitalize on the profits winter horror releases have gotten. I do hope this was the intention behind this release date, rather than just looking at this film as another victim of dump month. 

Lisa Frankenstein follows a lonely, quiet goth girl as she adjusts to life with a quite evil stepmother, good-intentioned stepsister, and all the horrors high school has to offer. She is struggling after the murder of her mother, and trying to find her place. She lusts for a bust of a young man in a cemetery, and one day, he drags himself out of his grave and arrives at her house. Mary Shelley began writing the original Frankenstein when she was a teenager. Lisa Frankenstein places the story of reanimation back in a teenage girl’s hands. Lisa is quite literally, horny for Frankenstein. This feeling grows slowly, akin to a rom-com. You find yourself easily going along with the whole premise as an audience member. 

Lisa, played by Kathryn Newton, is all wild hair and big eyes. Newton is a veteran of horror and comedy, and she plays Lisa with all the weirdness she deserves. There’s a moment when she casually tells her monster she’s going to go change her pad before skipping out of the room. It’s my favorite joke of the film, and perfectly represents the best of Diablo Cody’s pen. Cole Sprouse is solid in this role. He’s non-speaking for the majority of the film, and his commitment to the physical movement of playing the monster is perfect. His casting is a clear gesture towards young female audiences who grew up watching him on Disney Channel and Riverdale, so he is believable as the object of Lisa’s lust. 

The film is dark and silly, and clearly in lock-step with classics like Heathers. The film is so comically broad that the murder and violence feels perfect with the film’s tone. This is one of the rare instances where a PG-13 rating works in a comedy’s favor, if only for a scene at the very end that involves Lisa finding someone in bed. I won’t spoil it, I was gasping in my seat! The film has sweet references to Georges Méliès and a dream sequence right out of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). There’s a reference to the Cary Grant robe gag from Bringing Up Baby (1938) as well! 

Lisa Frankenstein loses some steam towards the middle, but once the body horror picks up and Lisa begins to embrace her weirdness, you won’t want the film to end. At the end of the day, Lisa is a teenage girl looking to experience all the hallmarks of teenage girlhood, just in her own kooky way. The film takes care to explore why Lisa is attracted to darkness, death, and violence after the ax-murder of her mother. Sometimes these scenes lean into the didactic. But, it’s an interesting exploration of what grieving looks like for some people may be off-putting for the outsiders looking in. In the end, Lisa chooses her own path, as dark and violent as it may be.

Diablo Cody said, “I am just declaring that this movie takes place in the same universe,” with regards to Jennifer’s Body and Lisa Frankenstein. In Diablo Cody’s worlds, teenage girlhood is a monster and high school is hell. All the uncomfortable, and even degrading aspects of growing up as a teenage girl are addressed with body horror. When Jennifer in the 2009 film has her bodily autonomy stolen by an indie band from hell, she takes her revenge by eating boys, quite literally. When Lisa finds herself in a similar situation, she also takes matters into her own hands, and takes a piece of her groper for her own means. Jennifer’s Body has become a cult classic for young women for this very reason. Lisa Frankenstein’s thoughtfulness regarding teenage girlhood will hopefully appeal to this same group. 
The first time I watched Bride of Frankenstein (1935), I was disappointed by the lack of the titular bride. The film is somewhat infamous for only including three minutes of the bride animated. Lisa Frankenstein centers the bride as a person with agency. The film is a look at the bride becoming– becoming her own person and choosing the life she wants.

Grade: B+

Oscars Prospects:
Likely: None
Should be Considered: Best Original Screenplay

Where to Watch: In Theaters