Frankenstein is extra alive than ever lately. The Bride!, Maggie Gyllenhaal‘s tackle the Mary Shelley mythos, is hitting theaters subsequent week, whereas Guillermo del Toro‘s extra conventional adaptation of the novel debuted on Netflix late final yr — and is up for 9 Oscars, together with Greatest Image and Greatest Actor for the film’s monster, Jacob Elordi. And whereas the Academy Awards have historically not been a welcoming place for horror, one other Frankenstein film obtained a nod from the Academy again in 1994, and you may catch it at its new streaming dwelling.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein adopted within the wake of Francis Ford Coppola‘s phantasmagorical Bram Stoker’s Draculawhich was a success with critics and audiences in 1992. Coppola was a producer on Frankenstein, which was armed with a surefire inventive workforce: Kenneth Branaghalready well-regarded for his Shakespeare variations, was set to star and direct, whereas the script was by Frank Darabontwhose adaptation of The Shawshank Redemption hit theaters a month earlier. The forged included Oscar nominees Tom Hulce, Ian Holmand Helena Bonham Carterand featured Robert De Niro within the showy function of the monster. De Niro’s grisly make-up, which enormously diverges from the favored conception of the flat-topped, bolt-necked monster, was nominated for an Academy Award, however misplaced to Ed Wooden.
What Different Frankenstein Films Have Been Nominated for Oscars?
Whereas 1931’s iconic Frankenstein might need gained an Oscar for Greatest Make-up, the class wasn’t launched till the Eighties. The primary Frankenstein movie to get an Oscar nod was 1935’s Bride of Frankensteinwhich earned a nomination for Greatest Sound Recording. One other Frankenstein film would not be nominated till 1974, when Mel Brooks‘ Common horror homage Younger Frankenstein was nominated for Greatest Tailored Screenplay and Greatest Sound, each of which it misplaced. A Frankenstein film of types, Gods and Monsters is the real-life story of the later years of Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein director James Whale; Ian McKellen earned a nod for Greatest Actor for his portrayal of Whale, whereas Lynn Redgrave was acknowledged for Greatest Supporting Actress for her function as Whale’s housemaid. The movie truly gained Greatest Tailored Screenplay, a primary for a Frankenstein film, for author/director Invoice Condon.
Whereas Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein largely follows the ebook faithfully for a lot of its runtime, it takes a wild swerve in its last reel right into a twisted homage to Bride of Frankenstein. Crucial opinions had been combinedleading to a 42% Rotten ranking on Rotten Tomatoes, and it earned $112 million USD on the field workplace on a $45 million price range. Darabont was upset with the movieas properly: he later known as it “the perfect script I ever wrote and the worst film I’ve ever seen.”
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is streaming on HBO Max as of March 1, 2026. Keep tuned to Collider for future updates.