Almost 15 years ago, Diablo Cody’s follow-up to her debut feature script Juno, Jennifer’s Body hit theaters to a disappointing run. The movie starring Megan Fox was a box office failure and flop with critics when it initially came out, but in recent years audiences have warmed up to the movie big time. Nowadays the horror flick is thought of as a modern cult classic and that success has led to Cody’s first movie from the genre since, Lisa Frankenstein.
When CinemaBlend spoke to Diablo Cody and Lisa Frankenstein director Zelda Williams about Lisa Frankenstein, Cody talked about how the 2009 movie connected to her return to horror. In her words:
Well, you know, I love that movie. And so for me, I knew that I wanted to capture some of the tone of that movie in this one. However, the one thing that I've gained over the last few years is confidence. Because when that movie came out, it shattered my confidence. And so I thought, oh, I don't really have any business writing in this genre 'cause people didn't love it the way I wanted them to. And then when they started to love it, that was when I said, oh, I'm gonna do this again. And I did it with this really renewed appreciation for the fact that I get to do this job. Like, I don't think I was as appreciative going into Jennifer's Body, but now knowing how difficult this business can be and being older and wiser, I'm like, gosh, this is such a gift.
During our interview, Cody shared that Jennifer’s Body definitely inspired Lisa Frankenstein, but it couldn’t have happened without the resurgence of the movie. When the film initially wasn’t received well in 2009, the writer recalls her confidence being shot, and she decided to pack up her horror ideas because she felt she didn’t “have any business” writing for it anymore. Thankfully, she came back around for Lisa Frankenstein!
Over the years, Diablo Cody and the cast of Jennifer’s Body have opened up about how the movie’s marketing did not speak to the audience it was made for. Megan Fox previously recalled being “vilified” as she was doing press for it, and her co-star Kyle Gallner remembers Fox being objectified as the movie hit theaters. I can speak for myself, as someone who loved the movie when I revisited it in recent years, but initially, it didn't appeal to me due to the trailers and other ways it was being marketed.
While talking about the 2009 film elsewhere to the press, Cody has also shared her hopes to make a Jennifer’s Body sequel. Since the movie has gained traction, Cody has shared that she’s honestly felt “a little bit salty” at times regarding the audience not being there up front because back when the movie was released she felt “humiliated” by the “rough experience.” And these days she’s “just happy” to see Jennifer’s Body getting all the love it has received.
Lisa Frankenstein stars Marvel’s Kathryn Newton as a teenage girl dealing with the loss of her mother when a living corpse appears on her doorstep. The horror romance is on the 2024 movie schedule to hit theaters this Friday, February 9. Go give it some love by seeing it on the big screen!!
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