First, I want to apologize for taking so long to finally watch Lisa Frankenstein.
You know how it goes – tons of movies released on the 2024 movie schedule, and it's sometimes hard to keep up with every single one of them, but Zelda Williams' Lisa Frankenstein was on my list, especially since the story was from Diablo Cody, the same screenwriter who wrote the Jennifer's Body screenplay, so I knew I'd love this film.
And overall, I really did. It was a slow start but ended up winning me over with its hilarity. But there's one character death that happens that I really didn't like and have strong feelings about – and today, we're going to talk about it.
The Movie Overall Was A Ton Of Fun
Like I said, overall, the movie was a ton of fun, and I enjoyed it so much. I didn't know what I was getting into when I decided to check this film out—I just knew that I was a big Jennifer's Body fan, so I had a feeling I was going to end up enjoying this film, too.
At first, Lisa Frankenstein's critics were kind of all over the place, with some enjoying the film and others saying it was "painful" to watch. I'm the type of person who glances at reviews but goes into a movie with my idea of what it'll be like in mind and waits to see if it delivers. And since this is from the same person who wrote Jennifer's Body, that the critics were mixed on the movie isn't surprising.
But the movie delivered in more ways than one for me. Sure, the pacing was a bit off at some times, and there were undoubtedly some very gross moments that almost make me wonder why this wasn't Rated R, but the movie itself is fun. It's a classic little horror-comedy that infuses a twisted romance that you can't help but root for.
The film came out at the same time as several others, including Bob Marley: One Love, so not many people went to see it in theaters. But as someone who watched this at home, I think it was a fun little romp.
I'm So Upset Carla Gugino's Character Died So Early In The Movie
My one issue is Carla Gugino's character, Janet, dying so early in the movie. It's a huge issue.
Let me preface this by saying that I am okay with people dying in general in these kinds of films. That's kind of the point of the best horror movies ever – you can't have a horror movie without a little bit of death, no matter how comedic or scary it may be.
But here's the thing with death in horror movies or really just deaths in general – they have to mean something to the plot. Or, if they are done, there has to be a genuine reason as to why that specific character couldn't have been used more. And that's how I felt with Janet the moment I saw her.
Carla Gugino is a very versatile actress. From playing one of the parents in Spy Kids and being the best role model possibly ever to somehow scaring the heck out of me in Mike Flanagan horror shows like The Haunting of Hill House or The Fall of the House of Usher, she's usually great in any role she does, and I am a huge supporter of them.
But I had never seen her in a comedic-horror role like this before. I also knew next to nothing about the cast of this film prior to viewing it, so seeing her was a surprise as someone who is a fan.
I was excited to see what she would do and how she would contribute to the plot… but then she was killed very early in the movie, and I was simply left wondering… why?
She Could Have Played The Perfect Evil Step-Mother
There are some evil stepmothers in cinema. I could name several off the top of my head. While I never expected Janet to be high up in the ranks with the most evil stepmothers ever, she would at least make a statement in the film.
It was clear from the beginning that she didn't like Lisa and thought her strange. Obviously, during her final scene, when she threatens to send Lisa off to an asylum, we all know something is probably going to go wrong. But I couldn't help but wonder what might have happened if she had just kept it to herself.
She started as such a strong character, and then as the Creature and Lisa began to grow closer, she stayed in the background until her death, and then that's really the last we hear about her aside from Taffy grieving. I kept thinking I would have loved to see her fully embrace this role, to catch on slowly to what Lisa was doing and try and catch her and the Creature in the act of killing someone and being a real antagonist, but we don't get that.
In fact, we really don't get an antagonist at all in this film because Lisa always seems to find a way out of getting caught – up to the point where she literally kills herself in order to be with the Creature and avoid going to jail. Janet could have at least provided a good fight of adversity.
I Would Have Loved To See Her Interact With Taffy And Lisa More As The Film Went On
Something else I realized that Janet could have been a great part of is when Taffy and Lisa started to interact more. Granted, they never became the close stepsisters that Taffy was sort of pretending to be, but they had some fun scenes together that I really think would have been amplified if Janet had been included.
It was clear that Taffy loved her mother so much, judging from her reaction when Janet went "missing." I can't help but think how much fun this story could have been if maybe Janet had tried to tell Taffy what was going on with Lisa. Then Taffy wouldn't believe her because she thought her mother was thinking badly of her, and then there was this whole misunderstanding.
There could have been some funny moments, and it's a shame we didn't get to explore those a bit more.
I Hope Carla Gugino Gets To Be A Little More Animated In Other Horror Movies
As we know, Gugino isn't a stranger to horror films. But there was something so fun about seeing her in a horror-comedy rather than a purely horror film. There was a lot she could have done that would have been super enjoyable, if she'd had the chance to experiment a little more with it.
Maybe if/when we see Gugino in future horror comedies where her role will be more significant, she'll be able to be a little more animated. For now, Lisa Frankenstein is all we've gotten, and I really hope that it won't be her last.
Either way, whatever Carla Gugino does next, I'll end up loving it as much as the next movie. But a girl can dream.
