Jacob Elordi and Oscar Isaac bring sinister energy to Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein trailer

In the first full trailer for Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, released on October 1, 2025, the monster delivers a chilling line: “If you will not allow me love, then I will indulge rage.”

The line reflects deep intelligence and pathos, signaling a departure from James Whale’s 1931 Frankenstein with Boris Karloff. Instead, Guillermo del Toro’s version appears to follow Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel more faithfully.

Unlike the teaser, which focused on Victor Frankenstein’s perspective, the full trailer shifts to the monster’s voiceover (Jacob Elordi). Here, he is portrayed not as Whale’s grunting brute, but as a literate, deeply feeling human composite wrestling with his creator, Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac).

The trailer shows the monster’s genesis during a lightning storm, a tender or passionate interaction with Elizabeth Harlander (Mia Goth), and an Arctic set piece with a stranded ship, where Victor and the monster hunt each other—all largely aligning with Mary Shelley’s original novel.

Jacob Elordi and Guillermo Del Toro's take on Frankenstein

Frankenstein has received a warm reception on the fall festival circuit, premiering at Venice before surprise screenings at Telluride and a red carpet at the Toronto International Film Festival. At TIFF, it was runner-up for the People’s Choice Award, traditionally a strong Oscar indicator.

Guillermo del Toro had been developing a Frankenstein adaptation for decades before Netflix finally greenlit the project. In Variety’s Venice Film Festival cover story, the Oscar-winning director explained that “The usual discourse of Frankenstein has to do with science gone awry. But for me, it’s about the human spirit. It’s not a cautionary tale: It’s about forgiveness, understanding, and the importance of listening to each other.”

Del Toro called Frankenstein at Tudum. “the culmination of a journey that has occupied most of my life,” adding, “Monsters have become my personal belief system. There are strands of Frankenstein through my films.”

Jacob Elordi drew inspiration for his performance from unexpected sources, including the Japanese dance form butoh and his own golden retriever, to capture the monster’s unique physicality and emotional depth.

 “There’s a real innocence in the way she moves and the way that she loves,” Elordi noted that his canine companion’s innocence contrasts sharply with the scarred Creature, who tells Victor to run in the trailer’s final image - but in del Toro’s films, his monsters always hold deeper complexity.

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