Guillermo Del Toro's 'Frankenstein' Looks Deliciously, Lushly Strange

Even if you're not super familiar with the name Guillermo Del Toro, you've likely seen his work before. An Academy and BAFTA award-winning director well known for his striking visuals and fascination with monsters who seem altogether human despite their otherness, he's the mind behind such films as Pan's Labyrinth, Pinocchio, and the Best Picture winner The Shape of Water. So it probably shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that his next project is an adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic Frankenstein, nor that the film is a long-gestating passion project of his.

The original novel, titled Frankenstein: or The Modern Prometheus, follows the story of a brilliant but deeply flawed scientist who manages to create life when he assembles a monstrous, sentient being out of human body parts and powers its resurrection via a lightning storm. Even if you haven't read the book, these themes and moments are generally seared into our collective consciousness through popular media. Frankenstein has been adapted for screens both large and small dozens of times since the first silent film featuring the creature debuted in 1910. Since then, Frankenstein has been made into over 50 feature films and television series, as well as projects ranging from parodies and cartoons to stage plays and musicals.

Now, Netflix has released the first set of images from Del Toro's forthcoming film, and it is evident that the director is putting his signature spin on Shelley's classic. The vibes, as the kids say, are immaculate.