Frankenstein’s Saddest Death Was Even Worse in the Book

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Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming film, Frankenstein, set to release in late 2025, is already generating significant buzz as a standout adaptation of the classic novel. Rather than a typical monster movie, del Toro presents Mary Shelley’s story as a deeply emotional and tragic Gothic tale focused on its characters. While familiar story elements remain, the film distinguishes itself through its intense emotional impact and exploration of themes like trauma, the need for connection, and the dangers of unchecked ambition. A prime example of this is the depiction of Elizabeth’s death, a scene common in most adaptations. Del Toro reimagines this moment, making it less graphically violent than in the original novel, but surprisingly more heartbreaking.

Elizabeth has long been a central, innocent figure in the story of Frankenstein, often tragically caught between Victor and his monster. While her fate is traditionally predetermined, Guillermo del Toro reimagines her role and death, fundamentally shifting the story’s emotional impact. By combining elements of the original novel with a compassionate and heartbreaking new perspective, del Toro makes Elizabeth’s death the most powerful illustration of the damaging connection between Victor and the Creature. It shows not only who they’ve become, but what was inevitably lost from the start.

What Is Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein About?

Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, a large-scale science fiction film with Gothic elements, will be released in 2025. Del Toro, known for his humanistic portrayal of monsters, wrote, produced, and directed the movie. The film stars Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein, Jacob Elordi as the Creature, and Mia Goth as Elizabeth Harlander, with supporting roles played by Christoph Waltz, Felix Kammerer, David Bradley, Lars Mikkelsen, Charles Dance, and Christian Convery. It first screened at the Venice International Film Festival and will have a limited theatrical release on October 17, 2025, followed by a worldwide release on Netflix on November 7.

This film differs from other versions by focusing on the emotional core of Mary Shelley’s original 1818 novel, and by giving the main characters more detailed backstories and motivations. The story begins with Victor being discovered in the Arctic by a Danish expedition, stranded in the ice. As the Creature demands Victor give up, Victor tells the story of how they both ended up in this frozen place. This storytelling technique comes directly from Shelley’s novel, which uses letters from an Arctic explorer to set up Victor’s confession. Director Guillermo del Toro uses this technique not only to organize the plot, but also to highlight how personal and unavoidable Victor’s ruin is.

The movie explores Victor’s difficult childhood in detail. His mother, Claire Frankenstein, passes away while giving birth to his brother, William. His father, Baron Leopold Frankenstein, is a distant and privileged doctor who shows favoritism towards William and is unkind to Victor. This lack of emotional support fuels Victor’s intense desire to overcome death and prove himself. Director Guillermo del Toro makes Victor’s early trauma central to the story. His mother’s death isn’t just what starts the plot; it’s the root of all the fear and sadness that follows.

Victor develops into a highly skilled, but conceited, surgeon. His career is derailed when he successfully revives a dead body during a presentation, leading to his expulsion from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Luckily, an arms dealer named Henrich Harlander steps in, offering Victor unlimited financial support and a secluded tower for his research. With the assistance of his friend William, Victor constructs a laboratory where he will ultimately create the Creature. During this time, Victor meets Elizabeth, Harlander’s niece and William’s beloved, and is captivated by her distinctive way of looking at the world. Unlike many other versions of the story, this adaptation portrays Elizabeth as the key to Victor’s remaining humanity.

How Does Elizabeth’s Death Differ From the Book?

The death of Elizabeth is a powerfully memorable moment in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Victor marries Elizabeth despite knowing his creation has threatened to harm him on his wedding night. He mistakenly believes he himself is the target, but the Creature instead enters their room and kills Elizabeth. This murder is quick, brutal, and deeply meaningful. It reveals Victor’s pride, his false sense of security, and his failure to safeguard those he cares about. Elizabeth’s death definitively demonstrates that Victor has completely lost control of the Creature he brought to life.

Throughout the history of film adaptations of Frankenstein, Elizabeth’s death is a constant. Some versions emphasize the violent details from Shelley’s original novel, while others change how she dies to fit new ideas or character developments. However, Guillermo del Toro’s version is unique because it’s both less graphic and more emotionally impactful. In the 2025 film, Elizabeth isn’t killed by the Creature; instead, she’s accidentally shot by Victor. The Creature appears on William and Elizabeth’s wedding night not to cause harm, but to ask Victor to create a companion for him. He’s desperate and lonely, still mourning the loss of the kind man he briefly connected with. This plea for a partner echoes the novel, where the Creature begs Victor to build him a female mate to share his solitude.

When the Creature asks for assistance, Victor reacts with anger and rejection. Elizabeth intervenes, not because she’s afraid, but because she feels sorry for the Creature and wants to prevent a fight. She tries to calm things down, but Victor accidentally shoots her instead of the Creature. This version of Elizabeth’s death is particularly impactful for a couple of reasons. Unlike the original story, Elizabeth actively tries to prevent harm to both Victor and the Creature – she isn’t a passive bystander. More importantly, her death is a direct result of Victor’s uncontrolled anger and lack of understanding, not a planned act of revenge by the Creature. In the original novel, Elizabeth is killed as punishment for Victor. But in this adaptation, Victor’s own rage causes her death, making his guilt much more profound and personal.

This new version of the death scene completely changes how we see the relationship between Victor, Elizabeth, and the Creature. Victor is now the one who causes the tragedy, Elizabeth represents a final act of kindness, and the Creature appears as a product of unfortunate events, rather than an evil being. Most significantly, Elizabeth’s death highlights a key theme of del Toro’s adaptation: Victor and the Creature are stuck in a damaging pattern they can’t escape. Her death marks a breaking point, destroying any remaining hope for them.

Is Guillermo del Toro’s Adaptation the Best So Far?

The film resonates because it captures what makes Shelley’s story enduringly powerful. It’s not about the scary idea of bringing someone back to life, but the deep sadness of loneliness, the lasting impact of family pain, and the human desire to undo the past. Director Del Toro weaves these ideas into the journeys of all his characters, particularly Victor’s. A key strength of the film is its expanded look at Victor’s childhood. We learn that his mother died because his doctor father couldn’t save her quickly enough. This early loss fuels Victor’s obsession with overcoming death, turning it from simple curiosity into a desperate attempt to heal his own grief and prove himself where his father couldn’t. Del Toro portrays Victor not as a crazed scientist, but as a deeply wounded child who never truly matured beyond his trauma.

This new perspective makes the relationship between Victor and his creation even more deeply sad. Victor tries to create life because he’s afraid of losing loved ones, but the creature he brings to life ends up representing everything he fears most. The creature isn’t simply a mistake; he’s a mirror reflecting Victor himself. Both are damaged by being ignored and long for connection, and both are terrified of being left alone. Director Guillermo del Toro emphasizes this emotional connection, turning the story into a tragic portrayal of two beings who fail to understand each other before it’s too late.

This portrayal of the character is remarkably honest and emotionally powerful. Despite his massive size and frightening appearance, he’s surprisingly gentle, curious, and heartbreakingly innocent. His interactions with the blind man show his true nature: a desire to help, to understand, and, above all, to love and be loved. This makes his isolation deeply painful and his longing for companionship incredibly moving. Elizabeth serves as a connection between Victor and the Creature, offering the Creature his first experience of human kindness. Her love for William and her compassion towards Victor hint at what a stable, loving family could have been. Her death isn’t simply a sad moment; it destroys the story’s final chance for reconciliation and healing.

The story gains even more power with its ending. As he dies on the ship, Victor finally apologizes to the Creature, who accepts his apology. This forgiveness represents the peak of their complicated, yet undeniable connection. It’s a powerfully human moment, reflecting del Toro’s idea that monsters aren’t typically born evil—they’re made that way by pain and isolation.

Following Victor’s death, the Creature frees the ship from the ice and observes it heading towards the rising sun. He stretches his hand towards the light, recalling Victor’s advice to welcome the dawn. This final, subdued scene emphasizes the Creature’s enduring desire for companionship, even after losing the only two people he ever cared about.

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2025-11-07 17:38