Book Review: Frankenstein: The Complete Screenplay: Written and Directed by Guillermo del Toro

Frankenstein: The Complete Screenplay: Written and Directed by Guillermo del Toro
Hardcover
By Guillermo del Toro; Foreword by Guillermo del Toro
Publisher: Insight Editions
Release Date: November 25, 2025

Social media is all abuzz right now with accolades for writer/director Guillermo del Toro‘s Frankenstein. And with good reason: The new film, starring Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, and Mia Goth, is a visually stunning masterpiece from the visionary filmmaker. Though the Del Toro’s take is not entirely faithful to Mary Shelley’s 1818 classic novel, his reimagining certainly captures the spirit of the original tale about a scientist’s impetuous obsession with creating life from death. Now, Insight Editions has released Frankenstein: The Complete Screenplay: Written and Directed by Guillermo del Toro, a 240-page oversized hardcover that reproduces the director’s full shooting script.

Del Toro has been very open about his own lifelong obsession: his decades-long desire to adapt Frankenstein for the big screen. In finally doing so, he’s created something epic. The screenplay book, while not an exact match for the final cut, offers an insight into the filmmaker’s intensions. For instance, in the film, we see young Victor’s resentment towards his abusive father and how their contentious relationship initially fuels the boy’s lofty scientific ambitions. But the screenplay shows that Victor’s anger with his father runs a lot deeper than what appears on screen. It’s unclear whether these scenes were shot and later cut, or scraped entirely, but it’s definitely fascinating to see how Del Toro originally conceptualized the emotional thread of the story.

Along with these cut or modified scenes, the screenplay book provides additional background information, much like a movie novelization would. For instance, similar to the novel, the Del Toro’s Frankenstein begins in the arctic with a doomed exploration ship that’s become stuck in the ice while en route to the North Pole. That’s when the captain and his crew rescue a mysterious stranger, the scientist Dr. Victor Frankenstein, who recounts his dark tale of creation and revenge. In Shelley’s novel, the ambitious sea captain sets off on his journey North, imagining the desolate wasteland as a “region of beauty and delight” and Del Toro embraces this contrast. The screenplay vividly describes how the filmmaker envisioned this backdrop: a vast frozen landscape, a white limbo of mist, snowflakes rushing across the camera lens, the sound of ice picks, lanterns and bonfires peppering the white canvas. All of this and more sets the stage for Victor and the Creature’s hostile confrontations and transformative mediation.

After reading through the book once to absorb all the new material, I then did a read along of the screenplay while watching the movie. This was a fun way to trace the changes in dialogue, staging, and editing. An example of one of these alterations is after the sea captain rescues Victor, he asks about the strange being stalking the ice. The film slightly alters the question to omit the word “God,” while Victor’s reply is given more gravity. See below for the comparison:

MOVIE VERSION:

“What manner of creature is that? And what manner of devil made him?”

“I did,” says Victor Frankenstein of his creation. “I did. I made him.”

SHOOTING SCRIPT:

“What manner of creature is that? And what manner of God or devil made him?”

“I did,” says Victor Frankenstein of his creation. “I made him.”

Along with an Introduction by Del Toro, the book also includes concept art, storyboards, movie stills, and behind-the-scenes photos throughout, all in full color and captioned. Many of the captions include tidbits from the filmmaker about the creative and production processes. My only issue here is that the captions are in very small type and are sometimes against a darker background, which mades them difficult to read.

Frankenstein was given a limited theatrical run starting in October before its November 7th streaming debut on Netflix. Having access to the full screenplay so soon after the film’s release is an unexpected and enjoyable treat. Frankenstein: The Complete Screenplay: Written and Directed by Guillermo del Toro shows how great ideas can evolve and transform, as well as enriches the movie-viewing experience. This screenplay book is a must-have for Frankenstein fanatics and those who admire Del Toro, as it provides a look into the mind of a genius writer and filmmaker who’s finally — and successfully — fulfilled his childhood dream of reimagining this classic story for the screen.