Book Review: The Art & Making Of Frankenstein: Written & Directed By Guillermo del Toro

The Art & Making Of Frankenstein: Written and Directed by Guillermo del Toro
Standard Trade Edition
Hardcover
By Sheila O’Malley
Introduction by Oscar Isaac; Foreword by Guillermo del Toro
Publisher: Insight Editions
Release Date: October 28, 2025

The Art & Making Of Frankenstein: Written and Directed by Guillermo del Toro is a massive, beautifully crafted tome that provides an informative behind-the-scenes look at visionary filmmaker Guillermo del Toro‘s latest feature film, Frankenstein, an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s 1818 literary masterpiece Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus.

When director Guillermo del Toro calls something his “passion project,” you know that if he gets to see it through to fruition, it’s going to be amazing. Reimagining Mary Shelley’s classic novel for the big screen was one of Del Toro’s childhood aspirations, and with 2025’s Frankenstein, his dream has been triumphantly realized.

Like Del Toro himself, the film’s protagonist, Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), also has an ambition stemming from childhood: to create life from death. Though the obsessed Victor succeeds in sparking life into the dead, he did so without considering the consequences of his actions. Once life is created, what happens next?

Del Toro’s Frankenstein is epic in both scope and emotion, presenting two intertwined narratives. First, Victor recounts his life story about how the childhood loss of his mother and strict rule of his father fueled his later aggressive scientific experiments, culminating in the creation of his monstrous new being. After, Victor’s Creature (Jacob Elordi) gives the account of his brief and agonizing existence, from his birth and abandonment, through his enlightenment, to his longing for companionship in a world that views him as an abomination, and ultimately to his quest for vengeance. The two viewpoints are bookended by scenes in the Arctic, where Victor and his Creature relay their respective tales to a sympathetic sea captain whose ship has become stuck in the ice while on his own ambitious voyage to the North Pole. It’s a fitting setting, as the doomed ship’s reckless expedition mirrors Victor’s audacious experiments, as well as the Creature’s relentless pursuit of his estranged maker. The ethereal Arctic landscape made for some of the film’s most poignant and visually captivating moments.

What makes the movie even more impressive is knowing that Del Toro and his crew relied heavily on practical effects. The Arctic ship, for instance, was a life-sized creation with the ability to move so as to minimize the need for visual effects. Details like this and much more are in The Art & Making Of Frankenstein, which features concept art, props, sketches, and behind-the-scenes photographs, along with interviews with the cast, crew, and filmmakers on the process from start to finish.

A presentation as grand as Del Toro’s gothic masterpiece absolutely warrants an extensive Making Of book like this one, written by Sheila O’Malley. After seeing the film three times in the theater already, I couldn’t wait to delve into all the behind-the-scenes material, which contains a lot of information from Del Toro, who also also pens the Foreword, about his journey to create Frankenstein. Star Oscar Isaac provides the Introduction.

This official companion to 2025’s Frankenstein also includes in-depth information on set designs, such as Victor’s estate, laboratory, and water tower; the Mill House where the Creature temporarily resides; and the anatomical lecture theater where Victor performs his first shocking demonstration. It also explores the film’s sound editing, visual effects, and musical score, as well as the crimson Dark Angel statue that haunts Victor’s dreams.

The costumes and jewelry, particularly those worn by Elizabeth (the character was changed for the film to be Victor’s younger brother’s fiancee), were elaborate and gorgeous. Careful thought was put into the costume design (for instance, you can see parallels between Elizabeth’s wedding gown and the Creature’s mummy-like wrappings), and there’s even an entire backstory revealed for the jewelry, which was inspired by pieces from the Tiffany archive. The book gives attention to each character’s design, including hair, makeup, and prosthetics, and especially the look of the Creature, which was inspired by artist Bernie Wrightson’s illustrations from his 1983 edition of Frankenstein (which were based on Shelley’s original descriptions).

As a bonus, throughout this hefty oversized hardcover are gatefold pages, such as one that opens up to show the details of Elizabeth’s wedding gown, along with special inserts: architectural drawings for the water tower where Victor does his most impressive, yet terrifying work; anatomical creature sketches; a booklet of the Tiffany pieces that inspired the jewelry, such as Elizabeth’s blue scarab necklace, and more.

The Art & Making Of Frankenstein is a perfect companion to Del Toro’s cinematic effort. Fans of Del Toro’s filmmaking and Shelley’s pioneering work will definitely appreciate all this book has to offer, with its detailed look at the craftsmanship behind the practical sets and props, costume and jewelry design, and creature creation, as well as insight into the writer/director’s storytelling process.

Note: This standard trade edition hardcover of The Art & Making Of Frankenstein: Written and Directed by Guillermo del Toro is available wherever books are sold, but there’s also two limited editions available exclusively from the publisher, Insight Editions: The Portfolio Edition is the more affordable option of the two; the Artifact Edition is for the true collectors, as it’s signed by Del Toro and numbered and comes with a one-fifth-scale-replica statue of the Dark Angel. For more details on these limited editions and other recent Frankenstein tie-ins, see our previous coverage here.

Frankenstein is a big-budget Netflix production that was given a limited release in select theaters in NY and LA starting on October 17, 2025, and then expanded to more theaters nationwide on October 24, 2025. It will be available to stream globally exclusively on Netflix starting on November 7, 2025.