The Best Frankenstein-Inspired Sci-Fi Movies
Thanks to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, we now have a whole universe of sci-fi exploring what it means to play god, toy with nature, and face the consequences. Here’s a list of the best Frankenstein-inspired sci-fi movies that are too go to pass on.
The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
As the name gives it away, The Bride of Frankenstein is a brilliant but troubled scientist who’s pushed to make a partner for a big, misunderstood creature he brought to life. The story builds on the original idea of man-made life but takes it further into loneliness and acceptance. Rare are the sequels that live up to the original, and Bride of Frankenstein is certainly one of them.
Ex- Machina (2014)
In this film, a tech billionaire named Nathan brings a young coder to his remote mansion to test Ava, which happens to be a stunningly lifelike AI trapped in a glass cell. The coder begins the Turing test, but becomes a pawn in Eva’s elaborate plan to kill Nathan and escape.
The Fly (1986)
A genius scientist creates a teleportation machine and decides to try it out on himself, but fails to see that a fly has sneaked in during the process. At first, everything seems fine, but the scientist’s body undergoes a horrifying metamorphosis and slowly morphs into something inhuman. The Fly is body horror done right. It is grotesque, emotional, and strangely moving.
The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
A castaway stumbles onto a remote island where a mad scientist has been splicing animals with humans to create his version of utopia. The film plays with the ideas of control, identity, and what it means to be human, but they’re buried under uneven direction and wild performances. Still, it’s weirdly watchable. Not a great movie, but a fascinating mess—one of those films you can’t look away from, even when you probably should.
The Stepford Wives (1975)
The Stepford Wives is a great film, with a really unique premise of Joanna moving to a quiet suburban town where the wives of the town are oddly perfect, too perfect. While trying to find the reason for it, Joanna finds that real wives have all been killed and replaced by robotic counterparts who’ll comply with everything the men say.
Re-Animator (1985)
A brazen medical student, Herbert West, played by Jeffrey Combs, finds a serum that revives the dead. The only problem is, it doesn’t work quite as advertised. The corpses return angry, disoriented, and hostile. Realistic gore effects, outrageous shenanigans, and just plain fun lunacy abound in this cult/horror classic. Additionally, it is likely the best adaptation of works by H.P. Lovecraft to date.
Big Man Japan (2007)
Even though few pay attention to or believe him, a middle-aged man named Masaru Daisatou leads a second life as the gigantic monster hero of Japan, protecting the country from odd monsters. Tired, lonely, and frequently ignored, his job is a whole drain. Big Man Japan is a fresh take on the gigantic monster genre, and it’s strange, funny, and unexpectedly touching.
