There are only a handful of filmmakers who can be considered true masters of a genre, and David Cronenberg is certainly a master of horror. Not the traditional jumpscare horror, but his own brand of the genre, a mix of gore, existential dread, and body horror. His earlier films all follow this recipe, from Scanners to The Fly, but there is one unmade Cronenberg project that had the potential to become the ultimate exhibit of his style: Frankenstein. Yes, Cronenberg nearly adapted Mary Shelley‘s Gothic classic in the 1980s. As Guillermo del Toro‘s own version of the story is currently on its way toward becoming a classic, we can’t help but wonder what Cronenberg’s take on the movie would have looked like.
‘David Cronenberg’s Frankenstein’ Was Announced in 1980 in a Magazine Ad
Before the internet made news spread almost instantaneously, announcements of upcoming projects were published in physical magazines, like Variety. In May 1980, they ran a huge ad for David Cronenberg’s Frankenstein, describing it as “a major cinematic event” and promising “a new vision of a timeless, chilling tale.” The film would be written and directed by Cronenberg himself, making it the first time he would ever adapt someone else’s material onto the big screen.
As Cronenberg explained in a 1980 profile by Cinéfantastique, later on (with the comments later published in his 1992 book Cronenberg on Cronenberg), the idea came from one of his producers. “Pierre David came up to me one day and said: ‘Listen to this. Just listen and tell me what you think.’ And then he said: ‘David Cronenberg’s Frankenstein.’” The filmmaker naturally agreed: “So I said: ‘Sounds good to me. What about poor Mary Shelley?’” His idea was to make it “more a rethinking than a remake,” although he wanted “to retain Shelley’s original concept of the creature being an intelligent, sensitive man. Not just a beast.”
One of Cronenberg’s big changes was to give Frankenstein a modern-day setting. The original novel is set in the early 19th century, which is incorporated into most of its film adaptations, but Cronenberg wanted to “contemporize the story,” giving it a 1980s setting. At that point, he hadn’t made a period piece yet, so bringing Frankenstein to his own time was part of the “rethinking” he wanted to do with the story. Although now there are countless spins on Frankenstein, Cronenberg’s does sound pretty unique for that time.
Cronenberg and ‘Frankenstein’ Were a Perfect Match at That Point in the Filmmaker’s Career
When the Frankenstein ad ran, Cronenberg had already released The Brood, which marked the beginning of one of the most fruitful periods in his career and his leaning into the body horror subgenre. Thanks to that, the 1980s saw him at the peak of his creativity and consolidating himself as a master of horror, so it isn’t hard to imagine that his Frankenstein would have probably leaned heavily into body horror. In that sense, seeing a contemporary master such as Cronenberg adapt an undisputed classic of the genre sounds like a no-brainer.
The notion of a man being cobbled together from dead bodies and suddenly coming into himself with curiosity and sensitivity, only to be shunned by societ,y is not only aligned with Mary Shelley’s original story, but also deeply Cronenbergian. The 1980s saw Cronenberg explore themes like the transformative potential of flesh, the instability of identity, and the terrifying ways technology influences the human body, and Frankenstein had never been approached like that before. From Shelley’s original to Guillermo del Toro’s current take, the existential and moral aspects are what usually shine through the story, as the creature tries to figure out who he is, and his maker is consumed by obsession and, then, regret.
Curiously, after his Frankenstein fell through, many of Cronenberg’s films explored these ideas. Videodrome explores the idea of “the new flesh” as something that comes from people transcending their bodies through technology, for example, and The Fly is almost like a spin on the idea of a scientist obsessed with the act of creation for its own sake, with Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) being equal parts the creator and the creature. He also went on to adapt established material with The Dead Zone and The Fly itself, too, as he would’ve with Frankenstein first.
Cronenberg’s ‘Frankenstein’ Remains One of the Best Films That Never Got Made
Unfortunately, David Cronenberg’s Frankenstein never left the early pre-production stages, and there were never any names attached to star, for example. Cronenberg’s Cinéfantastique profile intended to actually promote Scanners, and, according to him, there was actually nothing concrete about the project when the May 1980 ad ran. He then went on to work on Videodrome afterwards, and his Frankenstein became one of the best films that never got made, the kind of film that would have certainly been great, but that now inhabits the what-if realm (A24 even incorporated the full ad into their zine on the subject).
As great as Guillermo del Toro’s take on Mary Shelley’s story is, it’s still closer to the original idea (despite its many changes to the storyline), with a more Gothic and existential approach. So, thinking about what Cronenberg could bring to the Frankenstein tale is extremely enticing, given what he represents as a filmmaker and his unique vision of horror. Giving it a more contemporary setting may seem like the key difference, but there’s no knowing what gory fate would be in store for both the creature and its maker in Cronenberg’s version. Cinema history is filled with great movies that we’ll never get to see, but few remain as enticing as David Cronenberg’s Frankenstein.
Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein is available to stream on Netflix.
- Release Date
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October 17, 2025
- Runtime
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149 Minutes
