In many cases, the more scathing critics’ reviews of a movie are, the more likely I’m gonna love it. Like, I don’t care what anyone says, I enjoyed Spider-Man 3. That being said, Lisa Frankenstein got widely mixed reviews (Associated Press went as far as to call it “unwatchable”). On the other hand, I saw rave reviews from girls on TikTok. I’ll trust a 20-something on the internet’s opinion over a movie critic any day, so naturally I took a weekend trip to the AMC Theatre at the Grove.
The trailer for the movie gave me the vibes of an indie film, but it actually isn’t. Its cast is pretty star-studded, featuring Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse, the aloof dad from Stranger Things (playing yet another aloof dad), and it was directed by Zelda Williams, daughter of Robin Williams.
I’ll give a quick rundown of the plot. Set in 1989, Lisa is a lonely highschooler, keeping to herself after the murder of her mom. Rather than partying with her cheerleader sister, she prefers to spend time alone at the local cemetery. Through a turn of events, the man whose grave site she frequented the most is brought back to life, in a Frankenstein-esque state, missing several body parts. Together, he and Lisa go on a mission to kill the people who have wronged her and harvest their body parts so that she can stitch them on him.
I understand that the plot sounds questionable at first glance but then again, so do those of many classics. Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, Little Shop of Horrors, the list goes on. When I was watching this movie, I got immediate Jennifer’s Body vibes. Turns out, both movies have the same writer, who has claimed that the films are set in the same universe.
The word “camp” entered the mainstream after the 2019 Met Gala (and no, Karlie Kloss wasn’t looking camp right in the eye). Camp describes “deliberately exaggerated” silliness and weirdness. I love a good, funky, camp movie but unfortunately, this seemed to be a lost art. A movie can’t be atrocious and saved by claiming the camp label; it still needs coherency. Lisa Frankenstein was just that.
I felt heavily invested throughout the entire duration. The movie kept finding new ways to shock me but at the same time, I couldn’t stop laughing. Horror-comedy never takes itself too seriously, which is what I liked about this film. Are the events of the movie ridiculous? Absolutely, but that’s the whole point.
In sum, movies in general are more fun if you don’t take them so seriously. If you want some camp goodness, I definitely recommend giving this one a watch. If you want to hear my take on a truly bad (not camp) movie, check out my review of the cult classic (?), The Room.