Say Goodbye to the Most Underrated Monster Movie of the Decade

Cole Sprouse standing in front of Kathryn Newton who is clinging to him in Lisa Frankenstein (2024).

The world certainly isn’t at a loss for action-packed flicks with heroes and explosives or dramatic love stories filled with lust and longing. But what it could use more of are campy films with bright colors, silly plots, and witty scripts. Enter 2024’s Lisa Frankenstein. The feature-length directorial debut from Zelda Williams (yes, as in the daughter of the late Robin Williams) with a script penned by Academy Award-winner Diablo Cody (Juno) had it all — a gothic love story with some neon ’80s inspired spice, intriguing characters, and a leading pair of uber-familiar faces in Cole Sprouse (Riverdale) and Kathryn Newton (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania). Sadly, soon the bright and comedic horror film will be taking a dirt nap when it leaves Peacock at the end of the month. That means, time is running out to stream the criminally underrated movie that divided critics, lost at the box office, but came out on top as one of those movies that will undoubtedly age into a cult classic.

Lisa (Newton) is a teenage girl who — try as she may — just doesn’t fit in with her peers. She’s still understandably reeling from the brutal murder of her mother two years earlier and is forced to move in with her new stepmother who has a selfish agenda all of her own. Meanwhile, her new step-sister, Taffy (Liza Soberano), is as popular as they come, but can’t seem to help Lisa crack through the tough exterior of the other members of her clique. Ostracized, Lisa can’t help but feel completely alone in the world, which is why she travels to an old cemetery deep in the woods where she visits the grave of a young Victorian man (Sprouse). Upon wishing him back to life during a lightning storm, the dead man rises from the beyond and the pair strike up a relationship that sees Lisa going the extra distance to ensure her beau can stay with her forever.

‘Lisa Frankenstein’s Standout Performance Comes From a Secondary Character

While the love story between Newton and Sprouse serves as the foundation for the film, the supporting performance of Carla Gugino as Lisa’s evil stepmother, Janet, steals the show. Narcissistic and obsessed with her collection of tiny figurines, The Fall of the House of Usher star absolutely kills her part in Williams’ film, which also features performances from Joe Chrest (Stranger Things) and Henry Eikenberry (The Crowded Room).

Head over to Peacock before the end of the month to stream Lisa Frankenstein before the platform tosses it in the graveyard.