Guillermo del Toro says his "emotional" Frankenstein adaptation for Netflix isn't a horror movie: "I'm not trying to do that"

Guillermo del Toro says his upcoming Frankenstein movie is not a horror film per se, despite being based on the classic gothic horror novel.

"Somebody asked me the other day, does it have really scary scenes?" del Toro said during a conversation at the Cannes Film Festival with composer Alexandre Desplat (via Variety). "For the first time, I considered that. It’s an emotional story for me. It’s as personal as anything. I’m asking a question about being a father, being a son… I’m not doing a horror movie – ever. I’m not trying to do that."

The film, which serves as an adaptation of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel, follows Dr. Pretorious (Christoph Waltz), who must track down Frankenstein’s Monster (Jacob Elordi) – who is believed to have died in a fire 40 years before – in order to carry out and continue the controversial experiments of Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac).

The star-studded cast also includes Mia Goth, Felix Kammerer, Christian Convery, Lars Mikkelsen, David Bradley, Charles Dance, and Ralph Ineson. A trailer was shown behind closed doors at a Netflix event earlier this year, but it has not yet been released to the public.

Del Toro's adaptation of Frankenstein was first announced back in 2007, but was stalled at Universal by 2014. Netflix revived the project in 2023, initially with Andrew Garfield set to star as Frankenstein's Monster. Elordi took over after the SAG-AFTRA strikes threw a wrench in everyone's schedules.

Frankenstein is set to hit Netflix in November. For more, check out our list of the best Netflix movies and the best Netflix shows to stream right now.