I just watched Frankenstein, and I was also surprised I liked it. Also thank you for your review of the movie.
I know they are different, but which movie did you enjoy watching more: Nosferatu (2024) or Frankenstein (2025)?
I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on what aspects each movie did better compared to the other.
I did think of Nosferatu a lot when I watched Frankenstein because there are a lot of parallels - which have been giffed - some of which are by virtue of being Gothic stories and there is certain imagery that comes with the territory
and some because it could be said that they are works in conversation with each other, or at least some aspects of the movies are (and I'm speaking strictly of these movies, not necessarily the source material or other adaptations), kind of two sides of the same coin in some respects
because the first thing that came to mind was, Frankenstein is a really horny movie
it is a really sensuous, sensual movie,
and then I was like, but so is Nosferatu? And then I was like, actually, I think Nosferatu is erotic, yes
but concerned with the erotic more than being horny
We have debated this a lot on this blog, but I believe the relationship between Orlok and Ellen is heavily misinterpreted and that this isn't about abuse or SA, it's a romance and not in the traditional sense of the word because he is also an embodiment or a manifestation or a metaphor for Ellen's erotic nature and her darker nature,
which she, as a woman in the 19th century, is made to suppress and feel ashamed of, which is why she resists it so adamantly.
She loves Thomas, yes, but in a way that is deemed socially acceptable and in a way that doesn't ultimately fulfill her the way she needs it to
so in the end when she allows herself to be devoured and consumed, she is surrendering to her appetite
It's an examination of feminine eroticism and sensuality and agency.
Frankenstein, on the other hand is concerned with humanity (which then includes other themes like fatherhood and capitalism etc.). Frankenstein builds a human and then denies his humanity, which is why I think the movie is so tactile and concerned with physique and the human body and the human form
and concerned with touch and what touch means and what touch can signal and what touch can indicate
which can create poetic and romantic and yes, tactile/horny moments
and with Elizabeth and the Creature rather than the Creature representing Elizabeth or being an embodiment of her nature, I think he's her mirror as well as an embodiment of what she thinks humanity and human nature in its purest form, unspoiled and uncorrupted, looks like
but in both instances, in my opinion, Elizabeth and Ellen are liberated at their end and in the embrace of both of their creatures.
So I do find them very different and interesting in how they use sensuality to explore different things but they're also connected in my mind.
In terms of which I prefer, I mean ... Nosferatu probably stayed with me more and I had a good time watching it and because there was a conversation/debate going on about it on this blog it made me appreciate the symbolism more but I was entertained by Frankenstein and would most likely watch it again, like I could see it being a comfort movie for me in an odd way, like when I need to sleep, I would put it on. So. I don't know, whichever of those seems stronger to you I guess!
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