Film

Lisa Frankenstein

Name: Lisa Frankenstein
Genre: Horror, Comedy, Romance
Released: 2024
Cast: Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse, Liza Soberano, Henry Eikenberry, Joe Chrest

Lisa Frankenstein is a gleefully unhinged romantic comedy that treats grave-robbing and corpse assembly with the giddy energy of a high school dance montage. Kathryn Newton plays a 1989 outcast who literally reanimates her crush and then goes on a cheerful murder spree to improve him. It's *Heathers* meets *Weird Science*, pitched at the kind of viewer who finds comedy in earnest gore and romance in the grotesque.

TMDb rating

3.2

If you liked this

Heathers1989

The DNA ancestor: a pitch-black comedy about high school misfits destroying their social hierarchy, built on the same mix of dark humour and genuine emotion. Winona Ryder is magnificent.

But The satire is sharper and colder. Heathers wants to skewer something; Lisa just wants to have fun. If you need more bite, this one might feel too slight.

Weird Science1985

Two nerds conjure a woman from a computer. It's got the same '80s teen-outsider energy, the same 'let's break reality with enthusiasm' vibe, and the same willingness to be completely silly about the impossible.

But The comedy is broader and feels dated in places. If you want something less corny, Lisa's slightly more modern sensibility might suit you better.

10 Things I Hate About You1999

A sharp, funny high school romance with real character work underneath the laughs. Heath Ledger does something charming and weird. The film respects both its comedy and its sweetness.

But It's played much straighter. There's no corpse necromancy. If you specifically loved the grindhouse grotesquerie of Lisa, this will feel too normal.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Lisa Frankenstein

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Eating Raoul1982

Both are comedies about killing as a love language. Where Lisa is a teenager falling for a corpse she improves, Raoul is a marriage strengthened by homicide. Same engine: murder as intimacy.

A repressed married couple becomes accidentally wealthy by murdering swingers who crash their house. It's pitch-black comedy from the Reagan era about outsiders discovering murder is easier than joining society. Completely deranged.

But It's older, weirder, and far more cynical. The budget is micro. If you need polish and charm, this is a grimy indie that makes no apologies for looking cheap.

Drag Me to Hell2009

Sam Raimi's gleeful horror-comedy about a young woman tormented by supernatural forces. Builds big laughs from genuine scares, never asks you to pick a side between the two.

But The horror is relentless and genuinely nasty. If Lisa's candy-coloured gore felt like a safe space, this one's meaner spirited and more violent.

Bottoms2023

Two queer high school misfits fake-start a fight club to impress girls. It's got Lisa's unapologetic commitment to chaos, its willingness to let outsider girls be destructive and funny and real.

But The aesthetic is scrappier and the satire lands harder. If you watched Lisa for the sheer camp, Bottoms' sharper edge might feel exhausting.

Fright Night1985

A teenage boy discovers his new neighbour is a vampire. It plays romance and horror together with genuine affection for both; the chemistry between leads matters as much as the scares.

But It's earnest in a way Lisa isn't. The tone is more '80s horror-thriller than comedy. You might miss the wink-and-nudge goofiness.

May2003

A lonely, strange young woman builds her perfect companion from spare parts. It's funny, unsettling, and genuinely tender about being an outsider. Angela Bettis is phenomenal.

But It gets genuinely dark and sad. Where Lisa is playful, May finds real pathos in its premise. The film earns its horror instead of joking around.

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil2010

A horror-comedy that flips the script: the hillbilly 'villains' are lovable goofballs, and the college kids are the actual monsters. Smart, funny, and surprisingly warm about its weird heroes.

But The premise is more of a concept film than a character piece. If you need deeper emotional stakes, this prioritises the joke over the people.

Ginger Snaps2000

Two morbid, marginalised sisters deal with lycanthropy as a metaphor for womanhood. Dark, funny, angry, and genuinely moving about female friendship and bodily horror.

But It's more serious underneath the jokes. Where Lisa revels in its own absurdity, Ginger Snaps is genuinely saying something about being a teenage girl. That weight might feel heavy.

Ghost World2001

Both centre on female outsiders who see the world sideways and use dark humour as armour. But where Lisa explodes outward into chaos and corpses, Ghost World implodes inward into loneliness and small cruelties. Same isolation, opposite directions.

Two alienated teenage girls navigate the wreckage of 1990s suburban culture with deadpan cruelty and unexpected kindness. It's funny, strange, and genuinely moving about the pain of not fitting in anywhere.

But It's quieter and more melancholic. There's no horror, no gore, no big comedic set pieces—just two girls being weird and mean to people. The pacing is slow and deliberate.

What We Do in the Shadows2014

Both love their monsters. Where Lisa romanticises a literal corpse, Shadows romanticises vampires as sad, funny roommates. Both films make you care about creatures you're supposed to fear, and suggest monstrosity might just be another word for being left behind.

A mockumentary about vampire flatmates in Wellington. It's hilarious, clever, deeply affectionate about its weird characters, and proves you can do comedy-horror that earns both laughs and real heart.

But It's a mockumentary, which means the pace is deadpan and observational. If you want big obvious laughs and energy, the dry New Zealand humour might feel slow or underneath your radar.