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Mary Shelley Vs Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein – 12 Big Differences Between the Book and Film

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

It is merely a co-incidence that I decided to read Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ the same year Guillermo del Toro’s retelling of the classic tale came out on the screens. The director makes several changes to the 1818 story in his 2025 film and I am going to quickly write about 12 of them. Brace for major story spoilers, in-fact, the differences might add up to the entire plot.

You can listen to the audio version below or skip to the text.

1. Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein opens with Victor Frankenstein lying injured in the arctic ice as a stranded ship crew rescues him from what looks like a silhouette of a monster. Soon, at least six men are killed by a gigantic, deformed man, confirming the savage nature of the being, who is in clear pursuit of Victor. In the novel, the creature doesn’t kill any of the crew, and in-fact doesn’t even appear in front of any of them until the climactic chapter.

Also Read: Del Toro’s Frankenstein (2025) is a Darker, Grander, Gothic Horror Classic

2. Just like the book, Victor Frankenstein starts to recall his story to the ship’s captain, starting from his childhood days. But in a major difference, in the movie, Victor describes his father as a cold, strict, distant father, rarely available at home. However, in the book, the father is doting and overtly indulgent of Victor, a supportive paternal figure full of affection. So the father-son relationship is extremely different in Del Toro’s live-action retelling.

3. In another very interesting difference, Victor’s father is a former government employee in the book, but is a successful doctor in the film. So, in Del Toro’s film, senior Frankenstein tutors Victor in biology, expecting his son to be a doctor too. And when Victor’s father is unable to save his mother’s life during childbirth, Victor becomes convinced that his father didn’t try hard enough and decides to conquer death when he grows up. It’s his bitter relationship with his father that drives Victor’s ambition to create life in the film, while Mary Shelley doesn’t offer such a strong personal agenda in her ‘Frankenstein’.

Young Victor with his father in the film (Netflix)

4. Victor has two younger brothers and an adoptive sister Elizabeth in the book, in the film, he just has one baby brother – William Frankenstein. But here’s the big difference, Victor marries Elizabeth in the book, which was slightly weird, since they grow up like siblings, so it was nice to see Guillermo del Toro simply making the two of them unrelated. In the film, Victor doesn’t even know Elizabeth until she is engaged to William, although Victor does find himself attracted to her.

5. A major shift from the novel, and one that transforms Victor’s psychological journey in the film is the fact that his quest to breathe life into corpses is openly known to people around him. Unlike the book, where Victor Frankenstein toils away secretly, completely alone in his gory quest of sourcing fresh body parts, in the film he has the active support of a few characters, including that of his brother William. Thus, movie Victor doesn’t experience the excruciating mental turmoil of his bookish counterpart, who is alone in knowing he has created a ‘monster’.

6. The film introduces some completely new characters, the most important being Harlander, a wealthy man who introduces himself as Elizabeth’s uncle and offers to fund Victor’s endeavor to make a man from scratch. He also helps him set up a laboratory of sorts in a tower to carry his experiments. In-fact, in a major twist that doesn’t exist in the book, Victor accidentally kills Harlander, and then outright lies and blames the creature for it.

7. Okay, this is one of my favorite changes in the film: Victor Frankenstein doesn’t abandon the creature in horror as soon as the poor being comes to life. It was something that made little sense in the book: Victor works on the creature for months, surely he can SEE what he is putting together, so why is he so shocked and grossed out by its appearance? So much so that he faints and flees from the scene, leaving the clueless creature to fend for himself.

But in Del Toro’s version, Victor is thrilled to see his creature come to life, and he attempts to train the being, even though he isn’t good at it. The two also live together for a few weeks, which builds some sort of bond beyond just a creator who instantly abandons his creation.

8. Another big difference between the book and the 2025 Frankenstein film is the fact that Del Toro’s Victor is in his 30s, clearly a lot older than Shelley’s protagonist, who was only 22 or 23 at the time of creating his ‘monster’. This also makes the movie Frankenstein far more skilled, meticulous, experienced, and confident. His creature is carefully crafted, and even though he is larger than the average human being, he is quite symmetrical, and not as hideously grotesque as described in the novel.

9. There’s a fleeting bond between the creature and Elizabeth in the film, but there is no such thing in the novel. In Del Toro’s story, the young and devout Elizabeth is deeply moved when she meets the creature, considering him a miracle, a pure being untainted by the human world. She sees him like a child, someone who deserves kindness and nurturing.

10. In the film version, the creature doesn’t deliberately murder anyone and only kills in self-defense, unlike in the book, where he strangles Victor’s baby brother William to death as an act of revenge against his cruel creator. This was another plot detail in Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ that didn’t sit well with me, because just before he commits the murder, he is shown as a kind being who has finally learned to read and understand humanity, yet he acts against his newly formed sentient and benevolent nature.

To make things worse, the creature goes as far as to frame an innocent young woman for the murder of the boy in the book. In the film, it’s Victor who often frames the creature for all his mistakes. For instance, he ends up shooting Elizabeth accidentally on her wedding day, but accuses the creature of murder when her bleeding body is discovered.

11. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein plays out like a cautionary tale against hubris, unchecked ambition, and the dangers of playing God. Through her narrative, she also establishes that a creator must be responsible for their creation or suffer the consequences. Del Toro’s script changes, especially the altered father-son relationship between Victor and his father, makes his version of ‘Frankenstein’ equally about dysfunctional parental dynamics and bad parenting.

In the film, Victor exasperatedly tells his brother that he never really thought about what he would do with the creature once it came to life, or any moral or social questions surrounding its existence. He treats the being as a wretched slave, chaining him up and handling him harshly. For the creature, Victor is his entire world, but for Victor, he is merely a botched attempt at playing God, and a reminder of Victor’s inability to take responsibility for his own actions.

12. One of the best differences between the Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and the 2025 film is the climactic events in the tale. In the book, Victor dies of exhaustion and illness on the ship, and the creature comes onboard the vessel after he is already dead. But in the film, the creature catches up to Victor while he is still alive and tells him about what happened to him, his journey into the wild, and how he learned to read, write, and understand the complex nature of human society. Moved and remorseful, Victor offers a heartfelt apology to the creature, accepting him as his son, and seeks his forgiveness.

Guillermo del Toro gives Frankenstein’s creature a much deserved closure that is denied to him in Mary Shelley’s book. In the novel, the creature mourns Victor’s death and vows to kill himself, but in the film, Victor tells him to live on, despite the hardships and heartbreak that await him. It’s a fitting, emotional end to the tragic gothic classic.

While there are a few more differences between the original gothic classic and the 2025 film, I am going to wrap the list here.

You can watch Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein on Netflix.

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All The Films (Over 30) in ‘Better Than The Movies’, the Teen Romantic Comedy

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‘Better Than The Movies’ by Lynn Painter is a teen romantic-comedy about a girl falling for her next-door neighbor. And just like the title, it is laden with movie reference, most of which are romantic comedies. If you’ve read the book and were looking for all the movies mentioned in it, here they are. Or at least, this is a list of all the movies I remember spotting in the novel.

Also Read: ‘Better Than The Movies’ Book Review

1. Notting Hill (1999) – A humble London bookseller’s life flips when a world-famous actress strolls into his shop. Hugh Grant, Julia Roberts

2. Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) – A single woman’s hilarious quest for love, self-improvement, and too much wine. Renée Zellweger, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth (Also among the lead’s fav movies)

3. Sweet Home Alabama (2002) – A New York fashionista returns to Alabama to untangle her small-town past. Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas, Patrick Dempsey

4. Pretty in Pink (1986) – High school romance collides with class differences and killer ’80s fashion. Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer, Andrew McCarthy

5. When Harry Met Sally (1989) – Can men and women ever just be friends? This film argues with laughs and love. Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan

6. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018) – A teen’s secret love letters get exposed, turning her quiet life upside down. Lana Condor, Noah Centineo stars in these movies.

7. Kate & Leopold (2001) – A 19th-century duke falls through time into modern Manhattan—and into love. Hugh Jackman, Meg Ryan

8. You’ve Got Mail (1998) – Online pen pals fall for each other, unaware they’re real-life business rivals. Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan

9. The Ugly Truth (2009) – A romance skeptic and a cynic spar their way toward unexpected chemistry. Katherine Heigl, Gerard Butler

10 Things I Hate About You (1999) – Shakespeare gets a high-school makeover with snark, sass, and charm. Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt

11. Pretty Woman (1990) – A businessman hires an escort, only to discover love is the real deal. Richard Gere, Julia Roberts

12. Superbad (2007) – Two awkward teens set out for one epic night of booze, parties, and chaos. Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Emma Stone

13. Back to the Future (1985) – A teen travels to the past and almost erases his own existence. Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd (one of the few movies in the book that’s not a romance)

14. Pillow Talk (1959) – A shared phone line sparks a witty battle of wits, and romance. Doris Day, Rock Hudson

15. She’s All That (1999) – A makeover bet turns into a genuine love story at high school. Freddie Prinze Jr., Rachael Leigh Cook

16. (500) Days of Summer (2009) – A bittersweet, non-linear tale of romance and heartbreak. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel

17. Gone With the Wind (1939) – Epic Civil War romance where survival and passion clash. Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable

18. Titanic (1997) – Star-crossed lovers meet on the ill-fated voyage of the Titanic. Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet

19. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010) – A slacker must battle seven evil exes to win his dream girl. Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead

20. Gone Girl (2014) – A missing wife turns into a media storm of secrets and lies. Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike

21. The Hangover (2009) – A bachelor party in Vegas spirals into wild amnesia-fueled chaos. Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis

22. American Pie (1999) – Four friends make a pact to lose their virginity before graduation. Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, Seann William Scott

23. Miss Congeniality (2000) – An FBI agent goes undercover at a beauty pageant, heels and all. Sandra Bullock, Michael Caine

24. The Wedding Date (2005) – Hiring a fake boyfriend for a wedding turns into something real. Debra Messing, Dermot Mulroney

25. Two Weeks Notice (2002) – A lawyer quits her job but can’t quite quit her boss. Sandra Bullock, Hugh Grant

26. 27 Dresses (2008) – Always the bridesmaid, but maybe not for long. Katherine Heigl, James Marsden

27. Forrest Gump (1994) – One man’s simple perspective weaves through decades of American history. Tom Hanks, Robin Wright

28. Love Actually (2003) – Nine intertwined stories prove love comes in every form. Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley

29. The Sandlot (1993) – A ragtag group of kids spend a summer full of baseball and mischief. Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar

30. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003) – A journalist and ad exec duel in a hilarious dating experiment. Kate Hudson, Matthew McConaughey

31. My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997) – Like the title suggest, a woman tries to sabotage her best friend’s wedding, because she is in love with him. Duh! Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz

32. Long Shot (2019) – A speechwriter reunites with his old babysitter, who’s now running for president. Charlize Theron, Seth Rogen

33. He’s Just Not That Into You (2009) – An ensemble cast movie about love, rejection, mixed signals and the chaos that comes with dating. Jennifer Aniston, Ginnifer Goodwin, Scarlett Johansson

Well, that’s a wrap on the list of movies that make it through the novel. How many have you seen?!

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The Mighty Nein Episode 1 Review: Begins With a Bold Heist and Explosions

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Look, I didn’t know anything about ‘Critical Role,’ the Dungeons & Dragons show, and ended up watching episode one of ‘The Mighty Nein,’ which is based on Critical Role’s second D&D campaign, because its live premiere showed up on my home page. But it turned out to be an entertaining impromptu watch and I am going to follow this dark fantasy show!

Titled ‘Mote of Possibility’, the pilot episode of ‘The Mighty Nein’ kicks off with the dramatic death of a royal and a daring heist of a precious relic called ‘the beacon’. The theft leads to a violent chase, and sets the stage for an imminent war between two Kingdoms.

A mysterious explosion along the border, and a bunch of brutally mangled bodies at the scene offer few clues into what might’ve happened. Powerful magicians, wicked wizards, scheming thieves, and a whole bunch of misfits and mysterious characters are introduced in the pilot.

The animation is engaging, though a wider color palette and brighter daytime scenes could have made it feel even more visually vivid. A goblin character called ‘Nott the Brave’ reminded me of Best Boy from Teen Titans, while Caleb Widogast, an asocial wizard voiced by Liam O’Brien, sounded a lot like Trevor Belmont from Castlevania.

Overall, the first episode of ‘Mighty Nein’ is fast-paced, packed with action, and filled with so many events that it’s hard to make out what the primary conflict is based on the first half. But toward the second half of the chapter, a clearer plot emerges: the stolen ‘beacon’ is a powerful relic that can be extremely dangerous in the wrong hands.

In just one episode, wars are triggered, political conspiracies and traitors uncovered, and a few new interesting alliances formed. How the main characters fit into the scheme of things will only become clearer in the coming episodes. Even if you haven’t seen ‘Critical Role’, but are a fan of ‘Dungeons & Dragons’, this animated show promises to be a wild ride.

Watch ‘The Mighty Nein’ on Prime Video. Episode 1 is available on YouTube.

Also Read: ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ Review: 2025’s Best Horror Anime (Audio Version Below)

Baramulla (2025) Review: A Kidnapping Mystery That Opens Darker Doors

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

On a snow-cold day in Kashmir’s Baramulla, a magician promises to make a child vanish before a bored crowd. A politician’s son volunteers to enter his wooden box and disappears for real, leading to the poor magician’s arrest for kidnapping, but the police find no answers about the boy’s whereabouts.

Created by Aditya Suhas Jambhale and Aditya Dhar, the 2025 film ‘Baramulla’ stars Manav Kaul (Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper, The Fame Game) as DSP Ridwaan Sayyed, who starts to investigate the case, only to realize more children are going missing in the region, and the mystery may not be as simple as it seems. Meanwhile, his wife Gulnaar Sayyed (Bhasha Sumbli) and their children begin experiencing supernatural occurrences in their new home, which may or may not have something to do with the missing cases.

A parallel sub-plot of ‘Baramulla’ follows a young man called Khalid (Ashwini Koul) befriending children and indoctrinating them into joining militancy. So was the child kidnapped by militants, or the magician, or something else entirely? Well, there’s significant mystery through the runtime over the missing children’s fate, which reminded me a little of the horror film ‘Weapons’, but except for the missing children, the two works are a world apart.

Manav Kaul’s Ridwaan Sayyed is portrayed as a hardworking, honest officer still carrying the PTSD of an old anti-terror operation, the details of which remain deliberately vague until the final half hour. Despite his professional competence, Ridwaan struggles at home, especially with his teenage daughter Noorie (Arista Mehta), who is dealing with the trauma of surviving a violent hostage situation. His refusal to confront her emotional turmoil becomes a key fault line in the narrative, subtly showing how parental inaction can push vulnerable children toward dangerous influences and manipulative adults.

Children become the symbolic battleground in ‘Baramulla’, either steered toward healing through timely adult intervention, or left to be weaponised by those with darker agendas. The Sayyed home itself embodies this conflict, haunted by spirits that are both vengeful and protective, delivering blood-soaked justice in the final act while hinting that the cycle can still be broken.

All the child actors are fantastic in the film, including actor Rohaan Singh who plays Manav’s younger son Ayaan. The little boy discovers a concealed box in his new home, leading him to befriending a creepy new friend, keeping viewers worried about the child’s fate.

The sprawling house framed by a bleak winter delivers some eerie atmosphere, but no real standout scares. The ghosts’ origins come off a bit contrived too. I went into ‘Baramulla’ expecting solid horror, but the story morphs into a political-social commentary that never quite provides the chills genre fans might anticipate.

A striking visual motif throughout the film is that of a blooming tulip, an unusual sight amid the snow, symbolizing that something in the region’s natural order has gone awry. Yet, the flower blooming out of season also seems to signify hope and life even where you least expect it.

In its two-hour runtime, ‘Baramulla’ attempts to thread together several themes, ultimately suggesting a dual message: that the region’s violence and distrust stem from long-standing disharmony, yet there remains hope for peace if future generations are guided with compassion rather than fear.

Ultimately, the film offers an intriguing blend of genres set against the haunting beauty of Kashmir, weaving together themes of militancy, violence, religion, and the supernatural. I’d give the creators brownie points for mashing themes that aren’t generally seen together.

Rating: 7 on 10. Watch ‘Baramulla’ on Netflix.

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Ek Chatur Naar (2025) Review – Blackmail Comedy Held by Dumb Luck

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

‘Ek Chatur Naar’ follows a poor but “clever” single mother Mamta (Divya Khosla Kumar), who blackmails a wealthy govt contractor called Abhishek (Neil Nitin Mukesh), after getting hold of his phone and a compromising video. Unaware of his power and influence, she soon finds herself caught in a dangerous game, as he tries to have her arrested.

Now the makers of ‘Ek Chatur Naar’ want us to believe protagonist Mamta is an incredibly clever woman. But the writers put in minimal effort to prove her wit, instead, it’s a series of lucky co-incidences that help her outwit the influential Abhishek. Case in point: in the first act, she hires someone to steal a phone in a place crawling with CCTV cameras, then creates a spectacle by chasing the thief. It’s less “smart woman outwits rich man” and more “luck saves her again.”

Or here’s a better example: she sends a note (you can consider it a blackmail note) through her son to a woman at a lavish wedding. Where for no real reason, except for cinematic effect, the servers are dressed in cheap masquerade masks. Again, a place filled with cameras. Why would you risk your son like that? Luckily for her, the woman believes the note is from someone else and does nothing to verify the source. Essentially, Mamta is pitted against a bunch of questionably dumb individuals.

Divya Khosla in EK Chatur Naar

The few fun elements exist in the first half of the film, like digs at melodramatic, exaggerated Hindi soap-serial, which Mamta loves to watch with her mother-in-law (Chhaya Kadam), who by the way has a drinking problem. So the family might be drowning in debts, but cannot do without drowning in their daily pegs either, since Mamta loves to join her saas with her own glass.

Mamta’s son Sonu (Abaan Imran Mughal) is forced to spend most of his time cooped up at home, out of school, because they’re all being targeted by violent loan sharks. Why her late husband left the family with huge debts isn’t explained, at least, not until it’s too late to care.

Neil Nitin Mukesh is entertaining as the greedy, corrupt, and politically connected Abhishek, whose main source of income seems to be fudging accounts and misappropriating funds. He’s meant to be a crafty cookie, but the character is dumbed down into a comedic caricature who behaves exactly as Mamta predicts.

The filmmakers should’ve embraced full-blown exaggerated comedy for ‘Ek Chatur Naar’ to draw genuine laughs. But in its current form, it’s neither funny enough nor convincing enough. As a viewer, you go into the film expecting a dark comedy, not a mystery. Yet the writers hold back crucial details only to spring them as last-minute twists, turning the film into a makeshift thriller. The sudden shift feels jarring, especially since those revelations could’ve made the story far more engaging if introduced earlier.

By the 90th minute of ‘Ek Chatur Naar’, I was bored out of my mind and chose to take a nap before resuming streaming. So I did watch this over-dragged 144 minute long movie, and it delivers one or two ‘clever’ twists, but feels extremely contrived than satisfactory. The title song sung by Kailash Kher, an upbeat number with energetic beats, is probably the only really entertaining ingredient of this film.

Rating: 1 star on 5. ‘Ek Chatur Naar’ is on Netflix.

Read Next: Del Toro’s Frankenstein is a Darker, Grander, Gothic Horror Classic

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10 Dance Trailer: Ryoma Takeuchi, Keita Machida Burn the Floor

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After playing a charming sessions guitarist for a band called TenBlank in ‘Glass Heart’, Keita Machida (‘Cherry Magic’, ‘Yu Yu Hakusho’) stars as Shinya Sugiki, a statesque ballroom dancer in ’10 Dance’, an ‘enemies to lovers’ romance based on the manga series of the same name by Satoh Inoue. Actor Ryoma Takeuchi of ‘Kamen Rider’ fame, plays his rival and romantic interest Shinya Suzuki.

Directed by Keishi Otomo (Rurouni Kenshin, The Vulture), the official trailer for 10 Dance opens with a flashy ballroom moment, as narrator Suzuki (Ryoma Takeuchi), a fiery artist excelling in Latin American dance, pulls viewers into the competitive world of rhythm, music, and movement.

The story centers on Suzuki’s rivalry with standard ballroom dancer Sugiki, as the two prepare to face off in a competition. However, the two first train together, giving them a chance to get closer than is comfortable.

Ironically, just hours before the trailer dropped, I was reflecting on how most Japanese BL dramas operate on modest budgets while reviewing ‘Journey to Killing You‘ (also a BL based on a manga). Then along comes 10 Dance trailer, with Ryoma Takeuchi and Keita Machida waltzing through a Netflix production that is evidently lavish, sleek, and richly choreographed.

In under two minutes, the trailer delivers an exciting promise of a drama that’s packed with heat, fire, dance, music, and passion. Ryoma Takeuchi stands out in the teaser, debuting a dirty blonde look, playing the fiery Suzuki with the requisite energy of a Manga protagonist!

Keita Machida has very few lines in the trailer, but looks fabulous as a graceful, dashing Ballroom dance. One can already sense the chemistry between the leads from the trailer and I cannot wait to watch the film when it comes out. ’10 Dance’ is set for a December 18th release, and hopefully, there shouldn’t be any delays!

Watch the trailer on YouTube, it’s also below.

Journey to Killing You Series Review (2025)

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Unlike metaphorical drama titles that don’t necessarily deliver what they mean, Japanese series ‘Journey to Killing You’ is literally all about a young man’s secret mission to kill his boss.

Based on Asai Sai’s manga Anata wo Korosu Tabi, the six-episode live-action series stars Takahashi Hiroto as Odajima, a young yakuza henchman assigned to protect his boss’s stepbrother, Kataoka Kinji (Wada Masanari), who’s been sent into hiding on a remote island. Unbeknownst to Kataoka, Odajima’s real mission is to kill him, but as the two grow closer, Odajima’s resolve begins to crumble. Will he pull the trigger or not? 

The charming Kataoka is  the illegitimate son of a powerful Yakuza boss, favored by most, so he is targeted by his jealous brother, Kirii Keito (Yuya Shintaro), who fears their dying father might pass on the criminal empire to the illegitimate heir. In a little twist, Odajima has his own personal vendetta to fulfill, which is explained through flashbacks. 

‘Journey to Killing You’ is a fast-paced, guilty-pleasure romance that thrives on the clashing personalities of its leads: Kataoka, who is flamboyant, confident, carefree, influential, and forced to go into hiding with the gloomy, asocial, exhauted, emotionally spent Odajima.

It’s got the existential angst, trauma, sadness of shows like ‘Happy of the End’, combined with the sunny setting of beach romances. So the story is a vivid mix of the dark, violent, blood-laden world of crime, splashing against the sun, sand, sea, and Hawaiian shirts. One second Kataoka might be sipping beer by the beach, the other he’d be fighting for his last breath after a fatal gunshot wound.

Most of ‘Journey to Killing You’ is driven by actor Wada Masanari’s easy charisma as protagonist Kataoka, whose rich voice is tailor-made of Manga protagonists. The first episode establishes him as a creepy, powerful gangster with little regard for others. It’s a shocking opener, an over-the-top scene that borders on the absurd, but then, this is a Yakuza romance adapted from a manga, where slight exaggeration comes with the territory. And as more chapters unfold, both the viewer and Odajima see new layers of Kataoka, ones that stretch beyond a simple black-and-white dangerous gangster. 

Takahashi Hiroto’s portrayal of the poker-faced Odajima is on point, his face giving little away at any given point, so one never knows if he really would pull the trigger on Kataoka. Fleeting flashbacks through ‘Journey to Killing You’ reveal Odajima’s abusive, traumatic childhood, after which he joins the Yakuza, and then loses his only friend Asahi (Hori Kaito) to gang violence. 

The tension between Kataoka and his stepbrother Kirii deserved greater focus, as their feud serves as the driving force behind the story’s main conflict. Yuya Shintaro, though given limited screen time, effectively portrays Kirii’s insecurity and ruthless ambition to control his father’s criminal empire. Kataoka’s growing popularity among the younger ranks of the organization clearly fuels his resentment.

It’s evident that Journey to Killing You was made on a modest budget. This isn’t a flashy, big-ticket production, but the creators still deliver a visually engaging story supported by a memorable soundtrack, including an upbeat opening theme. The series could have benefited from one or two more episodes to develop its characters further. Then again, perhaps it’s the short, crisp runtime that makes it so watchable.

There isn’t any Japanese live-action series quite like ‘Journey to Killing You’, so if you’re looking for some fresh material, this is a show worth checking out. 

Watch ‘Journey to Killing You’ on GagaOolala. 

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https://youtu.be/CarFc9fKBUI

Concrete Short Film Review: Odd Orwellian Slice of Sci-Fi Horror

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Written and directed by Eli Vidis Newman, short film ‘Concrete’ is only about 15 minutes long, so I feel like writing anything about it might tread on spoiler territory. It popped up on my YouTube feed and was uploaded by ‘Dust’, a channel known for showcasing short sci-film. I went in blind and was thrilled to be served some dystopian existential horror (not the supernatural kinds).

‘Concrete’ is essentially a retro-futuristic tale set in an oppressive world where everybody is fitted with a neurological implant on their forehead. While it’s never stated explicitly in the film, one can safely assume this device is a way of authoritarian control and keep track of the masses.

Henry Fulton Winship plays the protagonist, an ordinary working man, simply heading out to work, when he is attacked by a stranger, upending his reality. While veteran actor Ed Harris plays a Yoda-sort of wise-old-man who guides Ed through his struggles with a philosophical pep talk.

The opening scene instantly reminded me of the Vision from Marvel, because, you know, he has a infinity stone on his head. But there are no superheroes here, just a regular worker, content with his drab life, until someone tears away his implant, throwing his mind into deep chaos.

Some bits of Concrete felt like you’re watching a horror film: it’s creepy and unsettling. showcasing how people are willing to be mindless sheep, just to ‘fit in’ with the rest. The climax wraps the short film with a deep, depressing ending, where even after discovering a sense of individuality, the lead chooses to go back to his old life, pretending nothing has changed. So what’s even the point?

This is worth a watch for those looking for offbeat sci-fi movies, with a touch of the absurd.

Watch ‘Concrete’ on YouTube.

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Exorcism Island Issue 1 Review: Priests Vs Demons, a Tense Round 1

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

The first few panels of ‘Exorcism Island’ instantly brought to mind the horror series ‘Midnight Mass’, which also centers on terrifying events unfolding on an isolated island after the arrival of a charismatic priest. But in Jordan Thomas’s comic, the twist comes early: two priests fly to a remote island already overrun by the possessed. Hence, the literal title.

No time’s wasted in setting up the basic premise of this horror comic book series. Colorful panels introduce a priest aboard a flight, a memory of a young woman clearly possessed by something Satanic, a flashback of him reporting his experience at the Vatican, and a present panel showing a small plane headed to an ‘evil place’ somewhere in the Caribbean. Of course, the reader is meant to assume it’s the Exorcism Island.

This is the opening scene of ‘Exorcism Island’

I thought this was a fantastic first issue for a horror comic, where the creator pits a small posse of priests against a group of the possessed on ‘Exorcism Island’. Sure, the story uses familiar tropes, like foul-mouthed demons riling up God-fearing priests with expletives, but it also has some entertaining fresh twists.

The colorful artwork is animated and engaging, and I love how the comic book uses different colors for different timelines and settings. This helps avoid confusion and readers don’t have to scratch their heads over what is happening when. For instance, the scenes on the exorcism island are drenched in fiery orange shades, at least for this first issue.

Among the primary characters is Father Amato, a young priest skeptical of the supernatural, yet sent by the Vatican to a desolate island where a group of weary exorcists struggles to contain a horde of possessed individuals. All the other priests seems to be much older than Amato, and even though it’s too early to distinguish them, it’s easy to see that they all have their own distinct personalities.

In just 27 pages, Exorcism Island delivers multiple possessions, demons, deaths (yes, plural, if you count the animals), and a creepy twist that occurs far from the island… at Vatican City. So we’re promised a big horror adventure. I’m pretty excited to see where this comic book series goes.

Rating: 5 on 5 stars! Exorcism Island is on Kindle Unlimited.

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Del Toro’s Frankenstein (2025) is a Darker, Grander, Gothic Horror Classic

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

For gothic-horror fans, Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein (2025) is a must-watch, whether or not you’ve read Mary Shelley’s classic or have mixed feelings about it. While it draws from the novel, del Toro reshapes several core elements of the story. The changes are evident right from the opening scenes, where Victor recalls his childhood and a strict, distant, authoritarian father, whose coldness fuels Victor’s egoistical obsession with playing God. In Shelley’s version, by contrast, Victor’s father is doting to a fault.

The film stars Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein, an ambitious scientist haunted by a powerful creature (Jacob Elordi) he brought to life. Rescued by a ship’s crew stranded in the freezing Arctic, Victor recounts his tragic tale of obsession, horror, and loss. Christian Convery of Sweet Tooth fame portrays his younger self in flashbacks, driven by the loss of his beloved mother and resentment toward his brilliant doctor father (Charles Dance), who fails to save her.

The flashbacks are grand, cinematic, set in a lavishly ornate estate the Frankenstein family lives. Their wealth is so immense that even funerals unfold like magnificent, theatrical celebrations of death. But fortunes fade, and Victor eventually leaves it all behind to study science at a distant university. And unlike the novel, where a young Victor secretly toils with dismembered human parts to stitch together a being, Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein shows a Victor who is publicly vocal about his scientific pursuit to ‘defeat death’.

Actor Felix Kammerer (All Quiet on the Western Front, All the Light We Cannot See) plays Victor’s younger brother, William, who is engaged to the beautiful Elizabeth (Mia Goth), an intelligent yet deeply religious young woman. Elizabeth’s uncle, Harlander (Christoph Waltz), offers to finance Victor’s experiment to create a living being, promising him unlimited resources in exchange for a favor to be named later. So there’s considerable mystery over Harlander’s suspicious generosity.

Victor Frankenstein is granted a old tower by the sea for his experiments, and his work-space looks more like a gothic cathedral than a lab, filled with ominous machinery, eerie decor, and an air of decaying grandeur. It mirrors Victor’s own mind: brilliant, haunted, and teetering between creation and destruction. There in his tower, he works alone, sawing and cutting parts of fresh corpses to assemble his project. So viewers with a weak heart should think twice before watching the film – it features lots of blood and gore. In some brilliant imagery, when the creature is still a ‘work in progress’, his body is perched like Jesus on a cross, awaiting his maker’s magic to animate him.

A brief romantic subplot finds Victor drawn to his brother’s fiancée, but Harlander quickly senses the tension and imposes a strict deadline for him to bring his creation to life. I just wish the relationship between both brothers had a few more minutes of screen time to make a climactic twist more powerful. But well, the true conflict, however, begins once Victor’s hand-crafted being awakens, leaving its creator stunned and unprepared, unsure of what to do with the “monster” he has fathered.

Yet Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein diverges from Shelley’s tale, this Victor doesn’t spiral into despair or flee from his creation. Oscar Isaac’s portrayal is of a man older, shrewder, and far crueler than the remorseful scientist of the novel. But just like the original, viewers are treated to both sides of the tale, that of the creator and then of the creation, while dwelling into the perils of blind ambition. Victor never once pauses to think of the consequences of his actions and is quick to blame others for his errors.

Jacob Elordi, buried under layers of prosthetics, brings a childlike humanity to the freshly awakened creature, first filled with curiosity for his surrounding, then consumed with anguish over his tortured, pitiful existence. Those who were dissatisfied with the abrupt development of the creature in the original classic will appreciate that Guillermo del Toro gives him a more humane character arc and a fitting, if tragic, end.

Mia Goth is mesmerizing in her brief supporting role, gliding through scenes in ethereal gowns that make her look like a princess from a dark fantasy. She serves as Victor’s foil, a believer in both science and superstition, who sees the act of creating life as a blasphemy. Yet she’s the only one who doesn’t recoil from the creature, recognizing him for what he truly is: a lost child who shouldn’t exist, but now that he does, deserves compassion, love, and dignity.

Much like his dark, twisted yet emotional take on Pinocchio, Guillermo del Toro’s retelling of Frankenstein beats to its own rhythm, steeped in gothic elements, with skulls, bones, blood, and morally grey characters who stand in sharp contrast to the supposed “monster” Victor creates: an innocent, pure-hearted being discovering the world’s savage, paradoxical ways with no one to guide him.

At 2 hours and 29 minutes long, ‘Frankenstein’ might test the patience of those hooked to short 30-second videos, but is an absolute treat for patient gothic horror fans. At the risk of perhaps upsetting fans of the novel, I will have to say, this ‘Frankenstein’ will go into the rare list of movies that are better than the books. It’s darker, grander, and is bound to become a modern classic.

Rating: 10 on 10. Watch ‘Frankenstein’ on Netflix.

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