Many people remember 80s comedies like “The Breakfast Club” as a classic. There is a likeability to the relatable cast of high schoolers, the catchy soundtracks, shenanigans, and the dancing montage. The part where Bender verbally abuses Claire and looks up her skirt before getting into a relationship with her, or how Claire gave Allison a makeover that completely gets rid of her ‘weird girl’ aesthetic and enforces conventional beauty standards, however, are not as well remembered.
The genre is a mixed legacy, remembered fondly for the joys and resonance they brought upon audiences while awkwardly acknowledging the fact that some of these films haven’t aged well. When making an homage to the 80s comedy, it becomes a tightrope to walk on for those reasons.
But director Zelda Williams and writer Diablo Cody, in creating a modern throwback to this long-gone era of film, do a mostly impressive job in their teen-horror-comedy ‘Lisa Frankenstein.’
Taking place in 1989, Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton) is as perfect as an 80s protagonist can get. She’s a troubled outcast with a tragic backstory — something out of a slasher flick, ax murderer and all.
She, like any 80s female protagonist, has a crush. She is interested in the school newspaper editor Michael Trent (Henry Eikenberry), and lives with her selfish step-mom Janet (Carla Guigino) and preppy step-sister Taffy (Liza Soberano). She spends her time hanging out in an abandoned cemetery, bonding with the grave of a long-dead Victorian-era man.
After being drugged and taken advantage of at a house party, Lisa wishes upon a tombstone to be with the corpse, and a fateful strike of green lightning brings her wish to life. Of course, when Lisa finds the now-living Creature (Cole Sprouse) breaking into her house, as anyone does, she hides it in the closet and keeps her family from finding out.
“Lisa Frankenstein,’ at first, has a rough start. It establishes a campy, over-the-top version of 1989, complete with pop-culture references — even the title is a Lisa Frank pun — Paula Huidobro’s colorful cinematography and Meagan McLaughlin’s costume design requiring Lisa to wear goth-chic clothing that even Lydia Deetz would say is a bit much.
At the same time, Williams tries to create a sense of sincerity, juggling how much the film should be taking itself seriously. The movie attempts to sympathize with Lisa, yet also jokes about her eccentricity. There’s a clothing montage between the Creature and Lisa, and while that is a staple in 80s comedies, it oddly feels forced and unfunny. Between that and trying to emanate the early works of Tim Burton, the movie has a hard time finding its footing.
That is until someone ends up dead. From that point on, Diablo Cody’s script comes alive, tapping into the full potential of this premise, where Lisa and the Creature kill people who have wronged her and use the bodies to replace the latter’s missing body parts via a malfunctioning tanning bed. Cody goes full “Jennifer’s Body” and has fun with it.
It’s a noticeable shift. Newton clearly enjoys getting to play an unhinged character, who becomes more confident and wears more outrageous, Madonna-esque outfits. Sprouse, in an ambitious role, has to rely on jerky body language and grunts to communicate the Creature’s feelings and love for Lisa as they spend more time together.
While the film revels in having its lead characters do morally reprehensible things, it doesn’t fall into the trap that the genre it tributes did. It has enough of a self-aware tone to know that what they’re doing is bad, even acknowledging the consequences of their actions, but understands the dark comedy behind it all to keep it funny and engaging.
The sincerity also works better, contrasting the duo growing closer together with a morbid sense of humor. What other movie has a touching moment over sewing a disembodied ear onto a zombie?
In becoming its own thing, “Lisa Frankenstein” becomes a better throwback. The 80s references and Tim Burton homage feel less distracting and more fun (the “Rocky Horror” reference, while silly, still was funny due to how quick it was). There’s also nods to older cinema, including a dream sequence done in the German Expressionist style that would later be influential to Burton, along with classic movie posters and the moon from “A Trip to the Moon” on display in Lisa’s bedroom.
Despite the influences, “Lisa Frankenstein” may not offer as much iconic imagery as the lineage of movies the film wears on its sleeve. Because of the low budget, the film doesn’t have much of a visual style beyond what they are referencing.
But thanks to Cody’s script, the actor’s commitment and the direction it takes in the second half, the film offers a fun ‘coming-of-rage story’ about a girl navigating high school with the help of her monster. This film’s silly, self-aware attitude may even get it a cult following similar to “Jennifer’s Body,” which became celebrated in representing women in horror.
Setting the film in the 80s, “Lisa Frankenstein” acts as a homage and a reckoning. It confronts the issues of sexual harassment and treatment of teen girls while understanding what makes the films from that decade entertaining and memorable. It has zany shenanigans like the
Creature driving a car, the poppy soundtrack and the montage. Yet it includes what most 80s films don’t do: let Alison keep her Weird Girl wardrobe and let her have fun.
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