Why is “Frankenstein” rated R? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “bloody violence and grisly images.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a few scenes of non-sexual nudity, discussions of lust, discussions of procreation, many scenes of bloody body parts and flesh and exposed bone and organs including dissections in laboratory settings and in battlefields, a creature attacking people in several scenes leading to their death, several men being hanged in a public setting, several scenes of people dying with bloody wounds, a couple of wolf attacks on sheep and humans, a building set on fire and an explosion, several scenes of a man constructing machinery to use to regenerate life, discussions of the possibility of creating life, many arguments, and some name-calling. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

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In this interpretation of the classic, the brilliant scientist Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) creates a new creature from body parts, and is horrified when he realizes that what he considers a tragic monster (Jacob Elordi) may be invulnerable, powerful and capable of both personal agency and deep desires. Also with Christoph Waltz, Mia Goth, Felix Kammerer, Charles Dance, David Bradley, Lars Mikkelsen and Christian Convery. Directed by Guillermo del Toro. [Running Time: 2:29]

Frankenstein SEX/NUDITY 5

 – A man photographs a woman wearing a sheer shawl and we see her bare breasts, abdomen, pubic hair, buttocks, back and legs. A woman wears a sheer nightgown and we see her breasts, abdomen, pubic hair and legs through the fabric. A man sits in a bathtub and we see his bare chest, abdomen, legs and suggestions of his groin through the water. A shirtless man is seen in a few scenes (we see his bare chest, abdomen and back). A woman wears an off-the-shoulder dress that reveals her bare shoulders and cleavage. A reconstructed body lies on a lab table and we see bare chest, abdomen and legs and the groin is wrapped with cloth.
► A man moves close to a woman to kiss her and she walks away. A man and a woman dance together and embrace. A man pretends to hear a woman’s confession and asks if she is experiencing lust for a man and she denies it.

Frankenstein VIOLENCE/GORE 10

 – We hear an explosion and men go to investigate; they find blood soaked snow and a man with a twisted leg (it is a prosthetic leg) and bloody wounds on his arm and face, and one man announces that it must have been a bear attack; we hear roaring and a large creature approaches from the mist toward and they shoot at him, it is struck (we see blood spurt and bloody fingers missing flesh with bone exposed and he yells) but keeps walking; the men make their way back to their ship where they try to fight the creature and they are struck and thrown (the men’s bodies twist and snap unnaturally) with some being thrown overboard until the creature is shot repeatedly, he falls overboard onto ice below, the ice is broken from under him and he sinks into the frigid water and out of sight.
► Two men struggle and argue, one man slips into a chute and falls slamming to the ground below (we see his head with a gaping wound and blood and tissue on the ground around him). Several men are shown being hanged in gallows with a large crowd cheering the proceedings (we see the men with bloody sores, discolored flesh and teeth); we see men lined up and with bags on their heads and their legs twitch when they hang from a rope, a man examines the men before they are hanged and chooses several to take with him after they are dead to use for experiments. A man pours flammable liquid around a building and lights it with a match leaving a creature chained in a dark area; the creature yells and roars and frees himself from the chains, slides down a chute and into the ocean where we see him sink (he revives on the shore later and spits out water). A man opens the door of a burning building and an explosion of flames throws him back against a stone pillar and we see his leg snap (blood, bone and tissue are seen) as he screams in pain. A man strikes a creature on the back with a metal bar and the creature grabs the bar and bends it while roaring loudly. A creature is shot in the eye and stabbed (blood spurts and pours), the creature pulls a man’s jaw off and the creature is shot several more times before collapsing to the ground (we see blood bubbling from his wounds). A creature throws a man across a room breaking bed posts and shattering a mirror; a man shoots at the creature and a woman is struck in the abdomen (we see blood on her wound), a man charges the creature and he throws him across the room and hits his head on a stone wall cracking his skull (we see blood and hear a crack). A creature throws a man against a stone wall and presses against his nose, breaking it slowly (we hear a crunch and see blood pouring from his nose). A man shoots at a creature, chases him through snow-covered terrain, and continues shooting at him. A man and a creature fight, the creature breaks the man’s leg and the man stabs the creature through the hand with a knife; the creature stabs the man in the chest and the man lights a stick of dynamite that the creature holds close to his chest, it explodes and blows the creature up and he says that he hears and feels his flesh growing back (we see blood and open wounds including exposed bones in his hands and fingers).
► A man walks through a battlefield strewn with bodies, many badly damaged and missing limbs, and selects many to use for experiments; we see him in his laboratory dissecting the bodies, cutting off limbs and flesh using saws, knives and pliers and constructing a creature from the pieces (we hear crunching and squishing); he presses an eyeball into the socket of a skull and we see streams of blood on the floor, random body parts and flesh being placed in bags to be discarded. A creature walks through a field and among many human skeletons; he retrieves a coat from a body and studies a deer until the animal is shot by hunters and the creature is also shot (we see blood splatter); the creature then runs away, roaring in pain and we see that his wound heals quickly. A creature discovers wolves attacking a man and attacks the animals; the creature throws them as they jump on his back, he pulls the flesh off one wolf and snaps the back of another and others run away howling (we see the man with bloody wounds as he dies). Many wolves charge toward sheep in a corral and attack them; we see bloody sheep and others darting around the pen trying to get away as a farmer shoots a couple of wolves and the others run away (we see one wolf tugging at the bloody remains of a dead sheep).
► A man dashes through a laboratory readying equipment as a lightning storm rages outside; lightning strikes a rod outside the laboratory and electricity flashes and zaps through the lab, charging a battery and causing a reconstructed body’s heart to beat. A man walks through a laboratory, puts electrodes in a dead body and it rears up and roars.
► A sailing ship is shown stranded in ice while many men chip away at the ice; the men are covered with frost and we hear that they are hungry and exhausted and one man is shown to have frostbite on his feet with a blackened toe. A man has a bandage wrapped around his torso, we see blood in his mouth, and his hand wrapped with what appears to be two missing fingers. A large creature pushes on the side of a stranded ship and it tips causing sailors onboard to fall and slide around. A creature takes refuge in a barn and sleeps among rats and debris. A creature enters a house and a man inside explains that his eyesight is failing.
► A partial human torso and head with exposed spinal column and organs is on display in a lecture hall; a man attaches electrodes to the head and chest and initiates a charge from a battery that causes it to throw its head back and gasp (we see the rib cage with the heart beating, teeth, jawbone and some bloody tissue); the man removes an electrode and it gasps and stops moving. A woman discovers a creature chained in a dark area and sees a bloody wound on his abdomen; the creature takes her hand and they look at each other. A reconstructed body is shown slumped on a table with flesh patches covering organs and skeleton. A reconstructed body is secured to planks of wood (resembling a cross) and lifted upright. A man collapses on his bed exhausted and awakens to a creature standing at the foot of the bed moving awkwardly; the man opens his curtains and the creature retreats in fear. A creature is shown chained in a dark area. A man yells at a creature in several scenes and becomes upset that he does not seem to be learning or advancing. A creature makes animal-like sounds, roaring, growling and snarling.
► A man quizzes his son about humors in the human body and other topics of medicine and the man whips him with a stick in the face when he does not answer correctly. Men discuss the lymphatic system and we see illustrations of human anatomy in several scenes. A man has dreams about a statue of an angel coming to life and being surrounded by flames in a few scenes. A man teaches a creature how to walk and move and speak and the creature is childlike in his behavior. A woman slaps a man in the face and tells him to leave.
► A man declares, “I will conquer death.” A man tells another man, “I will be the angel that feasts on your liver.” A man tells another man that a creature killed a man. A husband and his wife argue bitterly and their young son overhears them. A woman argues with a man about his treatment of a creature and harming him. A woman argues with a man about men with ideas sending men to war to die. A woman describes her interest in science and her fascination with insects. A woman describes her hatred for a man and calls him a tyrant. A man says that he took another man’s life.
► A woman yells in pain and a young boy calls for his father when the woman collapses in his arms; the boy is shown with blood on his shirt and hands and we later see the woman in a coffin at her funeral after dying in childbirth. A man coughs deeply and spits blood (we see the blood). A creature carries a wounded woman to a cave and blood dribbles in the snow. A man is shown in a laboratory setting with blood on his hands and clothing and blood on tables and the floor around him. A husband sops up blood from meat left on a plate on a piece of bread that he hands to his wife and she takes a bite (blood dribbles down her chin).
► We see streams of blood in a street where men hack at carcasses of animals in a meat market; we see severed pigs’ heads and bone and muscle of other animals exposed. A man talks about the lymphatic system and displays a plank of wood with lymphatic tissue lacquered on it. A man urinates and we hear the sound. A man takes mercury and we are told that he has syphilis (we see his scalp with sores on it) and he describes the stages of the disease; he pleads with another man to put his brain in a reconstructed creature. A man is shown with a stump at the knee where he lost the lower part of his leg; he straps on a prosthetic leg and walks with a cane.

Frankenstein LANGUAGE 2

 – 1 scatological term, name-calling (devil, charlatan, abomination, vulgar, old fools, stubborn old goat, cowardly, appalling, tyrant, blot, wretch, wicked, deformed monster, truly horrible, villain), 11 religious exclamations (e.g. in God’s hands, God granted us choice, God, God, miracles, good God, questions for God, playing God, unholy, Adam and Eve, the wrath of a God, oh good God). | profanity glossary |

Frankenstein SUBSTANCE USE

 – A man drinks a vial of mercury. A man drinks a shot of what we assume to be liquor, people drink wine with meals in several scenes, a creature drops a bottle of brandy and it shatters, and a man drinks champagne at his wedding. A man holds a pipe in his mouth.

Frankenstein DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Creating life, wealth, science, medicine, anatomy, syphilis, vanity, melancholy, defiance, procreation, forgiveness, death, suffering, friendship, understanding, jealousy, choice, confession, lust, regret, truth, Prometheus, Ozymandias, destiny, trickery, pride, tact, ideas, wisdom, war, arms merchants, stupidity, death of loved ones.

Frankenstein MESSAGE

 – Determining who is a monster and who is human is not an obvious proposition.