Star-Studded Horror Reimagining On HBO Max Tops Charts: “Such an underrated movie”
Mary Beth McAndrews
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Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is having a moment right now. And while the piece of gothic literature has never stopped having a moment, the last year has seen a boom of adaptations of the novel, from birth/rebirth and The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster to Lisa Frankenstein and Poor Things. So it only makes sense that the number one horror movie currently streaming on Max is another Frankenstein adaptation. Specifically, it’s the 2015 film Victor Frankenstein, starring James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe.
In the film:
Radical scientist Victor Frankenstein and his equally brilliant protégé Igor Strausman share a noble vision of aiding humanity through their groundbreaking research into immortality. But Victor’s experiments go too far, and his obsession has horrifying consequences. Only Igor can bring his friend back from the brink of madness and save him from his monstrous creation.
This modern update may have flown under a lot of our radars upon its initial 2015 release, but it’s garnered a small but mighty fanbase who love this take on the classic horror story. That’s mostly due to the chemistry between McAvoy and Radcliffe, whose relationship is key to the emotional success of such a film. So often Igor is just a shambling sidekick made monstrous by his disability. But here, Igor is more of Frankenstein’s equal than an underling.
But McAvoy and Radcliffe aren’t the only recognizable faces here. Andrew Scott (All Of Us Strangers) also stars as Inspector Turpin and Charles Dance of Game of Thrones fame plays the Monster.
While the script was penned by Max Landis (a mark against the film, unfortunately), director Paul McGuigan uses his experience in the action world to shape this horror story. With films like Lucky Number Slevin and episodes of Sherlock under his belt, McGuigan brought his unique sense of style to his version of Victorian England.
See what other viewers are saying below:
If you check out Victor Frankenstein on Max, let us know what you think over on Twitter or Instagram @DreadCentral!
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