Maybe film adaptations aren’t all bad: diving into the “Frankenstein” craze

Olivia Barone

Editor in Chief 

It may come as a surprise to some that titles of literary classics are more often recognized because of their film adaptations than their original novel. The resurgence of Mary Shelley’s 1818 classic “Frankenstein” via Guillermo del Toro’s 2025 film adaptation has brought with it an often-recycled debate: are film adaptations of literary classics beneficial or harmful to their source material? 

Photo credits to anchor newspaper staff

In the past week, my friends have come to me looking for my thoughts on del Toro’s “Frankenstein” because of my love for its source material. I have yet to watch del Toro’s “Frankenstein” but my friends’ interest in this particular conversation coincides with trends I’ve noticed on social media: everyone is now a part of the “Frankenstein” craze. 

According to Google Trends, searches including keyword “Frankenstein” started a slow upward climb beginning Aug. 31 and peaked at its height on Nov. 9, just two days after the film’s Netflix debut. Comparatively, searches including the phrase “Frankenstein Mary Shelley” followed a similar pattern of beginning to ramp up in early September before peaking the week of Nov. 9. 

On Instagram, #Frankenstein has exceeded 1.9 million posts since the movie’s release with types of posts varying from edits and fanart of the film to references to the original 1818 text. Discussions of the history of Frankenstein’s Monster throughout popular culture have begun to circulate as debates spark about the integrity of del Toro’s adaptation. In order to get in on this hot topic, del Toro fans are turning to Shelley’s text to uncover the origins of their new favorite film. 

Shelley’s “Frankenstein” has always been popular, but as of now, it has snuck into the top fourth spot of Amazon Kindle’s bestselling books. Additionally, Barnes & Noble has hopped on the trend, now branding copies of Shelley’s book with “Netflix Adapted” stickers and creating special displays highlighting the novel, encouraging readers to pick it up in store. 

I’ll admit that I am usually the last to give in to a book’s film adaptation– dramatically, I had to be dragged into theaters to see Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women” in 2019– as I am stubbornly loyal to the source material. However, reinterpretation through a popular medium, like film, has highlighted for me the opportunity to push original texts back into the spotlight. If a new artistic form of a classic is going to help new audiences to enjoy it like I do, then I say so be it. Reinterpretation is not always just a rehashing and often brings with it a whole new life. 

If you are debating, as I did, whether or not to watch del Toro’s “Frankenstein” because it might not be identical to Shelley’s vision, I encourage you to give it a shot. I’ll be right there with you as soon as finals week is over. 

The 2025 phenomenon that is Del Toro’s “Frankenstein” is streaming on Netflix. Meanwhile, Shelley’s 1818 text can be found at just about any bookstore near you. After watching and reading, let us know your thoughts by messaging us on Instagram: @rictheanchor.