Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein was inspired by a haunting Spanish classic

Frankenstein is a film in the Gothic sci-fi horror drama genre. Written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, it is an official adaptation of the 1818 book Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley. The film started streaming on Netflix on November 7, 2025.

Here's the official synopsis as per IMDb:

"Dr. Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant but egotistical scientist, brings a creature to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation."

Besides the namesake novel, del Toro has stated that he was also inspired by a Spanish-language film for this project.

The Spirit of the Beehive inspired Guillermo del Toro for Frankenstein

Guillermo del Toro has stated that the 1973 Spanish-language film, The Spirit of the Beehive, served as an inspiration for Frankenstein. He was nine years old when the film came out, and he believes it had an impact on him. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the director said:

"I nevertheless must admit that Spirit of the Beehive is one of those seminal movies that seeped into my very soul"

He then added some more titles to that list:

"Night of the Hunter, Whale's Frankenstein, Bunuel's Los Olvidados, etc..."

The interview was done for Pan's Labyrinth, and del Toro said that its protagonist was based on Ana Torrent's role in The Spirit of the Beehive. In this film, the protagonist is inspired by the 1931 film based on Shelley's novel. Victor Erice directed this film, and it was released on October 8, 1973.

Del Toro has also taken the idea of the latter into his recent work. He tweaks the monster into a creature who feels bad after killing people, even for his own defense. Unlike the novel, del Toro's version showcases that the doctor is the real killer here.

The film that inspired del Toro was told of a child who was traumatized by how cruel humans can be. This is a running theme in several of del Toro's works.

Del Toro has also produced his latest film with J. Miles Dale and Scott Stuber under the banners of Double Dare You, Demilo Films, and Bluegrass 7. It premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival and was followed by a theatrical release in a limited number of screens on October 17, 2025. The film features Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Felix Kammerer, and David Bradley.

The film is currently streaming on Netflix.