The Bride! (2026)
Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal
[Rated R] 2hr 6min
★★★
The Bride! is a sci-fi horror romance film about a woman who gets gets brought back from the dead so that Frankenstein’s monster can have a companion. While the monster wants her to be his bride, she has her own plans about how she wants to spend her life, and the two of them go on a journey together across the United States.
This is a highly ambitious film that doesn’t completely work but is still enjoyable due to its excellent aesthetic and vibes. It’s sort of an amalgamation of many other Frankenstein stories while also taking inspiration from other films to create a familiar story through the lens of a classic horror narrative. Some of it works really well like the premise, visuals, and acting, but other parts of the film don’t work at all like the narrative and themes. The art direction is incredible, as it creates a gothic yet vibrant 1930s America that’s both eccentric and believable. The character designs of the monster and the Bride are also spectacular, as they incorporate elements from previous designs while also adding their own unique style. Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale are fantastic as the leads, and they really make their undead characters come to life. However, the narrative doesn’t hold up to the same degree. It’s all over the place and hardly makes any sense, so the many themes that the story tries to explore end up being very shallow and sometimes cliché. Despite this, the sheer ambition of the film is truly admirable and, along with the visuals and characters, makes for a compelling overall experience.
I recommend The Bride! to anyone who enjoys a variety of Frankenstein stories, especially The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and wants to see a very different take on them with similarities to Bonnie and Clyde (1967). It’s definitely not as strong as Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of Frankenstein from last year, but it’s still interesting to see this version’s interpretation of the various Frankenstein media that have become ingrained in pop culture.
The Bride! releases in theaters today. Click here to watch the Official Trailer.
– Review by Will Hopper