A Monster That Was Never Just a Monster
Unlike most major studio features, The Last Frankenstein (2021) was not polished and full of visual gimmicks, and was not full of jump scares. Rather, The Last Frankenstein was like an old, personal, and discreetly terrifying diary that was pulled from the attic. Humanistic qualities haunted the viewer and flowed through the story, staying with the viewer long after the film ended.
At a glance, the film seems to be a contemporary adaptation of Frankenstein’s monster. However, an adaptation of
n the real Frankenstein legacy, it is not even really about the film’s director or the cast, all of whom are currently and contemporarily preoccupied with their own personal obsessions, struggles, and vulnerabilities, and are creating stories that probe the intersections of science, ambition, morality, loneliness, and the price that ambition costs. The film’s horror was relatable to Indian audiences who discovered it on streaming platforms, as every horror story has an emotional and true basis from which it is inspired.
A Legacy, A Curse, and A Scientist Running out of Time
The film’s primary focus is on Victor Frankenstein’s last descendent, Dr. Gabriel Frankenstein. A man who is torn due to the family legacy and his moral degeneration. Unlike a Victorian classic, the film is set to be a contemporary, gritty, modern film that takes place in America. The family as a whole is a fractured and broken family as Gabriel is imprinted with the mind of a genius who is fixated on completing the work that has perpetuated a cycle of suffering for the family for generations.
- Gabriel is not crazy. He’s just tired.
- It’s not that he is evil; rather, he is in a position of desperation.
- And that desperation is what is propelling the story forward.
Gabriel obsesses over death, and with the passing of his father and the haunted whispers of a ‘cursed’ family line, the practice of unethical means of science becomes his fixation; he becomes a recluse, pushing the boundaries of the destructive and the creative. He attempts to fix the world rather than himself, and the plot pivots from horror to tragedy.
In this, the Indian audience found a semblance of the unexpected and the post-colonial. In India, family legacy, especially for sons, is a heavy weight to bare. Expectations become burdens, and for many that with a doctorate come expectations from the world of medicine; these are also often traditions. The journey of Gabriel mirrors the plight of the many who inherit dreams that they, sadly, never asked for.
Gabriel Frankenstein’s Actor, Thom Hallum, and the Man Behind the Monster
Thom Hallum did not once grow up with a desire to become a horror icon and most did not associate horror with him. He moved through years of dedication within indie films, theatre, a plethora of small roles, and a series of near misses. With little fame to his name, The Last Frankenstein did not become for him, a role where he played a mere man with pressures of legacy; in a sense, he broke the line of becoming a shadow.
The emotional burden borne by Gabriel in the film is the same emotional exhaustion coming from Thom during this period in real life — important transition in his life and career. The weight in his eyes, the long silences in the lines, the controlled fury — no exaggeration or dramatization was done of his character. Crew members revealed that Thom used his own frustrations and fears as emotional fuel for the role. This is one of the many behind the scenes of the film that is still being talked about by the fans. Gabriel is in a breakdown scene where he is screaming into the nothingness of his empty lab and Thom is adamant about this being one take. He had a lot of built of personal struggles and after the take, the set was dead silent. This is exactly the kind of intensity that the film’s psychological atmosphere demanded and it was this particular intensity that the film was the psychological atmosphere. David Weaver – the director who chased a dream with his bare hands. David Weaver did not simply direct the film. He lived it. He did not get to direct it for the first time. He had to wait for almost a decade. For a decade, Weaver had the script in his backpack. He would pitch the story to anyone who would care to listen. He got told by studios that it was “too emotional for a horror film. too philosophical for the mainstream. It was almost abandoned it more than once. He spent a lot of time on the road and locations were difficult to access and obtain. But nothing could compare to the obsession that Weaver had for this film and this story. It was obsession.’
At one point in time, he sold his own equipment and took freelance work just to pay for scene funding. Unlike most productions, the crew also served as extras, assistants, and transport runners.
The final product demonstrates that commitment. The movie is distinctly indie — crafted with love and imperfection, yet utterly sincere.
A Cast That Offered More Than Just Acting
Rich Ting — The Face of a Quiet Storm
Rich Ting, the actor who plays the enigmatic enforcer on the trail of the Frankenstein legacy, comes with a background rich in both martial arts and with the emotional perspective of someone who has gone through reinvention quite a few times. His portrayal, while stoic, is quite rich in depth and is a result of the constant self-imposition that he has to go through in his acting career.
Airen DeLaMater — The Spirit of Innocence
Airen, who plays the part of the woman who provides Gabriel with emotional support, herself was going through a challenging time in her acting career. She brought into the scenes the tenderness that was born from her real-life struggle to remain positive in the hold of an unpredictable industry.
While some of their scenes may come off as subtler compared to other horror movies, they come from a deeper place which is the main driver of the realism in the film.
What More Could Indian Audiences Enjoy – What Else Did They Not See
The Last Frankenstein, with minimal publicity and an obscure purpose, attracted fans in India. Fans who appreciate the works and the psychological aspect of the films, and who do not solely rely on jump scares, the work became commercialized almost overnight.
Nonetheless, here are some aspects that most viewers did not notice.
The monster was intentionally shown the least because of Weaver’s philosophy, from which the line “Monsters are meant to be felt before they’re seen” originated.
To keep the film authentic, and because of the film’s realistic portrayal of characters whose healthcare professions are based in hospitals, Gabriel’s lab equipment was made from recycled hospital waste with permission.
Every fragment of the film featuring a Frankenstein diary was illustrated by the film’s director.
Using only LED rigs and moonlight, a variety of scenes were filmed in inactive factories that are unpowered.
The photographs of Gabriel’s family were real images of Thom Hallum, which made the loss more realistic and painful in those parts of the film.
The breathing sounds of the creature were recorded by Weaver during a panic attack, which is a very rare detail that the fans who do notice the most.
These details are what sets the film apart from the more conventional horror films, which is artistry that few get to appreciate.
The Buzz Around the Film – Quiet Yet Impactful
Mainstream critics ignored the release of The Last Frankenstein, but indie critics noticed and praised indie films for their sincerity. Horror bloggers and YouTube critics claimed the film was made out of trauma, while some Youtubers focused on its metaphors. Over time, the movie accumulated a following and became a cult classic.
Indian horror enthusiasts, especially fans of philosophical movies like Tumbbad or the Ship of Theseus, embraced the movie. They enjoyed the film’s subtle but haunting atmosphere.
Watch Free Movies on Swatchseries-apk.store