Lisa Frankenstein is the new teenage horror/comedy that could laughingly be termed a coming-of-rage film, as it chronicles the angst, frustration, and tempest of the teenage years. Zelda Williams directs it, and the story comes from Diablo Cody, who picked up an Oscar for Juno and a Tony for Jagged Little Pill. She also wrote Jennifer’s Body, which some could describe as a screenplay related to this new film. 

Kathryn Newton portrays Lisa Swallows, a misunderstood High School student who lost her mother in a grisly home invasion to which she was the sole witness. Her father has since remarried, and her stepmother Janet (Carla Gugino), came into Lisa’s life with a step/sister in tow, Taffy (Liza Soberano in her first Hollywood role). 

Lisa finds comfort in spending time at the neighborhood cemetery, obsessed with one particular grave, so it is no surprise to find Fate interceding with one re-animated corpse - a ‘creature’ played by Cole Sprouse. 

The film then revolves around misadventures as Lisa and the creature cope with her issues and the relationships she embarks on, wishes to correct, or has some form of vengeance against.

It’s a period piece set in the 1980s, an era of big hair, Jane Fonda work-outs, tons of hair spray, neon hues for outfits, tanning beds, and New Wave music - all lovingly created to set the right tone. There’s a deadpan, tongue-in-cheek approach to providing the humor, and I noted how several jokes and references were flying past the audience during the advanced screening. And that was a shame, as it’s evident that Cody had thought about injecting the throwaway humor. 

Kathryn Newton was great in Freaky, and we’ll remember her as the daughter of MCU’s Ant-Man. Cole Sprouse took lessons in mime to enhance his attack on this non-speaking role, which helps bring ‘life’ to his corpse. Soberano acquits herself admirably, taking on the role of sister and only friend of Lisa in the school. 

She brings a bubbly attack to the cheerleader sister, who’s on the dumb side but means well. She keeps her Taffy sympathetic without overshadowing Lisa. I hope it’s the start of more roles for this young actress, and she matures to more challenging portrayals. 

I don’t know about you, but it's nice to see a Filipina actress in a Hollywood film just playing support and not being typecast as a domestic or caretaker.