When a Monster Became a Mirror
A movie like the last Frankenstein is a hits showcase for any independent firm. Its advertising is non conventional in that it relies on festival cuts advertising its presence in almost elite small black and white cinema. It relies on word of mouth with its unique approaches to handling the Frankenstein myth focusing on its legacy. This film is a narrative driven endeavor that challenges the audience to question the obsession with its blurred border of creation and destruction.
The film chronicles the life of Dr. Jason Frankenstein, a direct descendant of the original Frankenstein Victor. Unlike the original, Jason is not a generic movie mad scientist. He is a tormented figure battling personal adversities and is haunted by the reputation of his family. He is plagued by the dying of the family name and his Victor is not driven by arrogance, but by a despairs legacy.
The film keeps focus on Jason’s emotional decline as he isolates himself from family and friends, concerns himself with morbid experiments and goes deeper into his bloodline’s secrets. To the audience, he is a man trying to sew together not just a body, but his very identity.
He is surrounded by supporting characters – friends, skeptics, and rivals – who act as his moral compass. To these characters and the audience’s relief, when the creature is brought to life, it is not a monster but a reflection showing Jason all the things he has been avoiding.
With emotional drama intertwined with psychological horror, the plot has the ‘monster’ as a vessel for the grief, generational pressure, and the fear of mediocrity that stems from being the descendant of the extraordinary.
The actor that plays Jason Frankenstein does his role of carrying the weight of legacy and responsibility for the character, but also more so by bringing in his personal life. Jason Frankenstein is an actor recognized for his work in smaller indie films, who is also passionate about experimental cinema. Having been in the slower, character-driven horror films, he has felt the pressure that comes with the territory.
In an interview, Galarza stated, **For Jason’s character, I felt the fear of failing a legacy, the fear of failing a family. I understood that completely, that was my family too. Jason’s family wanted him to get a job a ‘real job’. Galarza goes on to explain that this feeling of guilt he felt was the reason for some of the darker, more intense emotion in the scenes. *Crew members noticed he often stayed in character’s mood between takes, sitting alone or pacing, as if rehearsing the internal conflict rather than the script itself.*
One crew assistant remembered how, in Jason’s last outburst scene – the one where Jason finally breaks down, face to face with his creation – he wanted to give one more take. He burst out crying on this take. It was a surprise to the whole crew, even the director. That take was left in the final cut, no edits.
The Creature Who Was Anything But Creature Like
The performer behind the creature also deserves a great amount of credit. He is a trained theater actor, specializing in body movement and stunts. He treated the role of the monster not as the standard horror movie creature but as a newly born, fully developed consciousness trapped inside an ill-fitting body.
He had a few discomforts related to filming: the prosthetics were quite weighty, the makeup application was lengthy, and some shooting had to take place outside in extremely cold weather. Still, he managed to get through the discomfort and embraced it, as he had to get into the character to see what it feels like to be trapped inside a body you did not choose.
His smiley selfies while prosthetics were only half attached became his fan favorite.
Pre-Release Anticipation
For the movie front, only a teaser trailer was sufficient to get horror forums buzzing. Fans loved the trailer, especially its dark, grainy look like we would expect from 1980s creature features. A particular shot of Jason in a dark lab that was intermittently illuminated by lightning in the background was a particular favorite among retro horror buffs.
People asked each other: Would the film keep the gothic essence of the genre? Would it do something original? Would the film be psychological rather than bloody? Indie publications even released pieces early on, such as, “Is The Last Frankenstein the Revival of Classic Monster Horror?”. Though the film had a low marketing budget, it managed to get a fully mysterious reputation surrounding the film, something that would traditionally, in the film marketing business, be the complete opposite of the case.
What Went on Behind the Camera: the Hardships That Formed the Narrative
Almost all independent productions face adversities, and this film was no exception.
The Budget Constraint.
The project started off the with the small budget, which led the team to think outside the box. Some lab sets were constructed using only reclaimed materials and old theatre props. Lighting was designed using shadows as a stylistic choice because they were a necessary element due to the budget.
Issues with the Weather
Outdoor shoots in remote locations often face rain, so it was a problem on this project too. The cast was on set and waiting to film for over five hours due to cloud cover, which led to a lighting truck malfunction. The director later commented that it seemed like nature wanted to have a cameo in the film.
Almost a Different Final Design for the Creature
The director had initially hoped for a more grotesque design, but team’s screen testing led to a shift with them realizing that fear in the subtle human like creature was more effective.
Improvised Dialogue
One of the more standout moments was in an emotional interaction between Jason and the creature. The creature, who was in the form of a human, asked him, “Why did you make me broken?” which was an emotional line given on the spot in the frustration of a late-night filming scene.
On-Set Relationships That Built the Film
Even with the heavy topic, the atmosphere was cozy and supportive. Actors helped each other with emotional scenes, lifted each others’ spirits during the tough and long shoots, and bonded with each other over food.
Outdoor rehearsals helped the actors connect with the environment, and the out- door setting was refreshing. The director helped with the emotional bonding by holding talk sessions. They spoke about deep themes related to the story, such as identity and loss, which grounded the story in emotion for many of the participants.
Audience Response as the Credits Began to Roll
The audience was after-wards divided and primarily consisted of horror fans, who for the first time saw an atmospheric horror. And for the first time, saw an emotional and psychodramatic character conflict between the creator and creation.
Although the box office was not impressive, the film gained popularity on streaming, was for a while an underground favorite for psych horror and was a huge success in the indie film circuit. More than anything, it was a film that was not afraid to add to the Frankenstein legacy and was a film that earned underground respect.
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