Mary Shelley must be rolling in her grave, what with two big-screen flicks interpreting her best-known work. There was Guillermo del Toro’s lushly realized fan-fiction of Frankenstein in 2025, and then actor-turned-director/writer Maggie Gyllenhaal takes a twist with The Bride! in early 2026. Gyllenhaal even gives Shelley a literal part in the action here.
This one had a short theatrical run and finally hit streaming, where I watched it. I’m not as annoyed by Gyllenhaal’s remaking of the beloved novel as by del Toro’s because Gyllenhaal is more directly referencing the 1935 film Bride of Frankenstein. Even though Mary Shelley is a character here (and the first person heard in the movie), Shelley doesn’t seem too concerned with the book she wrote. She’s got an axe to grind about other things, or maybe everything, it’s hard to say exactly, she’s one hella angry ghost. Her lack of precision is a hint at how mish-mashed this whole movie will be.
There’s a bunch of ideas in this script, and so often they aren’t carried through. The main character of The Bride (Jessie Buckley) is a cipher to the audience and to herself — the first form we see her in, as the live Ida, is just as unclear of a concept as when she’s possessed by Mary Shelley’s ghost and when she’s a reanimated mate for Frank (aka Frankenstein’s monster). She stumbles around from one situation to the next without a real purpose, and the ‘girl power revolution’ the Bride inspires is a bit far-fetched, even if I understand the writer/director’s impulse behind it.
The movie has title cards saying it’s set in 1936, and Frank (Christian Bale) is obsessed with 1930s musical films. As he watches those movies-within-the-movie, Frank and sometimes the Bride appear in the musical numbers. This reminded me immediately of Young Frankenstein‘s version of “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” even before the big musical number in the main part of the movie. I guess that’s supposed to be ironic?
IDK because this flick is full of modern, wink-wink, references like the newspaper headlines and street posters. Even the ‘revolution’ continues through to a scene during the end credits with a soundtrack of “The Monster Mash.” It’s all a bit confused and chaotic and silly.
In an IndieWire interview, director Maggie Gyllenhaal explained this as:
“It’s the ‘30s by way of 1981, downtown New York,” Gyllenhaal said. “If it was too much 1930s, it didn’t feel correct. If it was too much 1981, it didn’t feel correct. If it was too much [of] right now, it didn’t feel correct. It’s a kind of combination of all of those things in an imaginary place.”
Sure, whatever.
Alas, there isn’t a ton of costume content even though the insanely great Sandy Powell is the designer here! The Bride wears the same orange satin dress for the whole movie — it’s a great one though. From life through reanimation, this is the Bride’s one outfit, including the green hosiery and red boots (which she shows off when alive). The director wasn’t convinced about this orange dress at first, which Syfy.com quotes:
“I remember saying that the dress was too orange. Sandy was like, ‘No, it isn’t.’ And I was like, ‘It’s too orange for me.’ And she was like, ‘You’re wrong.’” “It was really concerning me. I wanted it to be orange. I loved it, but maybe a little more dusty.”
“I saw the orange dress lit at night, which is three-quarters of our movie. I was like, ‘Ah, the woman’s a genius. She’s a genius.’ Thank you, Sandy Powell.”
Always trust Sandy Powell!
I found lots of 1930s patterns with falling collars similar to this dress, so the costume designer had plenty of inspiration .
The Bride’s leg is broken (probably because she falls to her death), and she’s fitted with a 1930s leg brace once she’s reanimated.
Being electrocuted back to life gives her this hairstyle, turns her tongue black, and scorches her face and body with black marks.
The makeup is copied by her riot-grrl followers, and I feel like this would be a fun, easy cosplay!
Eventually the Bride adds a white and black fur cape, giving a Cruella de Ville vibe.
There’s a random side-plot with two detectives Jake Wiles and his assistant, Myrna Malloy, tracking down Frank and the Bride. Myrna (Penelope Cruz) is the brains behind the operation, and she wears smart suits.
But her bobbed hair looks too wiggy to me, and she’s wearing a shitton of makeup for daytime.
Compare:
The ‘mad scientist,’ Dr. Cornelia Euphronius (Annette Benning), who helps Frank has more natural-looking bobbed hair, plus I really like her round, period-correct eye glasses.
The movie has some relevant points to make, even if it can’t quite make them coherently. Not a bad romp, just don’t go in expecting a lot.
Did you find The Bride! electrifying or a dud?
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At first, I thought Myrna Malloy and her boss were kinda 1950s, I was confused why they’d be chasing The Bride 15 odd years later.
I enjoyed it overall but I agree it was trying to do to much at once, especially the added framing of Mary Shelley possessing Ida from beyond the grave to kick off the events that lead her to becoming the Bride. Still I’d rather a not perfect interpretation like this over a retread of the same plot over and over (looking at you four hundred Dracula adaptations).
The trailers didn’t make this movie appealing to me. However, I do like that orange dress.
Almighty and slightly adorable ‘Girlfriends!’ energy from that behind-the-scenes shot of Boss Maggie and her leading lady.
I so wanted to love this movie, but it was just not very good. It was both boring and overly packed with stuff; I say stuff because it was mostly nonsensical. I had loved the trailers and was very excited about it, and I wanted it to be great for the sake of the cast and especially Maggie.