“Lisa Frankenstein,” directed by Diablo Cody and starring Kathryn Newton, is a 2024 horror comedy film that follows the life of Lisa, a lonely college girl whom the world thinks is weird. The plot tries to be funny, but it feels forced and doesn’t really work. Kathryn Newton’s performance is praiseworthy. However, apart from that, it is hard to find anything else to praise about the film. Let’s see what happens in “Lisa Frankenstein.”
Spoilers Ahead
Lisa Frankenstein (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
The film starts with an animation clip where the director tries to establish a backstory of one of the lead characters who comes later in the main story. We see a guy getting abandoned in every step of his life and when finally he plays piano, a girl likes him. But, soon after, we see the girl dating a guitar guy. In agony, the boy goes to a park and sits under a tree while reading poetry. A thunder strikes the tree, and the boy dies because of it. Now, we jump to 1989, where we are introduced to Lisa, a girl whose mother was murdered and now lives with her stepmother Janet and stepsister Taffy.
Right after her mother’s death, everyone starts to believe that Lisa is behaving awkwardly or responding weirdly. But, in her own world, Lisa is creating her imaginary friends and even taking care of them. For instance, she spends most of her time in the Bachelor’s Grave, where she befriends one of the tombs of a young man. She finds comfort in him, so she wishes that she could have spent life with him. It was not a literal wish. But, as they say, be careful what you wish for. Soon, Lisa’s wish comes true in the most bizarre way.
How does Lisa meet with the Victorian Man?
During a college party night, Lisa feels like not going in as she feels her face looks bad. Her step-sister tells her that she can use the tanning machine that she had won in a beauty competition. Lisa’s sister Taffy has everything as a teenager. She has the perfect face, she is the cheerleader of the college and she has a mother, who in fact, hates Lisa like no one else. But, Taffy is very supportive toward Lisa. She even protects her from her self-centered mother at times. Their father Dale does not involve himself much in their fight.
Anyway, Lisa uses the tanning machine, but due to a malfunction, it doesn’t really work. On their way to the party, Lisa confesses to Taffy that she likes Michael Trent, publisher of the college magazine and in the party she meets with him accidentally. Lisa takes a glass from Trent’s friend to prove that she is not a loser. But soon she feels dizzy and leaves the party. Later she finds herself in the Bachelor’s Grave and a green lightning strikes on the grave of her favorite Bachelor there, who died in 1837.
Later when Lisa is by herself at home the dead body of her favorite comes in. At first, Lisa acts very scared, but then she decides to hide her ‘Frankenstein monster’ in her closet. This monster can’t talk and is missing some of his body parts. He explains to Lisa that he is here because she wishes him to be. But Lisa tells him that she did not mean it like that. What she meant was after death, she would be happy to be reunited with him. Although this makes him sad, they grow to be best friends.
What does Lisa’s Frankenstein do to Janet and Doug?
When the monster sees Janet continuously scolding Lisa for no reason at all, he tries to take revenge in his own way. But, when one day she says she will send him away, he gets angry and kills Janet in an instant. Lisa at first does not understand what she should do, but later, with his help, she buries Janet. He also cuts off her left ear since he did not have one. Lisa sewed it onto his head and realized that he could get new body parts by being electrocuted. So, with the help of Taffy’s tanning machine, the making of the Frankenstein monster is finally done.
Later, she remembers Doug, who took advantage of her situation and touched her wrongly at the party that night. Lisa asks Doug to meet her near the graveyard. Doug thinks that Lisa is interested in him but without realizing much about what is happening the monster cuts off Doug’s right hand and buries him as well. Lisa then sewed the hand and with these new parts, the Frankenstein monster starts to look more like he used to. With time, he and Lisa become partners in crime.
What does Lisa find out about Taffy?
Right after these events, Lisa becomes more relaxed than ever and she starts to stand up for herself. But, soon, Taffy and Dale learn that Janet is missing, perhaps dead by now, and the police are looking for Doug as well. Lisa almost gets in trouble when the police tell her that there are eyewitnesses who saw Doug with her, but she manages to avoid it somehow. Later, she tells the monster to take her to Michael Trent because she wants to make love with him right then. The monster fails to express how distressed he is, knowing that she is going to Michael Trent because he is deeply in love with Lisa.
Lisa understands that something is going on with the creature, but first, she goes to see Michael, keeping in mind that this is the first time she is going to lose her virginity to the person she loves the most. But, unfortunately she finds him in bed with Taffy. Lisa is very upset and so she confronts them. Michael explains to her that even though he only likes her, he does not want to be with her. Soon, the creature enters the scene, cuts off Michael’s private parts, and almost attacks Taffy as well.
Lisa Frankenstein (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
Is Lisa Alive?
Lisa brings Taffy near the Bachelor’s Grave and thanks her for being kind to her throughout her whole life. She gives Taffy the necklace she once gave to the monstrous creature before it came alive. Taffy, filled with fear of what she has seen already, leaves the scene the first chance she gets. Lisa enters the graveyard and before she can strike the axe to the monster she can not help but fall in his arms. She talks to the Frankenstein monster as he expresses his feelings toward her.
Lisa feels like having sex right at that moment. But, since he lacks the private part, he hands over Michael’s private parts to Lisa. Lisa again goes through the process and finally she and her monster have sex. Since the police are looking for Lisa, she asks him to electrocute her in the tanning bed. He does so and since the machine was given maximum power, it burns itself from inside and the whole house is on fire.
At the end of the film, we see Dale and Taffy bringing flowers for Lisa’s grave. Taffy seems to have seen something that raises her intuition. There is a writing on the tombstone that addresses Lisa as ‘wife.’ Later, we see both the Frankenstein monster and Lisa are alive as he reads a poem to a bandaged Lisa, who is sleeping on his lap. Lisa has successfully escaped from a society that thinks of her as a weirdo and starts living in her own bizarre world.
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