Robert Eggers has just proven himself a gothic horror master with Nosferatu, but before he decided to put a fresh spin on vampires, he was trying his hand at another famous legend.
Arriving in peak holiday season, Eggers’ take on the 1922 classic horror movie has earned stellar reactions from critics and audiences (just check out our 5-star review!), and has since become the director’s highest-grossing movie.
But Count Orlok isn’t the only fictional horror legend Eggers has toyed with in the past. In fact, he once tried to develop a movie for another big name in the genre.
Unfortunately, it ended up being (as he called it), a “dud.”
Robert Eggers tried writing Frankenstein before Nosferatu
Eggers has reveled that, prior to Nosferatu, he attempted an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Sadly it never came to pass, but the director is still very keen to watch Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming take on the monster tale.
“Sometimes you know you’ve got a dud,” he told Curzon. “I’m super excited for Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. When my son was born, I had an unconscious urge, I’m sure because of that, I started to try to do Frankenstein.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
“After two weeks, I was like, ‘There’s no way I can do this. It’s impossible.’ So I’m glad that Guillermo is finally making this.”
When pressed about the specifics of his unfinished Frankenstein story, Eggers replied, “No comment, but it definitely sucked, I’ll tell you that.”
Indeed, Guillermo del Toro does have a Frankenstein adaptation in the works which is currently in post-production. It’s set to release on Netflix sometime this year, and stars Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as Frankenstein’s monster.
However, this isn’t the only new movie set to explore Shelley’s gothic tale. There’s also The Bride!, an upcoming feature directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal and starring Jessie Buckley as Frankenstein’s bride and Christian Bale as Frankenstein’s monster. This will be released on September 26, 2025.
For more, check out our guide to the best horror TV shows. You can also find out the difference between Nosferatu and Dracula, and see what’s going on with all the upcoming Stephen King horror adaptations.
