Guillermo Del Toro's Frankenstein Finally Reveals What Jacob Elordi's Monster Looks Like

The second trailer for Guillermo del Toro's "Frankenstein" has dropped (see above). While the first trailer focused more on Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), this one pivots to his creation (Jacob Elordi), who narrates the promo.

"My maker told his tale, and I will tell mine," the Creature declares in a deep and trembling voice. "If you are not to award me love, then I will indulge in rage."

Promotional material for the movie has kept the Creature in shadow, his face and features hidden under a hood and ragged cloak. Why, you might ask, is it worth being secretive about such a famous story? This Frankenstein's Monster will not have the classic Boris Karloff look, e.g. no metal rods sticking out of his neck.

In Mary Shelley's original novel, the Creature is an intelligent and articulate being; del Toro is honoring that characterization, as well as how Shelley's prose suggests the Creature appears. This new trailer ends with the Creature pulling off his mask, but his face is still barely visible under deep shadow. The impatient need not worry, though, because Entertainment Weekly has shared a press photo giving the Creature his close-up. (See below for the full image.)

Elordi, who was a late replacement for Andrew Garfield, looks utterly unrecognizable. His performance has also been praised as the best part of the film, so he clearly didn't let the make-up hinder him.

In "Frankenstein," after Victor brings the Creature to life and then flees from his apartment, he describes his creation's uncanny appearance and his disappointment with it.

"I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same color as the dun-white sockets in which they were set, his shriveled complexion and straight black lips."

Not every single detail is represented in the movie, but the general impression is the same. The flowing black hair is visible inside the Creature's hood. The Creature's grey skin fails to cover half of his face and much of his torso. Yet, the other side of his face does show the beauty Victor intended. The Creature's skin tone makes him look not just ghostly, but like a cracked marble statue (or even Luke Goss' Elf Prince Nuada from del Toro's "Hellboy II: The Golden Army").

Compare that to Kenneth Branagh's previous straightforward adaptation of Shelley's "Frankenstein" novel, where the Creature (Robert De Niro) had skin-toned flesh but a face mangled by stitching, scarring and a bald head.

The trailer shows the Creature's inhuman strength; he shrugs off multiple rifle shots and single-handedly rocks a ship trapped in Arctic ice. However, it also teases the sad parts of the Creature's story that book fans will recognize, such as his failed friendship with a blind man (David Bradley). In "Frankenstein," del Toro has twisted Dr. Frankenstein from merely in over his head into a more actively malicious man. As the Creature's design shows, the filmmaker was also able to find more beauty hidden in the character many call a monster.

"Frankenstein" will begin a limited theatrical release on October 17, 2025, before debuting on Netflix on November 7.