In honor of Jacob Elordi’s sexy creature, we rank Frankenstein’s monsters in terms of spiciness. How would he fare against Emma Stone or Boris Karloff?
Jacob Elordi talks about transformation and rebirth in Frankenstein
Jacob Elordi has revealed how playing the Creature in Guillermo del Toro’s new Frankenstein rekindled his passion for acting.
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The Hollywood Institute has shown numerous Frankenstein films, as well as big-screen versions of Mary Shelley’s themes. And all these iterations resulted in Frankenstein’s monster of varying degrees of beauty.
In other words, whether it’s hot or not.
The latest addition to the canon has been praised for its looks. Jacob Elordi is a pretty good-looking guy in regular roles, and fans on social media are clamoring to see him play the creature in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein (now available on Netflix). One X user wrote that he was “that’s it”, while another confessed that he felt a “feminine thing” towards Elordi’s monster.
Shelley had sought to express bitterness in his original 1818 novel Frankenstein, but Victor Frankenstein “chose his features to be beautiful,” and del Toro and Elordi understood the task. Other similarly themed “creatures” in film history were a little more raw.
So which ‘Frankenstein’ movie are you swiping right on?Here’s how Elordi ranks with his peers in the film world, which range from horrible to wonderful.
15. Robert De Niro (Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, 1994)
oh yeah. This is a face only Frankenstein’s mother would love, and it comes together like an easy-to-assemble jigsaw puzzle using an industrial stapler. He has intelligence and eloquence, which helps.
14. Christopher Lee (The Curse of Frankenstein, 1957)
Lee didn’t have to do much when it came to her makeup, as the horror icon was naturally disturbing enough. His view of this monster is that of a blind English man who gets into an argument at the local pub.
13. Fred Gwynne (Munster, Go Home, 1966)
Frankenstein’s monster is the funniest of all, thanks in large part to its personality. So what if he had a forehead that defied gravity? Herman Munster was a devoted husband and father, drove a cool car, and wore nice platform shoes.
12. Shuler Hensley (Van Helsing, 2004)
Everyone in this action-packed Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale monster mash-up is oddly charming. This Frankenstein monster resembles a giant offensive lineman with great dad energy.
11. Peter Boyle (Young Frankenstein, 1974)
There’s a certain tenderness to Boyle’s baby-faced monster with male pattern baldness. What makes his character stand out in Mel Brooks’ classic comedy is that he gracefully dances to “Puttin’ on the Ritz” in a tuxedo.
10. Aaron Eckhart (“I, Frankenstein”, 2014)
Eckhart’s sci-fi horror hero Adam Frankenstein has some nasty scars, but mostly retains the actor’s rugged handsomeness. Moreover, our made man knows how to accessorize by combining a hoodie with a stylish overcoat.
9. Boris Karloff (Frankenstein, 1931)
Yes, he has a bolt in his neck and moans a lot. Sure, you might run away screaming on the first date. But that’s not too shabby, since this guy has one of the most iconic looks in pop culture history.
8. Emma Stone (Poor Things, 2023)
Vera Baxter’s corpse has been reanimated with a baby’s brain, so it doesn’t have the typical Frankenstein-like facial decorations. The initial infantility is strange, but she evolves into a very beautiful woman, all things considered.
7. Cole Sprouse (Lisa Frankenstein, 2024)
Literally a goth girl’s dream come true. In a feminist twist on Shelley’s story, Sprouse’s Creature is a gentlemanly undead Victorian man who is accidentally resurrected and is completely devoted to his “creator.” Fainted.
6. Jennifer Beals (The Bride, 1985)
“How many hearts will she break?” a character says about Beals’ character Eva in this gothic horror romance. That’s for sure, as the Flashdance star finds himself in a love triangle with Sting’s Baron Frankenstein and Clancy Brown’s Monster.
5. Johnny Depp (Edward Scissorhands, 1990)
Depp’s title character in Tim Burton’s gothic fantasy romance is a bizarre invention with a blade attached to his hand, but he can’t break through his leather wardrobe and deer-in-the-headlights façade. The other one is for the goth kids at home.
4. Kelly LeBrock (Weird Science, 1985)
A couple of hormonally affected teenage boys decide to channel their inner mad scientist and create the perfect woman. In the mid-1980s, it was LeBrock wearing a crop top. Good luck, young people.
3. Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein, 2025)
There’s a beautiful tragedy to Elordi’s performance as the creature in the latest reinvention of “Frankenstein.” And somehow, the various patchwork prosthetics end up accentuating the Australian actor’s leading role.
2. Peter Hinwood (The Rocky Horror Show, 1975)
Is Frankenstein’s monster your gym buddy? This works in the cult classic musical, where Tim Curry’s Dr. Frank-N-Furter is dressed as a ripped blonde guy who gets Charles Atlas’ stamp of approval.
1. Elsa Lanchester (The Bride of Frankenstein, 1935)
From her infamous electric hair and chef’s whoosh kiss to her perfect balance of sexy and scary, The Lanchester Bride is still, 90 years later, the kind of horror charm that most scream queens and final girls wish they were.
