Podcast Summary: Fresh Air – "Guillermo Del Toro Finally Makes His Own 'Frankenstein'"

Date: October 23, 2025
Host: Terry Gross (NPR)
Guest: Guillermo del Toro, director and writer of the new film Frankenstein

Episode Overview

This episode of Fresh Air features an in-depth, emotionally rich conversation between host Terry Gross and visionary filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. Del Toro discusses his long-awaited adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, exploring how the story threads through his life, his ongoing creative obsessions, and his personal history. The episode dives deep into the film's structure, themes of misunderstood beings, the implications of creation (scientific and personal), spirituality, trauma, and the life experiences that helped shape del Toro's approach to storytelling.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Del Toro's First Encounter With Frankenstein and Its Lifelong Impact

• Del Toro recounts a formative experience watching the 1931 Frankenstein film as a child after Sunday mass, describing it as a near-religious epiphany:

  • "The moment Boris Karloff crossed the threshold, I had an epiphany. I realized I understood my faith or my dogmas better through Frankenstein than through Sunday mass." (02:22)
  • As a child, he made the creature his personal "avatar and messiah."

• Transition from Child to Adult Perspective

  • Del Toro explains he initially identified with the story as a son, but now views it through the lens of a father. His personal family history (including his father's kidnapping) parallels the story's central relationships and themes of pain, mystery, and generational trauma. (03:23-04:55)

2. Personal Trauma and Its Influence on Frankenstein

• Del Toro's father's 72-day kidnapping not only forced the family to leave Mexico, but is "obliquely reflected" in the film. He refers to Frankenstein as "an autobiography of the soul." (05:10-05:25)

3. Structure and Fidelity to Mary Shelley's Novel

• The film is structured in three segments: introduction, Dr. Frankenstein's point of view, and finally, the creature's perspective. This third section draws directly from the novel, where the creature narrates his journey.

  • "When the creature meets Victor in the frozen north, he says, well, this is what happened to me... I found that hinging the movie in the middle was structurally the best way." (06:03)

• Visual and Tonal Distinctions

  • Each film section uses different camera work, color palettes, and energy to evoke distinct experiences: heightened horror, fairy tale, and parable. (07:57)

4. Religious and Mythological Parallels

• Del Toro openly connects Frankenstein’s creature to both Jesus and Pinocchio, drawing on themes of creation, suffering, and alienation:

  • "I triangulate the creature with Jesus and Pinocchio." (08:55)

• He discusses his Catholic upbringing, the Book of Job, and why those biblical mysteries preoccupied him. Del Toro's grandmother even "exorcised" him with holy water over his monster drawings and heresy:

  • "I would draw monsters all day...we loved each other, and that is salient in my movies. No matter how different we were, we can love each other." (10:40)

5. Creation, Artificial Intelligence, and Parental Responsibility

• Del Toro draws comparisons between Frankenstein’s monster and the concept of artificial intelligence, though he is critical of both the arrogance of modern "tech bros" and the shortcomings of AI.

  • "My concern is not artificial intelligence, but natural stupidity....The arrogance of Victor is similar in some ways to the tech Bros...creating something without considering the consequences." (11:51)

• AI in Filmmaking?

  • Del Toro is staunchly against generative AI:
  • "I am not interested, nor will I ever be interested...the other day, somebody wrote me an email, said, what is your stance on AI? And my answer was very short. I said, I'd rather die." (13:22–13:50)

6. On Immortality and the Necessity of Death

• The film endows the creature with eternal life—a curse, not a gift. Del Toro relays his reverence for death:

  • "I'm a huge fan of death. I'm a groupie for death. I think it's the metronome of our existence. And without rhythm, there is no melody." (15:14)

• Personal grief over his father’s kidnapping transformed his view on pain and the cosmos. (15:14-16:04)

7. The Book of Job, Acceptance, and the Tao

• Del Toro required his cast to read the Book of Job and the Tao Te Ching, seeing the creature’s plea—"why did this happen to me?"—as echoing our own search for explanation in suffering.
  • "Acceptance is so profound....The Tao says all pain comes from desire, which is absolutely true." (17:59)

8. Cinematic Influences and Technical Craft

• Del Toro pays tribute to director James Whale and the German Expressionist influence on the 1931 film, including the creative use of painted shadows for atmosphere. (22:35-23:49)
• His own film draws on horror and fairy tale aesthetics, with a concert-like, anatomical depiction of the monster’s creation scene, underpinned by a waltz. (24:20-25:07)
• The look of the creature was inspired by the art of Bernie Wrightson and Victorian-era anatomy charts to evoke both art and "newly minted" human beauty. (26:13-27:25)

9. Lucid Dreaming, Nightmares, and Childhood Inspiration

• Del Toro describes experiencing lucid nightmares as a child—waking dreams populated by monsters, which later inspired imagery in his films (notably the burning archangel in Frankenstein). (27:40-28:47)
  • Notably, the film includes a scene from the novel—Victor awakening after creating the creature and finding it at his bedside—that del Toro had long dreamt of rendering in cinema. (28:59–29:38)

10. Upheaval, Exile, and Belonging

• Del Toro discusses the traumatic impact of exile (after his father's kidnapping), difficulties with immigration, and never feeling fully at home in any country:

  • "I have all my papers with me at all times. And it is a very difficult time when there is no voice for the other. And I think that understanding that the other is you is crucial." (36:41–37:20)

• Wealth, Family, and Alienation

  • His father’s massive lottery win paradoxically led to unusual isolation and detachment for del Toro as a child. (32:23–33:49)
  • Access to books and solitude shaped his imagination.

11. Healing, Humor, and Pop Culture Frankenstein

• Discusses reconciling with his father, familial estrangement, and emotional debts paid.
• Adores Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein, especially “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” crediting it as both great comedy and a genuine Frankenstein film:
  • "I think that's not only one of the greatest comedies ever made, he's one of the great Frankenstein movies ever made." (39:09)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the monster as avatar:
  "At age 7, the creature of Frankenstein was going to be my personal avatar and my personal messiah." (02:22)
• On creation and AI:
  "My concern is not artificial intelligence, but natural stupidity." (11:51) "I am not interested, nor will I ever be interested [in using AI]. I'd rather die." (13:22-13:50)
• On immortality:
  "I'm a huge fan of death. I'm a groupie for death. It's the metronome of our existence. Without rhythm, there is no melody." (15:14)
• On accepting pain and insignificance:
  "All pain comes from desire...But if you don't want more, there's a zero that gives you peace. And the same with life." (17:59)
• On his childhood zoo:
  "We had eagles, a pet lion...I could go like Danny in The Shining on my tricycle for hours in the long corridors... sometimes, I would go for weeks without seeing a single adult." (33:16)
• On family and reconciliation:
  "My dad was not my dad. He was a guy that played my dad on my particular sitcom...but I loved him so much." (35:37)
• On being the 'other':
  "It is a very difficult time when there is no voice for the other. And I think that understanding that the other is you is crucial." (37:20)
• On his favorite Young Frankenstein moment:
  "Putting on the Ritz, of course... Not only one of the greatest comedies ever made, but one of the great Frankenstein movies ever made." (39:00)

Segment Timestamps

• Del Toro’s first Frankenstein epiphany (02:22)
• Comparing as son/father, family trauma (03:23–04:55)
• Father's kidnapping & film’s personal layer (05:10–05:25)
• Film structure, creature’s POV (05:37–07:57)
• Religious myth, Jesus, Pinocchio (08:55–10:40)
• AI & creator responsibility (11:51–13:50)
• On death and immortality (15:14–16:04)
• Book of Job, the Tao, acceptance (17:51–19:09)
• Influence of 1931 film, technical craft (22:35–25:07)
• Creature’s design inspiration (26:13–27:25)
• Lucid dreaming & its creative influence (27:40–29:38)
• Life after exile & otherness (36:41–37:20)
• Reconciliation with father (35:37–36:24)
• Love for Young Frankenstein (38:34–39:37)

Additional Memorable Moments

• Del Toro reveals he was an obsessive reader and "the world’s youngest hypochondriac," directly connecting his knowledge and obsessions to his filmmaking. (25:09–25:57)
• Del Toro’s horror at reading reviews as a younger man: "I would read every single one until I found the one that would never leave my brain." (19:18)
• The story of his father's kidnapping and James Cameron's role as his family’s negotiator. (34:26)

Tone & Style

The exchange combines Terry Gross’s measured, probing interview style with del Toro’s poetic, honest, and often humorous voice. The conversation is candid and profound, spanning impressionistic memories, philosophical musings, and the nuts and bolts of cinematic craft—always circling back to the core themes of empathy, otherness, family, and the thin boundary between horror and beauty.

For Listeners

This episode offers a riveting exploration of Frankenstein—not just as a film but as a meditation on creation, alienation, and healing. It’s a must-listen for del Toro fans, lovers of classic cinema, those interested in the philosophy of storytelling, and anyone seeking insight into the emotional currents that animate great art.