Woo Woo with Rachel Dratch

Episode: Sheila O'Malley: Frankenstein and Creating A Monster
Date: January 7, 2026
Guests: Sheila O’Malley (Film Critic & Author)
Co-Host: Irene Bremis
Host: Rachel Dratch

Episode Overview

This lively, insightful episode of "Woo Woo with Rachel Dratch" dives into the origins, themes, and cinematic journey of Frankenstein, both as Mary Shelley's classic and as reimagined by Guillermo del Toro in his latest Netflix film. Film critic and author Sheila O’Malley joins Rachel and Irene to discuss her new book, The Art and Making of Frankenstein, her unique experiences writing about film, the enduring resonance of Shelley’s creation, and the deep, often mystical connection between pop culture, horror, and the unexplained. Along the way, the conversation bubbles with humor, deep cut film lore, woo woo tangents, and plenty of memorable asides.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Sheila O’Malley’s Film Critic Journey

• Background: Sheila reveals she’s been a critic for RogerEbert.com since 2013, a role she received after Ebert personally offered her the job late in his life (02:18).
  • “He was very open to [Internet critics]...as he was moving into his final phase of life, he reached out to people that he had read to carry on his legacy.” – Sheila (03:27)
• Transition to Criticism: Her start was blogging, driven by personal obsessions and the need to resurrect creative dreams.
  • “I was just doing it because I was bored. I had an office job and...my dreams were dead. This was a way to kind of resurrect.” – Sheila (05:53)

Writing Critically, With Empathy

• Sheila struggled at first to write negative reviews due to her respect for actors and creative effort (04:50).
• She strives to review with context: “Not everything is for you...you can't dismiss something because it’s not for you.” – Sheila (09:33)
• On dishonesty in film: she is harsher toward dishonest or vanity projects, but avoids “punching down” at microbudget films (09:12).

The Roger Ebert Review of ‘North’ Anecdote (07:13)

• Rachel shares the story of Ebert’s famously scathing review (“Hated, hated, hated, hated...”) and a subsequent good-natured encounter between writer Alan Zweibel and Ebert.
• “You put yourself out there. You deserve what you get.” – Sheila (08:36)

Frankenstein on Netflix & The New Book

The Art and Making of Frankenstein

• Sheila’s Role: Commissioned to create the companion book to the new Frankenstein, despite having never done anything similar. She started without having seen a frame of the film (16:13).
• Connections: Hired through her past encounter with Guillermo del Toro and mutual friends in the film industry (16:31).
• Set Visits: Visited the set in Scotland months into the process: “Scotland...is so filled with ghosts of murdered kings. I mean, I don’t know, it just feels very...woo woo.” – Sheila (18:31)
• Book Structure: Includes interviews, beautiful photos, and a section on Mary Shelley and the Romantics (21:54–22:20).

Mary Shelley & Origins of Frankenstein

• Shelley wrote Frankenstein as a teenager, after running away with Percy Shelley—a story of rebellion and scandal (24:54).
• It emerged during a literary challenge at Lord Byron’s villa, inspired by a nightmare vision: “A vividness far beyond the usual bounds of reverie...I saw with shut eyes the pale student of the unhallowed arts.” – Mary Shelley (read by Sheila, 28:58)
• Shelley’s sympathy was always with the creature, whom she used to express her own sense of social alienation (33:14).

Guillermo del Toro’s Interpretation

• Adds psychological depth: “Guillermo definitely wanted to portray explicitly this breaking of the cycle of abuse.” – Sheila (39:10)
• Shifts perspective: The monster is truly the creation, but it’s the creator (Dr. Frankenstein) who becomes monstrous—a theme in Shelley’s original as well.
• Rachel and Irene praise the film’s design and humanizing of the monster: “They did a fantastic job of making him look beautiful...but also, the way he was patched together was so artfully done.” – Rachel (23:17)

Woo Woo Themes & Symbolism

• Romantic Gothicism: The hosts and guest discuss the roots of Frankenstein in Romantic and Gothic tradition, noting how supernatural fear and societal alienation are core to its power.

  • “Wuthering Heights is really a ghost story...there’s lot of supernatural.” – Sheila (26:16)
  • Irene highlights the Biblical and religious undertones: “He was like the creator...with hubris and then abandoning Adam, in a sense, when he was...You know what I mean? That biblical relevance.” (38:00)

• Mary Shelley as Trailblazer:

  • “She was like a feminist in a way.” – Irene (35:18)
  • Her background as a "Nepo baby" with revolutionary, radical parents helped her find her voice in a male-dominated literary world (32:33).

• Woo Woo Set Experience: Scotland’s haunted landscapes and Frankenstein’s gothic roots are a recurring motif (18:31).

• Dreams & Creative Mysticism: The notion of creative inspiration springing from dreams is celebrated.

  • “She went to bed kind of thinking about this and had this vision of this figure at the foot of her bed who was a created being. And she was filled with horror.” – Sheila (27:16)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Roger Ebert on Criticism:
  • “I hated this movie. Hated, hated, hated, hated, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate this movie.” (as quoted by Rachel, 07:14)
• Sheila on Empathic Criticism:
  • “You can’t dismiss something because it’s not for you.” (09:44)
• Sheila on Frankenstein:
  • “Her sympathy was with the creature, which is often missed in adaptations. ... The doctor is the monster very explicitly in Guillermo’s version.” (34:33)
• Irene on Symbolism:
  • “There were so many things that I had to write down...He was like the creator...that biblical relevance.” (38:00)
• Rachel on The Monster’s Humanity:
  • “They did a fantastic job of making him look beautiful...But also, the way he was patched together was so artfully done.” (23:17)
• Irene on Shelley as Elizabeth:
  • “Mia Goth brought it...in past iterations...she’s always portrayed as a wallflower. But they maintain who she would be at the time, but really gave her the flair of a feminist.” (36:20)

Notable Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment/Quote | |-------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:18–03:27 | Sheila describes joining RogerEbert.com and her path to film criticism | | 07:13–08:32 | The “I hated, hated, hated...” review story and Ebert getting ribbed by Alan Zweibel | | 13:41–14:39 | On reviewing with empathy and seeking a film’s intention | | 16:13–18:46 | Sheila discusses writing The Art and Making of Frankenstein, visiting the set in Scotland | | 21:54–23:07 | Book structure, combining interviews and Mary Shelley history | | 24:54–29:41 | In-depth look at Mary Shelley’s life and the dream that inspired Frankenstein | | 32:33–34:33 | Shelley’s place in her literary world and the quick rise of Frankenstein as a cultural icon | | 34:40–36:45 | Del Toro’s additions to the story and focus on abuse, plus Elizabeth as a proto-feminist | | 36:45–39:54 | Talk about the film’s performances, symbolism, and the importance of forgiveness in the ending | | 41:54–43:26 | Frankenstein as melodrama and Guillermo del Toro’s resistance to being boxed into ‘horror’ | | 45:18–46:29 | Scariest movies each participant has seen; The Exorcist, Babadook, and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer | | 47:41–50:23 | Movie quiz – Dratch reveals major movies she hasn’t seen; reflections on viewing habits | | 51:13–52:29 | Pendulum reading (“Will I live in my apartment a long time?” – Sheila gets a ‘yes’) |

Fun Moments & Running Gags

• Rachel’s admitted gaps in classic movie viewing, e.g., never seeing Jaws or Caddyshack, much to her friends’ mock rage (48:30).
• The group’s playful self-deprecation about not keeping up with Oscar-nominated films.
• Irene’s unexpected deep dives into the literary and symbolic dimensions of horror and classic film: “Are you teaching a college course on this later?” (38:17).

Where to Find Sheila O’Malley

• Instagram: @therealsheilakathleen
• Blog: sheilaomalley.com
• Film Reviews: RogerEbert.com

Closing Woo Woo: Pendulum Reading

• The episode closes with the recurring “pendulum reading” – Sheila asks if she’ll stay long in her current apartment, and both pendulums swing “yes”, prompting celebration from the group (51:49–52:29).

This episode is a perfect blend of deep literary analysis, behind-the-scenes filmmaking insight, woo woo flavor, and classic Dratch/Bremis banter—offering fans both laughs and substantive discussion on why the story of Frankenstein continues to haunt, inspire, and evolve.