''Frankenstein'' is a 2004 American

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

horror

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

produced and directed by

Marcus Nispel Marcus Nispel (born 26 May 1963) is a German film director and Film producer, producer, best known for several high-profile American remakes such as ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003 film), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' (2003). He has also di ...

and written by

John Shiban John Shiban is an American television writer and producer. Career Shiban worked in both capacities on ''The X-Files'', its spin-off '' The Lone Gunmen'', '' Star Trek: Enterprise'', ''Smallville'', ''Supernatural'', '' Legend of the Seeker'', ''B ...

. Loosely inspired by

Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley ( , ; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel ''Frankenstein, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an History of science fiction# ...

's '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'', and stars

Parker Posey Parker Christian Posey (born November 8, 1968) is an American actress. Known for playing eccentric characters in independent films, she was named "Queen of the Indies" by ''Time'' in 1997. She has received nominations for a Primetime Emmy Awa ...

as a police detective on the trail of a serial killer, played by

Thomas Kretschmann Thomas Kretschmann (; born 8 September 1962) is a German actor who has appeared in many European and American films. His notable roles include Lieutenant Hans von Witzland in ''Stalingrad'' (1993), Hauptmann Wilm Hosenfeld in '' The Pianist'' (2 ...

, in present-day

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. The detective is aided in her search by one of the killer's creations, played by

Vincent Perez Vincent Perez (born 10 June 1964) is a Swiss actor, director and photographer. He played the title character, Ashe Corven, in '' The Crow: City of Angels'', and starred in ''Queen of the Damned'', playing Marius de Romanus. Some of his films in ...

Adam Goldberg Adam Goldberg (born October 25, 1970) is an American actor. Known for his supporting roles in film and television, Goldberg has appeared in films such as '' Dazed and Confused'', ''Saving Private Ryan'', '' A Beautiful Mind'' and ''Zodiac''. He ...

Ivana Miličević Ivana Miličević (; born April 26, 1974) is a Croatian-American actress and model based in the United States, best known for her starring roles in the Cinemax action-drama series ''Banshee (TV series), Banshee'' (2013–2016) and The CW science ...

and

Michael Madsen Michael Madsen (born September 25, 1957) is an American actor. Alongside his frequent collaborations with Quentin Tarantino—''Reservoir Dogs'' (1992), ''Kill Bill: Volume 2'' (2004), ''The Hateful Eight'' (2015), and ''Once Upon a Time in Hol ...

co-star. ''Frankenstein'' aired on the

USA Network USA Network (or simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports ...

on October 10, 2004. Intended as the

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

for an ongoing series, the planned show was initially deriving from a concept by

Dean Koontz Dean Ray Koontz (born July 9, 1945) is an American author. His novels are billed as thriller (genre), suspense thrillers, but frequently incorporate elements of horror fiction, horror, fantasy, science fiction, Mystery fiction, mystery, and sati ...

. USA and the producers ordered major changes from the concept, resulting in Koontz losing interest in the show in its new form and withdrawing association from the project, later creating a book series based on his initial pitch, entitled ''

Dean Koontz's Frankenstein ''Dean Koontz's Frankenstein'' is the collective title of five novels co-written by Dean Koontz. Though technically of the mystery or thriller genres, the novels also feature the trappings of horror, fantasy, and science fiction. The first thr ...

''. Subsequently, executive producer

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...

also expressed desire to exit the series, before the project ultimately fell through.

Premise

While investigating the murders of a serial killer who mutilates and removes the internal organs of the victims, two present-day

police detectives, Carson O'Conner and her partner Michael Sloane, learn that Victor Frankenstein, now calling himself Victor Helios, is still alive and has created a number of genetically-engineered creatures with the intent of building a legion of followers to assist in his overthrow of the Old Race (humans). However, his very first creation, the original

Frankenstein monster Frankenstein's monster, commonly referred to as Frankenstein, is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' as its main antagonist. Shelley's title compares the monster's ...

, now calling himself Deucalion, is also alive and looking to kill his creator.

Cast

as Detective Carson O'Conner *

Deucalion In Greek mythology, Deucalion (; ) was the son of Prometheus; ancient sources name his mother as Clymene (mythology), Clymene, Hesione (Oceanid), Hesione, or Pronoia (mythology), Pronoia.A Scholia, scholium to ''Odyssey'' 10.2 (=''Catalogue of W ...

as Dr. Victor Helios *

as Detective Michael Sloane *

as Erika Helios *

as Detective Jonathan Harker * Deborah Duke as Angelique * Ann Mahoney as Jenna Parker * Deneen Tyler as Kathleen Burke *

Brett Rice James Brett Rice (born April 20, 1954) is an American film, television, and theater actor. He is perhaps known for his roles in the films ''Forrest Gump'' (1994), ''Remember the Titans'' (2000), ''Monster'' (2003), '' Super 8'' (2011), ''Foxcatc ...

as Detective Dwight Frye *

Stocker Fontelieu Charles Stocker Fontelieu (May 5, 1923 – December 14, 2009) was an American actor, director and producer who participated in more than 470 stage productions. Career Fontelieu was recognized for his involvement in the local theatre in New ...

as Patrick Duchaine * Sandra Dorsey as Nancy Whistler

Production

Filming took place in

. Cinematographer

Daniel Pearl Daniel Pearl (October 10, 1963 – February 1, 2002) was an American journalist who worked for ''The Wall Street Journal.'' On January 23, 2002, he was kidnapped by Jihadism, jihadist militants while he was on his way to what he had expected wou ...

shot on

Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company, referred to simply as Kodak (), is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in film photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorporated i ...

Super 16 mm film 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 mm and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, e ...

with Arriflex 16 SR3 cameras.

Reception

Sloan Freer of ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...

'' gave the film two stars and said "though the ultra-stylised visuals create an air of brooding menace, they can't compensate for the patchy plotting or the abrupt and hugely unsatisfying finale." Brian Lowry of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' praised the look saying "Even working on a made-for-TV budget, Nispel provides plenty of striking imagery, giving the film a truly distinctive look" and added "while the climax is somewhat disappointing, the brisk story until then leaves ample room to speculate as to where a series would go with Helios' creations roaming the Earth."

References

External links

* * {{Portal bar, 2000s, Television, Film, United States, Speculative fiction, Science fiction, Horror 2004 television films 2004 films 2004 horror films 2004 science fiction films 2000s American films 2000s English-language films 2000s police procedural films 2000s science fiction horror films 2000s serial killer films American horror television films American police detective films American science fiction horror films American science fiction television films American serial killer films Fictional portrayals of the New Orleans Police Department Films based on adaptations Films based on works by Dean Koontz Films directed by Marcus Nispel Films scored by Normand Corbeil Films set in New Orleans Films shot in New Orleans Frankenstein films Lionsgate films Science fiction horror television films Television films as pilots Television films based on books Television pilots not picked up as a series English-language science fiction horror films English-language crime films