This past Tuesday, I went to see what is being referred to as "the biggest flop in horror history" (which I'm sure is an exaggeration, but I digress), The Bride!
I've been looking forward to this movie since the moment I learned of its existence. I can't remember when, exactly, I saw the trailer for it, but my immediate thought was that it aesthetically looked like some kind of love child of the taken-from-us-too-soon TV series Penny Dreadful, and American Horror Story: Hotel. These two series are quite possibly my two most favorite things that I've ever watched, so I was sold, immediately.
I also knew that The Bride! was destined to be a heavily divisive film. The bold, experimental nature of it that was evident from those early trailers and teasers told me in no uncertain terms that this was going to be the type of movie where those that got it were going to love it, and those that didn't were going to speak of it as if it were a pile of dog excrement that they stepped in on the way to work.
And boy, was I right.
As a 90s kid/00s teen, I don't think I've seen a movie get such a poor reaction from critics since Showgirls or Gigli.
But one thing about me is that reviews never sway me, in either direction. I've actually been known to argue that "movie critic" isn't even a valid profession, but I digress. My point is, I choose to form my own opinions of things based on what I see and feel for myself. Sometimes I love what others hate. Sometimes I hate, or at least strongly dislike, what others love. Entertainment is subjective, after all.
With that said, I am here to tell you, if The Bride! has piqued your interest at all, if you've seen trailers or photos or whatever else and think it's something you may enjoy, absolutely do yourself the favor of giving it a chance.
I, personally, have not fallen this deeply in absolute love with a movie since Longlegs and Oddity back in July of 2024.
The Bride! is not your typical horror movie. In fact, it's not your typical anything. I have actually been struggling to find the words to write a proper review of it because it's such a hard thing to describe, in the best possible way. It's so beautifully chaotic.
The obvious basis of the movie lies in horror and the use of classic horror characters, but The Bride! is so much more than that. It manages to blend horror, sci-fi, romance, action, and even some musical elements into this beautiful, brilliant, chaotic dark, gritty fairytale fantasy fever dream of a story.
The movie is framed with monologues from the spirit of Mary Shelley herself, injecting her own voice and desires and ideas into the mind of the woman who will become our titular Bride, and you just really get the sense that this is a story just absolutely bursting at the seams to be told. If you're someone who enjoys writing, you probably have experienced the feeling of just needing to get something out...like it's going to tear you apart from the inside if you don't find a way to express it. And that's the impression that The Bride! gives...like it's just this crazy, energetic, beautiful thing that physically needs to be out in the world. Seeing this through just the energy of the movie itself, along with the energies of both Mary Shelley and the Bride herself, just sucks you right in, like you urgently need to be there, experiencing this.
Perhaps that's what I'm really trying to say, ultimately. You don't just watch this movie. You experience it. Like getting on a ride at a theme park that features both beautiful visuals and a crazy, bumpy, twisty road that takes you to another universe, temporarily.
The Bride! is set in the 1930s, yet still has the Victorian undercurrent that's such a staple to any Frankenstein adaptation. It adds that '30s gangster feel, along with an edge of a very early punk aesthetic, what I've seen referred to as art deco punk or dieselpunk. It has an edge to it for something that's taking place in the '30s, yet really seems to capture the aesthetic of the era.
I think it's pretty clear that The Bride! is not your typical 'Bride of Frankenstein' story, on many levels. Without getting into any major spoilers, because I really think this movie is something that each viewer should experience for themselves, as purely as possible, but this movie is every bit about the Bride finding herself, both in this life and her previous one, as it is about the crazy love story between the Bride and Frankenstein's monster. This is a female empowerment story as much as it is a romance, a horror, etc., if not more, and I think that aspect of it will speak to a lot of people, particularly women, of course, if they allow it to and are open to accepting the messages as they are presented. Because, underneath the horror aesthetic and chaotic atmosphere, so much of this story feels very real, like it could happen to anyone, not just a reanimated "monster". What makes a "monster", anyway? I think that's something you'll question after this movie.
I know that this isn't a movie that will appeal to everyone. I understand that the chaotic, experimental nature of it, along with the blending of genres, may be a turn off to people. But, in a world of remakes and legacy sequels that don't often seem to stick the landing, The Bride! really does something new and different, and extraordinarily entertaining. I really hope that more people will give it a chance, and not let exaggerated reviews (I highly doubt anyone was actually fleeing the theater because they thought the movie was so bad.) and critics who have never understood that horror is subjective in the first place, make the decision for them.
My only real complaint about this movie is, I feel like it should have been a Valloween release. We really didn't have one this year, after a couple of years of being spoiled by movies like Lisa Frankenstein and Heart Eyes, and I think The Bride! could have done at least a tiny bit better if it had come out that week instead, as I feel like the spooky community now looks for a Valloween movie each year, and The Bride! would have been the perfect choice, in my opinion.
But all in all, I hope maybe someone out there will read this review and decide to see it, and find something within it that they didn't know they needed.
I know I did.
Stay spooky, my friends.
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