- Primary Subject: Maggie Gyllenhaal’s 2026 film The Bride! and its relationship to the original Frankenstein lore
- Key Update: The film serves as a subversive character study that shifts the focus from the Monster to the Bride’s own origin and perspective.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: March 4, 2026
- Quick Answer: While inspired by the 1935 classic and Mary Shelley’s novel, The Bride! is a subversive, mythological reimagining centered on the Bride’s perspective and self-expression.
The new Maggie Gyllenhaal film, The Bride!, is set to release in theaters this week. This marks the actress-turned-filmmaker's second directorial effort after The Lost Daughter, which was released in 2021.
Considering that the movie centers on the Bride and Frankenstein's monster as the main characters, audiences have been wondering whether this is a new adaptation of the classic Mary Shelley novel or a remake of the horror classic Bride of Frankenstein. The trailers also suggested that this is seemingly a subversive take on the long-standing horror story that we've known and love.
Is Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride! a Remake of Bride of Frankenstein?
Suffice to say, The Bride! is inspired by both the classic Frankenstein novel by Mary Shelley and the 1935 horror movie classic Bride of Frankenstein.
In an interview with EW last December 2025, Maggie Gyllenhaal explained how she came up with the idea for the film after seeing a guy wear a tattoo of the Bride.
"And so, when I saw this tattoo, something all came together. I mean, this guy has a Bride of Frankenstein tattoo on his forearm. Every day, he's looking at her. And I was like, 'Oh, yeah, I don't think I've seen the movie, actually," she said.
"I was like, 'What is that?' But it hooked something in me, and then I went home to my hotel all by myself in L.A. and just looked her up online, and I was like, 'Oh, yeah, she's got something.'"
However, when Gyllenhaal realized that the Bride had very limited screen time in the horror classic, it prompted her to write a movie that focuses on her perspective.
"Three minutes, maybe, and honestly, not until the very end. It's a Frankenstein movie. And I will say, a lot of people, friends or people who've heard I was making this, would say, 'Oh, you're making Frankenstein.' And I just sort of sweetly say, 'No, I'm making the Bride of Frankenstein.' And, in effect, it's actually just the Bride, you know?" she explained.
Gyllenhaal shared that the film allows the Bride to be the focus of her own story, not just as the Monster's love interest.
"We get to see a little bit of who she was before she's brought back to life as the Bride. In a way, everything about the movie has an extreme mythological quality," she said.
"She's almost every woman in a way. Before she's brought back, you watch her deal with a lot of s***. And she puts up with it, but she comes back with a very strong need to express herself."
What to Expect in The Bride!
The Bride! follows a lonely Frankenstein, who travels to 1930s Chicago to ask groundbreaking scientist Dr. Euphronious to create a companion for him. The two revive a murdered young woman, and The Bride is born.
However, what ensues is beyond what either of them imagined: murder, possession, a wild and radical cultural movement, and outlaw lovers in a wild and combustible romance.
The cast includes Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Peter Sarsgaard, Annette Bening, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Penélope Cruz. Aside from directing, Maggie Gyllenhaal also serves as writer and producer.
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