Lisa Frankenstein director Zelda Williams has reignited hopes among fans of the cult horror film that an unrated cut of the officially PG-13 rated film could be released some time in the future. The film, which failed to make a dent at the box office, has nonetheless found fans on streaming.
“Endlessly thankful to all the Lisa Frankenfamily out there. It’s been lovely to meet you, to see your tattoos and paintings and to hear your stories about what our weird, wacky movie means to you,” Williams says in an Instagram story that was captured by social media user ‘Bella’. “Please know it means the world to me! And who knows, maybe one day we will even be able to resurrect an unrated version for you all. A gal can dream, right?”
lisa frankenstein unrated version coming? 👀 pic.twitter.com/dP0nvHhf0lMay 6, 2025
The existence of an r-rated cut of Lisa Frankenstein (or at least the material to create one) has been discussed since early 2024, when director Williams and writer Diablo Cody discussed the idea with CinemaBlend shortly after the film’s release.
“On the page it definitely was a very tricky needle to thread, particularly because these violent deaths are so integral to the movie. And I was like, oh no. Now they, wait, hold on. How do I fix this? Thankfully in this circumstance I was a bit prepared in advance for that outcome. I have friends and peers that have walked me through that,” Williams explained at the time. “That is a sometimes expected thing. So we had enough wiggle room that I could still keep it tonally very much the movie we set out to make, but removed some of the stuff that would’ve made it, and it was tricky and it took a while, but we figured it out, and now it is PG-13.”
“There were extensive conversations on this topic actually and I’m ultimately very glad that it’s PG-13 because I don’t think we sacrificed any of the core components of the movie,” added Cody. “And now a lot more people are gonna be able to see it, especially young people.”
Lisa Frankenstein is a horror-romance-comedy twist on what else but Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Set in the ’80s, the film follows improbably named high schooler Lisa Swallows (Katherine Newton) as she falls in love with the resurrected corpse of a dead teenager known as The Creature, with whom she embarks on a murderous revenge crusade.
It’s pure midnight movie stuff, and despite the creators’ enthusiasm for the charming enough PG-13 version, there’s little question that Lisa Frankenstein could benefit from an R-rated re-release with a bit more bite to sell its hilariously horrifying plot.
For more, here’s our guide to all the upcoming horror movies on the way.
