Frankenstein - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Deluxe Edition)

Deluxe double vinyl edition, strictly one-off pressing of 2,000 numbered units, directly inspired by Victor Frankenstein’s notebook as seen in the film.

Textured Gatefold sleeve featuring leatherette spine trim with gold spot varnish accenting

28-page hand stitched booklet featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes photographs, medical drawings taken directly from the film and sheet music as used by composer Alexandre Desplat, liner notes from Charlie Bridgen and Alexandre Desplat

Mastered by Patricia Sullivan at Bernie Grundman mastering

Layout and design by Craig Oldham and Spencer Hickman

Mutant, in partnership with Netflix, are proud to present Academy Award® Winning composer Alexandre Desplat's score to Guillermo Del Toro's latest masterpiece Frankenstein.

Since its publication in 1818, Mary Shelley’s groundbreaking novel Frankenstein has borne a seemingly infinite number of cinematic versions, and from that, some exceptional film music. Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein is the latest, and Alexandre Desplat’s score is the perfect accompaniment. In their third collaboration, following 2017’s The Shape of Water and 2022’s Pinocchio, the pair have conjured an electrifying mix of beautiful lyricism and deep emotions, conveying the wonder and tragedy of Shelley’s classic tale.

Desplat’s score instantly evokes del Toro and Shelley’s world in the opening, which introduces the hauntingly beautiful seven-note motif for the real antagonist, Victor Frankenstein. This is accompanied by ghostly female choral voices and a low electronic pulsing, resulting in a representation of the inherent Gothic nature of the story and the themes of life and death, with the pulsing serving as a shorthand for the power that Victor will use to bring his creature into existence. Eldbjørg Hemsing, on solo violin, gives us a range of gorgeous tones that modulate from the beauty of nature to the beauty of melancholy. At the same time, Desplat writes music for Victor’s creation that is surprisingly enchanting as well as forceful, with an almost euphoric waltz scoring the building of Victor’s gruesome experiment, with flesh and sinew abound.

The birth of the creature is treated as a subversion of previous adaptations, with a lyrical and searching tone that is tender and delicate, like the birth of a child. A four-note motif that repeats with variations represents the creature itself, played tenderly on plucked strings with solo piano as counterpoint. However, that initially bright and questioning tone shifts as the creature experiences its life as Victor demands, and the tragedy of the creature and the story come into focus. Desplat’s score transitions into a deeply melancholy mood as both creator and creation descend into their own personal hell, albeit with less fury and more reflection and introspection, with a true emotional resonance.

Frankenstein ends with a glorious reprisal of its themes, a showcase of Alexandre Desplat’s talent and the inspiration of Guillermo Del Toro and Mary Shelley. It’s a work that stands proudly alongside previous musical iterations and is another evolution in the ongoing collaboration between Del Toro and Desplat. Gorgeous and thoughtful, Frankenstein is much more than just the sum of its parts

Side A

1. Frankenstein
2. Explosion
3. Victor’s Tale
4. Burning Angel
5. Mother Dies
6. William and Father
7. Lecture
8. Meet Harlander

Side B

1. Elizabeth
2. The Castle
3. Symmetry
4. Body Building
5. The Tower

Side C

1. Awakening
2. Everything Is New
3. Elizabeth Meets The Creature
4. Floating Leaf
5. Fire
6. Creatures Tale
7. Hunters
8. Family Life

Side D

1. A Friend
2. Recollection
3. A Good Man
4. A Merciless Life
5. Confrontation
6. Laying To Rest
7. Forgiveness
8. Eternity