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.