When Does the Fifth Film "Frankenstein" (2025) Take Place?
"Frankenstein" is a science fiction horror film written by Guillermo del Toro [adapting "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus" (1818) by Mary Shelley] that released October 17th, 2025. So when is "Frankenstein" set?
It takes place in the years:
We know this because when the Old Man shares his books with the Creature during the winter the Creature reads, " 'Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!' / Nothing beside remains. Round the decay / of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare / The lone and level sands stretch far away." and this is certainly from "Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley first published on January 11th, 1818 AD. So it must be during or after January of 1818 AD.
1855? AD or 1856? AD - 1857? AD
We know this because when the Old Man shares his books with the Creature during the winter the Creature reads, " 'Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!' / Nothing beside remains. Round the decay / of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare / The lone and level sands stretch far away." and this is certainly from "Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley first published on January 11th, 1818 AD. So it must be during or after January of 1818 AD.
Furthermore, the very first shot of the first section of the movie (labeled "Prologue") includes a time and place setting subtitle reading "Farthermost North, 1857". This frame setting appears again several times throughout the narrative as well as at the end.
Additionally, there are numerous flashbacks to Victor Frankenstein's childhood (in the portion labeled "PART I Victor's Tale") .
During the period of the story labeled "PART II The Creature's Tale" the seasons change: the Creature's narration specifically says, ..."time passed and fell away with the leaves of Autumn" and the audience sees the weather transition to winter so we have passed from at least one calendar year to a second one. It's implied this is a fairly short time before the frame labeled as being in 1857 AD. So it probably starts in 1856 AD.
1,857 - 1 = 1,856.
