Everything he has done so far has led him towards“Frankenstein”, says Oscar-winner Guillermo del Toro. As the filmmaker sees it, the much told story of the scientist and the monster he created is set in the 19th century but is very much about today and its many realities.

The ravages of war, arrogance of science over human emotion, the incapacity to listen to the other point of view... del Toro's dream project based on Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's 1818 novel delves into it all.

“This is a very truthful movie for me and it is about today. If you think about where we are as a society, where the cause of female role is in society, the ravages of war, the need for a sweeping emotional restructuring of our minds, those things were true in 1818, and they're still true now,” the Mexican American director told PTI in a Zoom interview.

“We have the arrogance of science over human emotion. Completely present. The stupidity of people that believe they can push past the boundaries of humanism into transhumanism. That is, again, a very present thing. And the incapacity to listen to the other's point of view. Check. Again, about today. I think that's what horror as a genre is very good at, reflecting the time it's made in,” he said.

Known for films such as“Pan's Labyrinth”,“Crimson Peak”,“Pacific Rim”,“Hellboy”,“The Shape of Water” and“Pinocchio”, del Toro said the first duty of a filmmaker is to“talk about your now” and what he or she is feeling about the world.

Jacob Elordi stars as the monster in the movie, which also features Oscar Isaac, Christoph Waltz and Mia Goth. The film will be released in select theatres on October 17 before releasing on Netflix in November.

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