(Credits: Netflix)

Guillermo del Toro’s passion project is finally coming to life. On Saturday night at its star-studded premiere at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, Netflix‘s Frankenstein received the longest ovation of the event so far: 13 staggering minutes.

With tears of joy trickling, the stars, Jacob Elordi and Jason Isaac, seized the momentum as the man behind the genius waved and hugged generously.  

Elordi landed a peck on Isaac’s cheek as the two embraced, giving the world a glimpse of their emotional relief. They also stopped by to click selfies with fans outside the theatre. Elordi and Isaac were joined by co-stars Christoph Waltz, Mia Goth, and Felix Kammerer. And those who strutted the red carpet include Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jessica Williams, Jesse Williams, and Sofia Carson.

del Toro’s re-imagination is competing for the prestigious Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. The Shape of Water marked the last time he competed in Venice in 2017, which not only received the Golden Lion but also four Academy Awards. While it remains to be seen what benchmark of success awaits Frankenstein, the re-telling is a dream come true for the Mexican auteur.

“I’ve been following the creature since I was kid,” the director said at the press conference in Venice this Saturday afternoon. But now that it’s done and dusted, he quipped, “I’m in postpartum depression.” For those unaware, the film premiered in Venice on Shelley’s birthday, which is also known as “Frankenstein Day.”

del Toro’s Frankenstein is a retelling of Mary Shelley’s popular 1818 novel. Speaking to Tudum thereafter, he added some more about how the book has practically been his “Bible.” With the upcoming adaptation, he wants to make the story his own, “sing it back in a different key with a different emotion.” And in order to mark this joyous occasion, he allowed fans a sneak peek into what awaits this monstrous retelling.

“For me, only monsters hold the secrets I long for,” del Toro said. And Shelley’s novel burns brightly with questions from the young minds that are believed to be answered only by adults. But del Toro’s adaptation has one simple question at its heart: “Who is the real monster?”. His Frankenstein aims to spin meaning from madness, with the tale of this mad scientist, Victor, and the Creature.

The Oscar-winner doesn’t only plan on addressing questions of humanity. It also intends to explore the anxieties of adolescence, translating “the rhythms of Mary Shelley” on screen. If anything, del Toro wants to maintain the modernist temperament of the story alive in the movie set in 19th-century Europe. He explained that Frankenstein was not exactly conceived as a period piece. “It was a modern book, so I didn’t want you to see a pastel-coloured period piece,” he added.

He heartily hopes that Frankenstein finds a place in people’s hearts like the Creature has a hold over him. And perhaps, the 13-minute ovation was the first instance of realisation that they are all coming true. The film will be released in select theatres on October 17th before its Netflix release on November 7th.