Since it's 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. 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. 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 it's 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 it's 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.

01 Frankenstein
02 Explosion
03 Victor's Tale
04 Burning Angel
05 Mother Dies
06 William and Father
07 Lecture
08 Meet Harlander
09 Elizabeth
10 Castle
11 Symmetry
12 Body Building
13 Tower
14 Awakening
15 Everything Is New
16 Elizabeth Meets the Creature
17 Floating Leaf
18 Fire
19 Creature's Tale
20 Hunters
21 Family Life
22 Friend
23 Recollection
24 Good Man
25 Merciless Life
26 Confrontation
27 Laying to Rest
28 Forgiveness
29 Eternity