The 82nd Venice International Film Festival ignited with the world premiere of Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein on August 30, 2025. What was expected as a bold Netflix gamble for awards season became a headline-making phenomenon, driven not by critics’ pens but by the audience’s thunderous applause. At the center of it all: Jacob Elordi’s hauntingly tender Creature, who has already begun to reshape how the monster is seen, both cinematically and culturally.
What unfolded was a tale of two receptions. Critics were measured, noting moments of sluggish pacing and uneven tonal shifts. But for audiences, none of that mattered. A 13-minute standing ovation — the longest of this year’s festival — crowned the screening, propelling the monster from screen to media spotlight, where applause itself became the story.
