Frankenstein

Guillermo del Toro cites Mary Shelley as the inspiration and motivation for years of creative work. In 2024 his ambition of adapting her masterpiece Frankenstein for the screen came to fruition.

Watch Guillermo del Toro discussing his experience of filming in Edinburgh

Edinburgh's gothic and literary heritage, as much as the locations themselves, appealed to del Toro when he was preparing to shoot Frankenstein. Mary Shelley would have known the city as it was in the early 1800s, and the architecture in the Old Town really hasn’t changed a lot since then (hence its UNESCO world heritage status) so the city is immediately evocative of the era.

Edinburgh was not only a cultural hub in the 1800s but also a major centre for innovative science and medical research. ‘Resurrections’ of the dead, to supply the demands of the medical school and its famed anatomy lectures, were so frequent in Edinburgh that guards had to be hired to watch over the cemeteries. So it made sense for Del Toro to locate part of the film in Edinburgh.

Look out for the busy Edinburgh street (Canongate), the butchers' alley (Bakehouse Close) and Victor Frankenstein's Edinburgh residence off it (Museum of Edinburgh in Acheson House); the marketplace (West Parliament Square) and the 'hanging square' (Makars' Court).

Visitors to Makars' Court can explore Edinburgh's literary history at the Writers' Museum. And those interested in finding out more about Edinburgh's gothic past while also visiting one of the locations can visit the Museum of Edinburgh.

Finding another key location, Gosford House, which plays the Frankenstein familial estate, just outside the city in East Lothian, in addition to Seacliff Beach playing the beach where the monster gets washed up after escaping, made the package even more appealing to the del Toro.

To add to this, Film Charters signed by the local authorities of both Edinburgh and East Lothian gives filmmakers the comfort they need to know that they will be well looked after by teams who understand their needs and are ready to facilitate the shoot.

In addition to working with local crew, particularly in the locations and art departments, the production brought in a cast of 200 (approx) supporting artists from the local community, each of whom was sized and fitted with the most incredible costumes and equipped with a story about what their character was doing in the scene.

More info about the film on Netflix's Tudum pages.

And more information about filming in Edinburgh on our website.

Released in cinemas in the UK from 17 October and on Netflix from 7 November 2025.