The Bride!

Lore & Background

The film follows Mary Shelley, speaking from the afterlife, who possesses a woman named Ida in 1936 Chicago. Ida's trance-like public ranting about crime boss Lupino leads to her death. Frankenstein's monster, called Frank, enlists scientist Dr. Cornelia Euphronius to revive Ida as his companion. Frank tells the revived woman she is his bride and names her Penelope Rogers. The pair go on a crime spree, pursued by Detective Jake Wiles and his assistant Myrna Malloy. The Bride eventually learns the truth of her origins and, after Frank is killed, returns to Euphronius' laboratory. Euphronius revives both corpses, and they hold hands as bright lights shine from the lab.

Reader's Guide

The Bride! received mixed reviews and was a box office bomb, grossing $24 million worldwide against a budget of $90 million. It had its world premiere at the Empire Leicester Square in London on February 26, 2026, and was released in the United States on March 6, 2026. The film was shot entirely with IMAX-certified digital cameras by cinematographer Lawrence Sher. The score was composed by Hildur Guðnadóttir, replacing Jonny Greenwood. Swedish musician Fever Ray composed two songs for the soundtrack and appears in the film. The film's significance lies in its creative reinterpretation of the Frankenstein mythos, though it failed to achieve commercial success.

Did You Know?

• Jessie Buckley portrays both Ida/Penelope Rogers/The Bride and the ghost of Mary Shelley.
• The film was originally scheduled for release on October 3, 2025, and later September 26, 2025, before settling on March 6, 2026.
• Maggie Gyllenhaal cut some violent sequences, including those of sexual violence, in response to negative test screenings.
• The film's budget was reported as $80 million in January 2025, but the final budget was $90 million.