Is Poor Things based on Frankenstein? What book is Emma Stone film adaptation of - and Mary Shelley connection

There are few novels that have had much impact on later writing and the worlds of film and TV than Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The early nineteenth century novel is a tale of creation, scientific excess, and revenge.

The work has inspired a whole host of classic films, helped to launch the British film studio Hammer Horror, and is a staple of Halloween merchandising more than 200 years after it was published.

Upcoming fantasy film Poor Things, from director Yorgos Lanthimos, and starring Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, and Willem Dafoe, has much in common with the iconic story, though it is actually adapted from another novel.   

Is Poor Things based on a book?

Yes, Poor Things is an adaptation of the Alasdair Gray novel of the same name, published in 1992. The book is subtitled, Episodes from the Early Life of Archibald McCandless M.D., Scottish Public Health Officer.

In the novel, Gray presents himself as the finder of the documents which follow, and the story is an ambiguous tale from the perspective of Bella, the protagonist, and her husband, who claims that she was brought back from the dead by a strange scientist. 

Gray, who passed away in 2019, wrote 14 novels and short stories, and two plays, but Poor Things is the first to be adapted into a film. Tony McNamara who penned screenplays for The Favourite, Cruella, and historical comedy series The Great, adapted Gray’s novel for the big screen.

Is Poor Things a retelling of Frankenstein?

There are several parallels between Yorgos Lanthimos’ fantasy drama film and Mary Shelley’s seminal science fiction Gothic novel, which she penned in 1818.

Both feature a character who is raised from the dead, and who comes to the world as an empty vessel, with knowledge gained through experience and interaction with others.

Additionally, the eccentric scientist and his assistant come straight from the Frankenstein playbook, although these elements are taken from the cinematic depiction of the story rather than the original novel. Themes from 1935 film Bride of Frankenstein are also apparent, as Stone's character is similar to the woman created for the creature.

In fact, Alasdair Gray’s novel, which the film is adapted from, was itself heavily influenced by Frankenstein, but includes a strong feminist twist, with Bella, rebelling against the male figures in her life, much as the creature rebels against his creator in the Shelley novel.

One of the biggest changes between the book and the film is the setting - Gray’s novel takes place in Glasgow before moving to Europe, whereas the film begins and ends in London. Glaswegian fans of the novel felt cheated that Gray’s depictions of their city are left out of the film.