Frankenstein’s Monster has become a symbol of horror throughout cinematic history, usually depicted as a mindless zombie-like figure. Shelley’s novel, however, depicts the Monster as a complex figure full of real human emotions and sensitivities and this is the version of the Monster Del Toro seeks to reflect in Frankenstein. One of the most difficult aspects of the score was figuring out the correct tone to capture the essence of the Creature which Del Toro wanted to project. ‘He shows so much physical power that you have to look for something else,’ explained Desplat. ‘What is it? It’s his fragility and his suffering. The music is able to convey this very precise emotion. That’s why I suggested to Del Toro that we use the most beautiful of all instruments, the violin. On top of this big orchestra that can be very small or very loud, we have this pure violin talking to the audience all of the time. We never lose contact with his humanity.’

The idea of using the violin as the central instrument only came to Desplat after seeing the film and seeing how much ‘force and strength’ that Jacob Elordi’s Monster evoked with his presence alone. ‘I needed to create something else that was precise and pure because he is a pure soul. Although he’s made from several corpses and brains and physical objects, his mind is as pure as a child and I was looking for that sound from a violin with a wonderful Norwegian player, Eldbjørg Hemsing, we were so lucky to find her,’ said Desplat.

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