It’s impossible to count the number of movies on Netflix (and I’ve tried), but most estimates put it at around 7,000 at any given time. Some are obviously more worthwhile than others. In this weekly feature, I’ll put on my streaming cap and recommend a few for the week, using a variety of metrics like popularity, IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes ratings, and personal preference. This week, Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein rules the roost, and Netflix has other flicks to check out in the same vein.
Frankenstein
Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein has been lurking confidently at the top of Netflix’s most-watched movies since it released last Friday, and for good reason: it’s a sumptuous and well-acted passion project that the director has been planning for decades. Jacob Elordi is stunning as the Monster, a truly genre-defining performance. You’ll want to watch this on as big a screen as possible, so maybe break out the projector.
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Cast: Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth
Genre: Horror
Rating: R
IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
Pinocchio
Want a double dose of del Toro? His excellent stop-motion adaptation of Pinocchio is still streaming on Netflix. As visually stunning as you’d expect, with an all-star voice cast, it’s a surprisingly dark and morally complex version of the classic tale, wrestling with some of the director’s favorite tropes like the cruelty of war and the definition of humanity.
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Cast: Gregory Mann, Ewan McGregor, Cate Blanchett
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: PG
IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
Errementari: The Blacksmith And The Devil
The novel Frankenstein was subtitled “The Modern Prometheus,” after the blacksmith god who brought fire from the heavens to Mankind, and paid for it. 2017 Basque-language horror film Errementari is a twist on that story that’s totally unique and worth a watch. When a government investigator arrives in a small town to find a reclusive smith, things get twisty fast in a tale of caged demons, revenge, grief, and loss.
Director: Paul Urkijo Alijo
Cast: Kandido Uranga, Uma Bracaglia, Eneko Sagardoy
Genre: Horror
Rating: TV-MA
IMDb Rating: 6.4/10
Roma
Gullermo del Toro has said that Alfonso Cuaron’s 2018 black-and-white drama Roma is one of his five favorite movies ever made, and we’d definitely put it high on our list as well. Following a year in the life of a live-in housekeeper in Mexico City, it’s one of the most affecting films of the century, an intimate portrait that delves into big concepts in unique ways. It’s also the first Netflix movie to be added to the Criterion Collection.
Recommended by Our Editors
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About Our Expert
K. Thor Jensen
Contributing Writer
Experience
K. Thor Jensen is a writer and cartoonist living in the Pacific Northwest. He has contributed to dozens of prestigious outlets, including PCMag, Tested, Clickhole, and Newsweek. His second graphic novel, Cloud Stories, was released in 2017.
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