There’s a morbidly funny idea hidden somewhere inside of “Lisa Frankenstein”. Unfortunately it never rises to the surface in what turns out to be a messy, rhythmless, and forgettable horror-tinted romantic comedy. Pulling from the Mary Shelley literary classic and countless teen comedies that came before it, “Lisa Frankenstein” attempts to meld its multiple inspirations into something playful, ghoulish, and original. But the movie flatlines early and never is able to gain any kind of momentum.

The film is the feature-length directorial debut from Zelda Williams who shows off some occasional flash. But the bigger surprise (or should I say disappointment) is that it’s written by Academy Award winner Diablo Cody. This is Cody’s first script since 2018 and it’s a far cry from the much lauded work that launched her career. In fact, it’s the script that weighs things down. Williams makes some vain attempts to energize the movie. But the story sputters, the characters go nowhere, and the humor consistently falls flat.

Among the few bright spots is lead actress Kathryn Newton. She does what she can with the character Lisa Swallows, a socially awkward outcast trying to fit in at a new high school. Many of her problems stem from her difficult past, most notably her mother being killed by an axe murderer. In the years since, her father Dale (Joe Chrest) has remarried. Lisa’s insufferable new step-mother Janet (Carla Gugino) gave her a new stepsister, the shallow, sometimes snobby, but oddly sympathetic Taffy (Liza Soberano).

To find solace, Lisa spends her free time in the old abandoned Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery where she takes a special liking to a young man’s Victorian-era grave monument. But then something happens that alters the course of Lisa’s life. Lightning strikes the young man’s grave somehow reanimating his corpse (science I guess). In a number of ways that defy belief, Lisa keeps her new zombie beau (played by Cole Sprouse) hidden, slowly growing closer to him in the process.

I suppose there are a few paper-thin coming-of-age themes and the movie has a little to say about self-discovery. But those kinds of things feel like afterthoughts. The film has no real convictions of any kind. It has nothing much to say about anything. You could make a case that it tries. But its efforts are so lackadaisical that any message is easily lost as you slog through the unfunny antics, the flat dialogue, and the uninspired characters. Lisa (thanks to Newton) is the exception. She’s someone we really want to root for, but unfortunately the material doesn’t let us.

“Lisa Frankenstein” wraps up with a truly awful ending that falls somewhere between crude absurdity and lazy predictability. It pretty much kills any sympathies you may have held onto. It’s the final straw for a movie that never seems sure of itself, wastes so much potential, and squanders a gothic horror-comedy idea that could have been a slam-dunk. It even fails to tap into the nostalgia of its late 1980s setting. Altogether it left me with a lot of frustration and one big sigh of relief once the final credits started to roll. “Lisa Frankenstein” is in theaters now.

VERDICT – 2 STARS