Being one of the very first mainstream sci-fi horror stories, it’s no wonder that Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein still inspires writers and filmmakers, even more than a century after its release. Guillermo del Toro has finally gotten to make what has been a years-long personal passion project, as his take on Frankenstein, starring Oscar Isaac, Mia Goth, and Jacob Elordi, releases later this fall. Trailers and early reactions to del Toro’s adaptation make it feel as though he’s going to capture a lot more of the gothic and emotional themes from Shelley’s original novel, as opposed to the Universal monster-esque route that most filmmakers have taken in their adaptations.
Guillermo del Toro isn’t the only horror master who’s been inspired by Frankenstein. In fact, Stephen King has used the classic horror tale as a major influence on one of his most underrated novels. King’s venturing into the sci-fi subgenre of horror hasn’t been the best. Tommyknockers and Dreamcatcher were met with disappointment and confusion from readers. Under the Dome, which was a massive release, was still met with controversy, especially regarding its ending. However, his 2014 novel Revival was quite possibly his first full-on success in the sci-fi horror world.
Revival Is One of Stephen King’s Best Books of the Last 25 Years
Over the last two and a half decades, Stephen King has released some bangers and some duds. 11/22/63 and Doctor Sleep have been regarded as some of his best, while Cell and Never Flinch have been considered among his worst. On the excellent side of the spectrum is where Revival sits, and for good reason, as it expertly blends an emotionally heartbreaking modern story with a classic, horrific tale.
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Revival follows the lives of Pastor Charles Jacobs and one of his youth fellowship students, Jamie. Jacobs has a fascination with electricity and uses it to help Jamie’s older brother speak again after a skiing accident. After Jacobs’ wife and son are killed in a brutal car crash, he denounces God and begins researching a way to use electricity to show him the afterlife, where he can reconnect with his family. Jacobs starts a revival tent show where he uses electricity to “heal” ailments and pretends to be a faith healer.
Meanwhile, Jamie becomes a heroin-addicted musician, runs into his former pastor, and Jacobs offers to treat his addiction, as well as help him get a job. Years pass, and Jacobs calls upon Jamie to join him as his assistant for one last “healing.” The horrors that result could only be created from the mind of Stephen King, with some obvious inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft.
Stephen King Channels Mary Shelley in His Character and Story Creation
There are many obvious similarities between Revival and Frankenstein, all of which start with the characters of Charles Jacobs and Victor Frankenstein. While Jacobs’ motivation in his passionate scientific research comes from trauma and grief, both characters become obsessed with their work to the point of it becoming gruesome and grotesque, firmly placing both in the mad scientist category, especially since both characters are willing to play God.
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Using electricity as both stories’ lynchpin in connecting with the dead, whether it be with reanimating a stitched-together corpse or opening a glimpse into the afterlife, is a great similarity between the two tales. Obviously, the fact that both stories end on a bleak note isn’t out of the ordinary for horror, but it serves as a coupled cautionary message between the two stories.
King himself has expressed his influence from Frankenstein, calling Revival a modern take on the same thing: The Prometheus Theme, which includes the pursuit of progress and knowledge, sacrificing for humanity, and the constant, eternal struggle between individual spirit and what is socially acceptable.
Now Is the Perfect Time to Adapt Stephen King’s Revival
Aside from Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of Frankenstein getting solid reviews and igniting some current interest in the property, there isn’t a better time to adapt a Stephen King story than now. The film adaptation of King’s short story The Monkey was one of the 10 highest-grossing horror films of this year, The Long Walk is one of the highest-rated horror films of 2025, and Edgar Wright’s incredibly anticipated adaptation of The Running Man is still to come.
King’s takeover hasn’t just been limited to movies, either. An MGM+ adaptation of The Institute did fairly well critically and garnered enough attention to receive the green light on a second season. The most anticipated project, however, has to be HBO’s IT: Welcome to Derry, a prequel series to Andy Muschietti’s 2017 and 2019 films, which also happen to be number one and number six on the list of highest-grossing horror films ever made.
Related: Author Keith Rosson Talks ‘Coffin Moon’, Love for Horror, and Praise from Stephen King (Exclusive)
As of 2020, Revival was supposed to get an adaptation from oft-Stephen King adaptation director Mike Flanagan, who had written the first draft of the screenplay and gotten King’s approval. Unfortunately, Warner Bros. wouldn’t greenlight the project due to how expensive it would be for Flanagan to create an accurate adaptation. Instead, Flanagan is in the process of adapting King’s first published book, Carrie, into a TV series.
With the successes of King’s adaptations in 2025, and the hopeful promise of Flanagan’s series and a J.J. Abrams and Leonardo DiCaprio-produced Billy Summers in 2026, it feels like things are one step closer to adapting one of King’s most underappreciated novels.
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