Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1541514
6 4 P E R S P E C T I V E I N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 5 It was at the New York premiere of Nightmare Alley in December of 2021, a dazzling after- party with elegantly dressed models and movie stars and champagne flowing, when Guillermo leaned toward me, whispering one word… "Frrrrrankenstein" in his deep voice with his wryest of smiles and twinkliest of eyes. No rest for the wicked, I thought, while I found myself saying aloud… "Yes, Guillermo, absolutely!" through the celebratory din. I was in the midst of designing Cabinet of Curiosities and in desperate need of a break. However, I knew that the Frankenstein story was something that Guillermo had been obsessed with from the young age of 7, and that it would be an intense and incredible design journey that I would not want to miss. I was honoured that he asked me to take the design helm on this creative adventure. From the beginning, I knew that our Frankenstein would be a deep dive into both the historical and fantastical realms of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel. As a director, Guillermo is heavily involved in all the visual aspects of the process: the sets, costumes, props, visual effects, cinematography and lighting. Working with him is working with a person who is not only incredibly driven by visual storytelling, but who has an all-encompassing encyclopedic mind when it comes to cinema and art history and who is, himself, an artist. Guillermo pushes the fantastic, the otherworldly… and I, with my penchant for research and O n W o r k i n g W i t h D e l T o r o F R A N K E N S T E I N R E B O R N B Y TA M A R A D E V E R E L L , P R O D U C T I O N D E S I G N E R A. VICTOR'S APARTMENT. ILLUSTRATION BY VICKI PUI. HAND-DRAWN OVER 3D RHINO MODEL BY SET DESIGNER SHIRIN RASHID USING PHOTOSHOP. BASED ON AN ORIGINAL SET SKETCH BY TAMARA DEVERELL INSPIRED BY FRANKENSTEIN GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATIONS BY BERNIE WRIGHTSON. INTERIOR SET BUILT ON STAGE AT NETFLIX STUDIOS TORONTO. A