Since it’s publication in 1818, Mary Shelley’s groundbreaking novel Frankenstein has borne a seemingly infinite number of cinematic versions, and from that, some exceptional film music. Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein is the latest, and Alexandre Desplat’s score is the perfect accompaniment. Desplat’s score instantly evokes del Toro and Shelley’s world in the opening, which introduces the hauntingly beautiful seven-note motif for the real antagonist, Victor Frankenstein. The birth of the creature is treated as a subversion of previous adaptations, with a lyrical and searching tone that is tender and delicate, like the birth of a child. A four-note motif that repeats with variations represents the creature itself, played tenderly on plucked strings with solo piano as counterpoint. However, that initially bright and questioning tone shifts as the creature experiences it’s life as Victor demands, and the tragedy of the creature and the story come into