Journey Through Sci-Fi

Author: James Payne

The sci-fi film podcast exploring the history of science fiction, one subgenre at a time. Two lifelong sci-fi nerds take you on a film-club adventure through the weird, wonderful, and world-changing history of science-fiction cinema. From space travel to mad science, body snatchers to killer robots - we cover it all!
Be a guest on this podcast

Language: en

Genres: Film History, TV & Film

Contact email: Get it

Feed URL: Get it

iTunes ID: Get it

Trailer:

Get all podcast data

Listen Now...

Frankenstein (2025) & The Bride! (2026): Mad Science Comes Full Circle
Episode 29
Wednesday, 8 April, 2026

What happens when one of sci-fi's oldest stories is reimagined for a modern audience? In this episode of Journey Through Sci-Fi, we return to the origin of mad science — Mary Shelley's Frankenstein — through two new adaptations: Frankenstein (2025), directed by Guillermo del Toro, and The Bride! (2026), directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal. This isn't just another adaptation. It's a full-circle moment for the genre. From the obsessive creator who dares to make life… to the creation who refuses to belong to him, these films show how the Frankenstein myth has evolved over 200 years of science fiction. In this episode we explore: • Why Frankenstein is still the blueprint for every mad scientist story • How these new versions reinterpret the act of creating life • What they keep — and what they completely reinvent — from the original myth • Why The Bride! flips the perspective from creator to creation • What this tells us about where sci-fi — and mad science — is heading next From gothic horror roots to modern sci-fi storytelling, this is the evolution of one of the genre's defining ideas. And a fitting end point for our Mad Science series. Because sometimes the most important sci-fi story isn't about the future… …it's the one we've been retelling all along.