Frankenstein

Scholars and reviewers have highlighted the queer subtext of Mary Shelley's original novel, which is further explored in del Toro's adaptation. The Creature's unaccepted otherness and his deep-rooted rage when denied love and kindness are seen as inadvertently capturing the experience of a non-binary or queer person desiring to feel and love in the world. For example, Elizabeth describes the Creature as having "a heart purer than that of the common man," despite his monstrous appearance, emphasizing his innate goodness in the face of societal rejection.

Examples of high-severity violence include individuals being hanged, shot, beaten, burned, blown up, and generally mutilated. Corpses are dismembered, dissected, reassembled, and electrocuted. Victor Frankenstein is shown assembling bloody body parts from battlefields in his laboratory, with blood strewn across the floor. The Creature also engages in deadly assaults, such as tearing off someone's jawbone and ripping hide off a wolf.

There are two scenes featuring exposed buttocks (male and female) in a non-sexual context. Additionally, a nude female model poses for a photographer in a sheer, gauzy wrap that partially exposes her breasts and genital hair, and her full posterior. Victor Frankenstein is also seen running around his laboratory completely naked, with his rear end glimpsed.

Parent Previews explicitly states "Profanity: None" while Movieguide reports "One light profanity". Cine Parenting also indicates "Strong language is present but used sparingly. It reflects the emotional state of characters dealing with loss, rage, and desperation. There is no excessive profanity."

The movie's tagline, "Only a monster would play God," highlights the central theme of Victor Frankenstein's ambition. The narrative includes spiritual themes of good versus evil and demonic temptation, with Victor Frankenstein symbolically making a Faustian deal with the devil. One scene shows Victor seeing a vision of a 'Dark Angel,' a blood-red, flame-wreathed perversion of a saint, which could be interpreted as a demonic influence on his work.

Characters are shown drinking alcohol with meals. Additionally, characters are briefly seen smoking tobacco. These instances appear to be incidental to the plot rather than central to character development or presenting substance abuse.

The content includes very realistic violence and gore, such as organs, dangling flesh, and jaws being ripped off. One scene shows Victor introducing his reanimated early model cadaver, a human head and torso with an exposed brain and dangling spine, which gasps in pain and acts as a jump scare. The movie also features intense scenes of animal cruelty, including wolves being torn apart and skinned alive while screaming.

Victor Frankenstein's character is driven by a desire to defeat death and become a 'greater doctor than his father,' indicating a rebellious streak against paternal authority and conventional science. The creation of the Creature itself is a central act of rebellion against the natural order and religious teachings about the sanctity of life. The Creature also develops anger and rage in response to Victor's abuse and rejection, stating, "If you forbid me love, then I am to indulge in rage," showcasing a rebellious defiance against his creator's abandonment.

The film's tagline, "Only a monster would play God," directly addresses Victor Frankenstein's act of creation, which can be viewed as an anti-Christian stance against divine authority. Movieguide notes that Victor Frankenstein makes a "Faustian deal with the devil," symbolically selling his soul to a dark angel, which is a clear anti-Christian element. Although the film promotes compassion and forgiveness, del Toro, an agnostic, views the Creature as an avatar and personal messiah, and the film's core message regarding the Creature's soul and purity is described as "utterly opposed to both logic and Christian doctrine."