With just days to go until Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein is released on Netflix, there’s a completely different version currently playing in theaters called Stitch Head. Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel has been adapted many times over the years, with the 1931 film and the sequel Bride of Frankenstein considered the gold standard for this horror story.
Anticipation is building for del Toro’s upcoming Frankenstein movie, but a different Frankenstein-esque film is flying under the radar. Stitch Head is an animated film that stars Asa Butterfield in the titular role. After a mad professor brings all of his creatures to life, Stitch Head attempts to protect them and the castle they’re living in.
Stitch Head, which was released in theaters on October 29 (just in time for Halloween), currently has a 71% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising the humor and the important life messages for kids, though the story is being called predictable.
Butterfield is best known for starring in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Hugo, Ender’s Game, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, and the Netflix show Sex Education.
Rounding out the cast for Stitch Head, which was written and directed by Steven Hudson, are Joel Fry, Tia Bannon, Rob Brydon, Seth Usdenov, Alison Steadman, Fern Brady, and Jamali Maddix. The film was produced by Sonja Ewers and Mark Mertens.
The movie is based on a series of books called Stitch Head by author Guy Bass. The series, released from 2011 to 2016, includes Stitch Head, The Pirate’s Eye, The Ghost of Grotteshaw, The Spider’s Lair, The Beast of Grubbers Nubbin, and The Monster Hunter. In recent years, books have started being re-released as graphic novels.
Bass has written other books like Teething Trouble, Scrap, Taking Shelter, and Skeleton Keys.
Stitch Head is being overshadowed right now by Del Toro’s upcoming Frankenstein movie, which drops on Netflix on November 7. It recently received a limited run in movie theaters.
The Oscar-winning director has helmed Pan’s Labyrinth, Blade II, Hellboy, Pacific Rim, The Shape of Water, and Pinocchio.
Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Felix Kammerer, David Bradley, Lars Mikkelsen, Christian Convery, Charles Dance, and Christoph Waltz star in the film as Del Toro takes on one of the most iconic horror stories ever.
Frankenstein already has an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is higher than the current score for Stitch Head. With one being an animated film with a PG rating and the other receiving an R rating from the MPAA for bloody violence and grisly images, these are two very distinct movies marketed towards completely different audiences.
Frankenstein will be streaming on Netflix on Friday, November 7.
- Release Date
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October 29, 2025
- Runtime
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89 minutes
- Director
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Steve Hudson, Toby Genkel