Warning: This post contains major spoilers for Lisa Frankensteindirected by Zelda Williams from a screenplay by Diablo Cody (who wrote Jennifer’s Body), sees Kathryn Newton’s titular character falling in love with a 19th-century bachelor who was brought back to life by way of a lightning strike. Following the murders of Lisa’s stepmom Janet, a creepy schoolmate, and Lisa’s crush Michael, the Creature and Lisa drive away together, trying to figure out what to do next. Lisa and the Creature take Taffy, Lisa’s stepsister, with them.

Lisa gives Taffy, who is visibly scared of Lisa, her late mother’s rosary and lets her go. Lisa later sews Michael’s penis onto the Creature’s body, and they have sex set to Lisa Frankenstein's soundtrack song “I Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore”. After, Lisa decides to burn herself to death by way of Janet’s tanning bed, and the Creature sets it to “maximum bronze.” The tanning bed sparks and the garage burns down. Presumed dead, Taffy and Lisa’s father visit her grave, where “beloved wife” is engraved. But Lisa is now undead, heavily bandaged, and lying on the Creature’s lap.

How Is Lisa Still Alive In Lisa Frankenstein's Ending?

Lisa Survives, Despite Burning In Taffy's Tanning Bed

Lisa was burned alive at the end of the film, but she manages to return to life as an undead person, much like the Creature did at the start of the film. There is no post-credits scene at the end of Lisa Frankenstein to explain how it happened, and she’s only shown bandaged and creature-like in the final minutes. Considering Lisa has a grave and tombstone, it’s possible her body was buried and then later dug up by the Creature.

He would have needed some surge of electricity and heat to bring Lisa back to life, though, and it’s likely that the Creature used another tanning bed to rejuvenate his beloved. Janet’s tanning bed caught fire and was probably unusable in the aftermath of Lisa’s death. Lisa’s heavily bandaged body suggests she still has yet to recover from the severe burns she received and will have to go through the same process of consistently using heat and sparks to become more human.

Why The Creature Can Finally Speak - Is He Human?

The Creature Becomes More Human As The Movie Goes On

Throughout Lisa Frankenstein, the Creature never gained the ability to speak. Sewing on the body parts of the people he and Lisa killed — an ear, hand, and penis — granted the Creature some functionality where he was missing it. However, the film doesn’t explain why he is unable to use his voice; his tongue seemed intact. By the end of Lisa Frankenstein, though, the Creature is capable of speech. This suggests that his transformation from being undead to being more or less human is now complete.

The ability to speak is crucial to his survival in the world, and it’s possible he was able to continue using a tanning bed until he became 100 percent human, which led to his ability to open his mouth and talk. Before Lisa’s decision to burn herself alive, the Creature had been nearing a more fully human form. He could express himself using facial muscles, and he could also move around without issue. Speaking was the final step in his journey, and it’s a transition he probably made while Lisa was recovering.

The Significance Of Lisa Giving Taffy Her Mother's Rosary

The Rosary Represents Lisa And Taffy's Unlikely Friendship

Lisa was mistreated by Janet, and her father disregarded her and her feelings. Taffy was the only one who put in any effort to make Lisa feel included and seen, giving her some attention and validating Lisa as her sister. Her mother’s rosary was precious to Lisa, as it was the only valuable item of her mother’s that she carried with her following her death. The fact that Lisa would hand it over to anyone was surprising. That she gave it to Taffy solidified what her stepsister meant to Lisa, as well as how much she valued her kind treatment.

Outside of the Creature, Taffy was the only one who saw Lisa and didn’t cringe, look away, or act like she was crazy.

For someone who had been ignored and neglected by multiple people, Taffy treating Lisa like a human being with emotions was huge. Outside of the Creature, Taffy was the only one who saw Lisa and didn’t cringe, look away, or act like she was crazy. And as Lisa was leaving her life behind following the string of murders she committed alongside the Creature, handing over her mother’s rosary to Taffy was Lisa’s way of thanking her. It was also something Taffy could Lisa by after her death.

Do Dale & Taffy Know About Lisa's Resurrection?

Dale And Taffy's Final Scene Indicates They Don't Know About Lisa

At the end of Lisa Frankenstein, Lisa's dad, Dale, and her step-sister Taffy have no idea that Lisa has been resurrected. Audiences know this because Dale and Taffy are seen visiting Lisa's grave, where they leave flowers and briefly talk about Lisa. However, that does not mean that they will never find out. During the scene, Taffy notices that Lisa's gravestone reads "Beloved Wife."

In this way, Taffy may eventually put together that Lisa was resurrected just like The Creature was.

What Poem The Creature Reads To Lisa & It's Real Meaning Explained

The Creature's poem shows his final formation as a revived human

In the very last scene of Lisa Frankenstein, Lisa is wrapped up in bandages lying in the lap of The Creature, who reads her a heartfelt poem. This poem is notable because it is the only time The Creature talks in full sentences, but also because of the poem's significance. The Creature is reading the poem, "To Mary," by Percy Bysshe Shelley. The "Mary" Shelley refers to is his wife, Mary Shelley, who wrote "Frankenstein." In this way, The Creature reading "To Mary" to Lisa is symbolic. Lisa is Mary Shelley, Frankenstein's creator, while The Creature represents the monster.

"To Mary" was published in "Posthumous Poems" in 1824.

Who Was The Axe Killer In Lisa Frankenstein?

Lisa's Mother's Killer Was Never Revealed

Another possible suspect is Lisa's oblivious and uncaring father, Dale.

One big mystery left over from Lisa Frankenstein is who killed Lisa's mother. Part of Lisa's tragic backstory is that her mother was murdered one night by a masked axe killer. Though Lisa survived the attack, the event had a huge impact on her, leaving her socially awkward, shy, and slightly morbid. Lisa Frankenstein never offers an explanation as to who killed Lisa's mom, although there are some theories. Some believe that Lisa could have killed her mom, though this seems unlikely. Another possible suspect is Lisa's oblivious and uncaring father, Dale.

Lisa Frankenstein's Ending Gives Lisa & The Creature Opposite Journeys

Lisa Frankenstein Shows A New Version Of The Classic Frankenstein Story

Lisa Frankenstein is a tale of opposites. At the start of the film, Lisa is very much a human, one who would’ve never really dreamed about killing anyone. By the end of the romantic horror movie, however, Lisa has turned into a bit of a monster herself. She has no qualms killing people and she has an indifferent attitude about her life and everything in it. It’s different for the Creature, who started off as a monster and slowly turned into a human. By the film’s end, the Creature was expressing a lot of emotion, growing to care about Lisa.

Lisa acting in monstrous ways is something she probably didn't see coming when she first met the Creature.

How Lisa Frankenstein Sets Up A Sequel

Lisa Frankenstein Could Have A Sequel

Lisa’s death at the end of Lisa Frankenstein hints there could be a sequel, one that could offer insight into her resurrection and set up the life she will now lead alongside the Creature as an undead person. Lisa is basically a creature at the end of the film, and she still needs time to recover from her death. Returning to being mostly human will take some time, and it’s possible a Lisa Frankenstein sequel could follow the titular character on her new journey.

With Lisa being believed dead, a sequel could confirm that she and the Creature moved to another state to be together beyond the watchful eyes of Lisa’s kin. What will Lisa and the Creature’s life look like in the aftermath of her demise? How long do the undead survive? Lisa Frankenstein 2 could answer these questions, including exactly how she was brought back to life. Diablo Cody mentioned that she would love it if Lisa Frankenstein and Jennifer’s Body shared the same universe. And though a sequel to Lisa Frankenstein hasn’t been confirmed, anything is possible.

Another final possibility for a Lisa Frankenstein sequel is that it parallels the Bride of Frankenstein. Now that Lisa is as undead as The Creature, perhaps a sequel film will see the two starting a domesticated life as undead people. Perhaps, like a certain B-plot in Mary Shelley's original novel, Lisa and The Creature will be tempted to raise even more dead for companionship. In this way, Lisa Frankenstein would follow in the Mary Shelley tradition more than the Jennifer's Body universe.

The Bride of Frankenstein was a movie that came out in 1935, based on a subplot of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein."

The Real Meaning Of Lisa Frankenstein's Ending

Lisa Frankenstein Is About Identity And Acceptance

By the film’s final moments, Lisa had fully transformed...

Throughout the film, Lisa was never listened to when it came to her pain and grief. She even says that she was diagnosed with traumatic mutism following her mother’s murder. Without having anyone to really talk to, Lisa was unable to fully navigate her grief. But that changed when she met the Creature, and his presence — and inability to talk — gave Lisa an outlet to express herself in a way she couldn’t before. He was a friend who was simply there to Lisa in whatever way he could.

Lisa Frankenstein’s ending is also about identity, something Lisa struggled with, at least in the sense that she was floating along, a bit lost. By the film’s final moments, Lisa had fully transformed, as evidenced by her fashion sense — shifting entirely into 80s goth — in the second half of the film.

She was initially an outsider, but she had found her voice and confidence by the end of Lisa Frankenstein, even if that meant acting out.

How The Lisa Frankenstein Ending Was Received

Lisa Frankenstein Received Mixed Reviews Overall

Lisa Frankenstein received a lot of mixed reviews from critics. The ending of the movie, however, is not usually one of the points of contention. Instead, it is the pacing of the movie and the mixing of genres that did not work for many critics. The Irish Times reviewer foresaw those mixed reviews, saying, “Reviews will be mixed. But it has every chance of being resurrected as a cult classic,” and that might be right.

At the time of release, Screen Rant noted that the coming-of-age aspect of the movie worked better than the romance. If the movie had not combined the romantic element, it is entirely possible the movie might have played out slightly differently and the pacing could have been different.

The Chicago-Sun Times said it suffered from “mixed-genre syndrome” and The Guardian noted that the movie “feels a little trapped between two worlds, a tween sleepover comedy on the verge of full body horror.” That is the consensus among most negative reviews of the movie as critics did not believe the script successfully blended genres. Not all horror comedies work as well as others.

There is, however, a large discrepancy between audience and critical scores. On average, audience scores are about 20% higher than critical scores for the movie. One Rotten Tomatoes even noted that they enjoyed the “lack of redemption” for the main characters following their murder spree. The audience loved the ending and were hoping for a sequel, though that may be unlikely since the movie did not make its budget back at the office.

Movies like Lisa Frankenstein are not made to appeal to critics, but to audiences seeking out a quirky horror film, so in that regard, the movie found the people who will love it.