Frankenstein Unbound

Time travel is pitched as a weapon in the near future, but the device intended to safeguard humanity triggers unintended disturbances across the globe. A scientist and his automated transport vanish from 2031 and reappear in 1817 Switzerland, far from home and responsible for chaos that ripple through history. The man, Dr. Joe Buchanan, soon finds himself face to face with a younger Dr. Victor Frankenstein, a lively Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, and a circle of literary travelers including Lord Byron. As the split timelines collide, Buchanan must weigh the cost of advancing science against the safety of ordinary lives. The encounter threads together horror, speculative tech, and literary myth in a tense, collision of eras. The film maintains a brisk pace, despite its ambitious setup, with a focus on character exchanges and the tension between scientific ambition and human cost.

Released in 1990 and directed by Roger Corman, Frankenstein Unbound adapts Brian Aldiss's novel while mixing in Mary Shelley's world. With a budget around 11.5 million, the project credits F X Feeney for the screenplay and showcases the time travel premise.

Critics offered mixed reactions to the mash up of science fiction and Gothic saga. The film challenges the line between invention and ethics, using the 2031 device to force a conversation about responsibility, power, and the costs of knowledge. Performances help balance the material's sillier moments.

Frankenstein Unbound lives as a curiosity in Roger Corman's late career rather than a defining entry in the monster canon. Fans of cult cinema remember its unusual pairing of actors, the time travel setup, and the way it reimagines classic figures like Frankenstein and Mary Shelley within a single frame.

Box office receipts were modest, with a worldwide gross of 334,748 against a production budget of 11.5 million, signaling a niche appeal and limited theatrical reach rather than broad commercial success.