Christian Bale's New Horror Movie Breaks A 24-Year Streak After Divisive 68% Cult Hit

Summary Christian Bale returns to horror after two decades in Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride film as Frankenstein's Monster.

The Bride will feature Jessie Buckley as the titular character, alongside performances from Jake Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard.

Bale's portrayal of the classic Monster character promises to bring depth and complexity to the horror genre in the upcoming film.

Christian Bale's upcoming horror film The Bride will mark his first horror movie in decades. Bale is signed on to star as Frankenstein's Monster in The Bride, which is Maggie Cyllenhaal's anticipated directorial follow-up to 2021's The Lost Daughter starring Olivia Colman. Jessie Buckley (Women Talking, Men) will star opposite Bale as the titular Bride character. The Bride will also feature performances from Maggie's brother Jake Gyllenhaal and husband Peter Sarsgaard, who are both fresh off their lead roles in Apple's Presumed Innocent.

The Bride is one of two upcoming Frankenstein films set for a 2025 release, with the other being Guillermo del Toro's highly anticipated Frankenstein adaptation. Del Toro's film will see Jacob Elordi (Saltburn, Priscilla) portray The Monster and Oscar Issac (Dune, Ex Machina) play Dr. Victor Frankenstein. That film will also feature Christoph Waltz and Mia Goth, which should make for an exciting comparison between the two promising Frankenstein installments. It will mark Bale's first return to horror since 2000's American Psycho.

Your browser does not support the video tag.

The Bride Is Christian Bale's First Horror Movie Since American Psycho

He has mostly stuck to dramas and action movies since

Custom Image by Dalton Norman

Remarkably, Bale has not starred in any horror or horror-adjacent movies since the release of 2000's cult classic American Psycho. Although American Psycho received mixed reviews upon its release, earning a mostly positive Rotten Tomatoes score of 68%, the film remains to possess one of Bale's most iconic cinematic characters. Bale plays a buttoned-up wealthy NYC banking executive named Patrick Bateman with a psychopathic alter-ego in the classic horror satire.

Bale played the horrific-looking Gorr the God Butcher in Marvel's 2022 action-adventure Thor: Love and Thunder but has not starred in a true horror since American Psycho. Netflix's The Pale Blue Eye starring Bale also came out in 2022 but was more of a whodunnit suspense crime mystery than a horror as well. Bale won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in 2010's The Fighter and could be in Oscar contention once again with The Bride.

Related Why Patrick Bateman Is Obsessed With Music In American Psycho Patrick Bateman shows his obsession with music throughout American Psycho, and while it seems off with his character, it serves an important purpose.

The Bride Gives Christian Bale's A Proper Horror Movie Role At Last

Bale can add great depth and complexity to the classic Monster character

Close

Christian Bale hasn't played too many villains, although it's arguable that Frankenstein's Monster is both a victim and a villain based on the original story written by Mary Shelley. His Patrick Bateman character is undoubtedly a monster in human form and is terrifying in many ways but with American Psycho being more of a dark comedy and psychological horror, Bale has yet to fully embrace a fully transformative role in the horror genre. Bale's Gorr character in Thor showed the depth he can add to a mythical and tragic villain, which is why his Monster in The Bride could be one of his all-time best performances.

Related Frankenstein's Resurgence In 2025 Pits Christian Bale Against Jacob Elordi To Be The Best Monster 2025 will have two new movies using Mary Shelley's Frankenstein novel as the source material, with two actors in the role in their respective films.