Tamara Deverell attended a celebration in New York for the debut of the 2021 movie “Nightmare Alley.” The film featured actors Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett and marked Deverell’s recent collaboration with director Guillermo del Toro. Amidst the event’s glamour, del Toro spotted Deverell and beckoned her over. Approaching the director, she was greeted with a single word, “Frankenstein.”
Reflecting on the encounter, Deverell, speaking from her residence near Inverness, N.S., expressed her immediate agreement to del Toro’s proposal. The latest adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel, “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus,” premiered on Netflix following a brief theatrical release last month.
This project marked Deverell’s fifth collaboration with del Toro, known for his use of practical effects to bring his creative visions to life. The production designer emphasized the appeal of working with an artist who prioritizes visual elements, stating, “When you build a set, he’s going to frame every corner of it.”
It has been widely known that del Toro harbored a childhood ambition to create his rendition of “Frankenstein.” For Deverell, it presented an opportunity to fulfill a long-standing aspiration. She expressed her desire to construct a ship, drawing from her past experience working with a wooden sailboat manufacturer in Vancouver.
In the interim between working on “Nightmare Alley” and “Frankenstein,” Deverell and her husband established a residence in rural Cape Breton. Finding the area to be a source of inspiration, Deverell highlighted the significance of conducting thorough research for her set designs. Before filming “Frankenstein,” she explored the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site, envisioning it as a fitting location for a scene set in a village.
Despite the village scene being cut from the final film and an Arctic setting being recreated elsewhere, Deverell believed Nova Scotia would have been a suitable backdrop for Dr. Frankenstein’s story. As she contemplates her next project, Deverell acknowledged the creative potential of her new surroundings, expressing her aspiration to one day film a movie in the region.