It’d be hard to find someone who didn’t know the name, but how many people have seen Frankenstein, asks streaming columnist NICK OVERALL.

Frankenstein, the iconic character or, correctly, his monstrous creation, is the stuff of pop-culture legend.

It’s curious given there hasn’t been a major successful mainstream film that tells the story in some time.

Netflix wants to change that, though.

On November 7, a new film based on Mary Shelley’s hugely influential 1818 novel is dropping on to the platform, aiming to reinvent the legendary tale for a new audience. 

It features Dune star Oscar Isaac as the mad creator Dr Frankenstein, who brings life to the abomination that eventually comes to haunt him.

And who to play the supposedly hideous monster that he creates?

Well, of all people, that would be Jacob Elordi.

If you don’t know Elordi, a quick Google search will reveal why the choice is a little odd, to say the least.

Early reviews have been incredibly positive, no doubt thanks to the direction of Mexican filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro, something of a modern master of monsters on film.

Audiences might know his work on Pan’s Labyrinth or, more recently, his contentious best picture winning flick The Shape of Water.

Del Toro has told press it’s a passion project for him, and one that he wants focused more deeply on the monster rather than just the scares it’s always been associated with.

Perhaps the reason Frankenstein remains such a well-known name isn’t the presence of the story itself in pop culture, but its many, many influences.

Films such as Oppenheimer, Ex Machina, even Jurassic Park all tap into that core idea of a creation that breaks frighteningly out of control.

To now get a more direct adaptation of the book, which has inspired so many stories like this, is set to be a creepy streaming treat indeed.

How will Del Toro’s creation fare? 

MR and Mrs Smith, The Americans and now Black Bag. What is it about a spy couple that catches eyes so well?

Black Bag is a new movie streaming on Binge starring Cate Blanchett (Kathryn) and Michael Fassbender (George) as a married couple who are also both high-level intelligence agents in Britain.

But ’til death do us part certainly doesn’t apply here after George begins to suspect Kathryn may be behind a huge cyber security leak.

What follows is an investigation leading to a tough ultimatum: Will Georgie choose his wife or his country?

This one comes from Contagion and Ocean’s Eleven director Steven Soderbergh. With those kinds of chops it’s no wonder Black Bag makes for a slick espionage thriller perfect for a quiet Saturday night.

IT seems this month is a good one for thrillseekers. Apple TV Plus also has a big, new drama series called The Last Frontier now streaming.

Jason Clarke plays a lone US marshal whose jurisdiction in Alaska is turned upside down when a prison transport plane crashes in remote wilderness, unleashing a swarm of criminals he’s now in charge of tracking down.

How about that for a premise?

This high-octane thriller is pushed to the next level by its stunning Alaskan backdrop, serving as a tense and dangerous setting for the action.

It’s Apple TV Plus so the production is top shelf and Clarke makes for an appealing, moody main character.

Part of the problem here is the set-up almost feels a bit too good for the rest of the show to live up to. 

From the very start The Last Frontier grabs its audience and it feels like it could go in a million different directions.

While the show’s first episode was incredibly strong,the two that have followed have eased off the accelerator a little.

However, there are 10 episodes in this season, so there’s time for it to pick up the pace again.

It’s currently releasing one episode a week. Time will tell if this Alaskan thriller snowballs into a drama hit or melts away.