Filipino artist Denver Balbaboco behind Criterion’s ‘Frankenstein’ cover art

A Filipino artist is behind the striking new cover of one of Criterion Collection’s upcoming releases. Illustrator and graphic artist Denver Balbaboco created the original artwork for the acclaimed American film distributor’s upcoming edition of Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein.”

Criterion Collection recently announced its October 2026 release of del Toro’s "Frankenstein," featuring Balbaboco’s original cover design. 

Balbaboco becomes one of the few Filipino artists whose work has been featured by Criterion, following Jhomar Soriano, who created the cover for “Zatoichi the Outlaw” in Criterion’s 2013 "Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman" box set.

Criterion revealed “Frankenstein” alongside several other upcoming releases, including Ngozi Onwurah’s “Welcome II the Terrodome,” Jerzy Skolimowski’s “The Shout,” Uli Edel’s “Christiane F.,” a collection of Samuel Fuller’s first films, Jonathan Demme’s “The Silence of the Lambs,” and a complete collection of Stanley Kubrick’s work.

Following Criterion’s announcement, Balbaboco’s artwork quickly became a highlight among fans. One commenter wrote, “That Frankenstein cover [is] a masterpiece,” while another said, “That Frankenstein cover art belongs in a museum!” 

In November last year, Balbaboco also created an alternative movie poster for “Frankenstein” titled “The Creature and Elizabeth,” inspired by Michelangelo’s Pietà.

Balbaboco regularly collaborates with Filipino filmmaker Carl Joseph Papa and created posters for films such as “Iti Mapukpukaw (The Missing),” “58th,” and “The Next 24 Hours.” His other film credits include poster and visual work for “Runo!,” “Fuchsia Libre,” “A Very Good Girl,” “Only We Know,” “Call Me Mother,” and “Shake, Rattle & Roll Extreme, “ which he worked on with artists Dominic Mangubat and Justin Besana.

Beyond film posters, Balbaboco has also worked on other visual projects, including illustrations of moving portraits for BINI’s promotional video and the official poster design for Theatre Group Asia’s production of “Into the Woods.”

The Criterion Collection has also recognized Filipino creatives through its past releases and featured programming. The distributor has released Lav Diaz’s “Magellan” and Lino Brocka’s “Maynila, sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag (Manila in the Claws of Light)” on Blu-ray and DVD, while Brocka’s “Insiang” was featured on the Criterion Channel. Filipino filmmaker and actress Isabel Sandoval was also featured in Criterion’s “Closet Picks” series.