Johnny Depp stars as Edward, a modern day Frankenstein. Edward has been alone in a mountaintop horror-movie castle at the end of the street since his inventor (Price) died before he had a chance to replace Edward's scissors with real hands. Eventually, a kindly Avon Lady (Wiest) shows up at the castle door, takes pity upon Edward and welcomes him into her family, consisting of a distracted husband (Arkin), a precocious young son (Robert Oliveri) and a high school cheerleader daughter Kim (Ryder). Edward's blades turn out to be a hit when it comes to lonely women's hairdos, poodles and garden shrubbery. But they're not so good with people; he keeps hurting himself and others unintentionally.

This is a fairytale that is filled with melancholy as it becomes apparent that the world is not ready for kind-hearted but "freakish" Edward. Depp gives a fantastic performance as he expresses all emotions with barely a word spoken, as he falls in love with Kim while encountering a strange, and cruel, new world. This is one of the many films that shows off Depp's abilities and allowed him to rise above the teen heartthrob status that came with "21 Jump Street".