Renée's filmic predecessor in raw middle age is Emmi, the romantic lead of R.W. Fassbinder's 1974 masterpiece «Ali: Angst Essen Seele Auf» (Ali: Fear Eats The Soul)».
What his Frankenstein, here a Victoria (played by Helen McCrory), does different than her filmic predecessors is create her monster for a reason — she needs to farm its organs for her dying son, William.