Last week, the nominations for the 98th Academy Awards came with many surprises, including an impressive nine nods for Guillermo del Toro’s remake of FRANKENSTEIN (read Reel Speak’s recap of the nominations HERE). The horror flick has been in the discussions as one of GDT’s best works, which leads us to the Top 10 Best Films Directed by Guillermo del Toro.
Born in Mexico, GDT has built a career out of monsters, whom he considers to be a source of great power. But his work has also been heavily inspired by fairy tales, mythology, and religious imagery. He has been prolific, acting as producer for many films…but it is his time in the director’s chair where he truly has us.
So, let’s journey into the dark side…
10. NIGHTMARE ALLEY (2021)
This remake of the 1947 neo-noir psychological horror (which was originally an adaptation of a book), had a packed cast (Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett Toni Colette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, Mary Steenburgen, David Strathairm), along with dazzling production design, a haunting atmosphere and a devastating ending. All the elements that make up a good nightmare.
9. MIMIC (1997)
Based on the short story of the same name, MIMIC followed the creation of a genetically modified insect. It had a moody atmosphere, gritty urban horror, and just enough heart. Although GDT would disavow the theatrical cut after studio meddling, the film would find new life on home video with a director’s cut. But both versions deliver the chills.
8. PACIFIC RIM (2013)
GDT had made a career out of making monsters sympathetic creatures. But with PACIFIC RIM, he said ah-fuck-it and just made the big monsters the big bad guys. Set in the future where mankind builds giant robots to battle colossal sea monsters, PACIFIC RIM built a self-contained universe with echoes of STAR WARS, and the spectacle was fashioned especially for big-screen oh-wow moments.
7. CRONOS (1993)
GDT’s feature film debut. An antique dealer discovers a mysterious device inside a statue that gives eternal life. Hailed as a modern classic, CRONOS displays gothic horror with outstanding practical effects and poetic symbolism. Masterfully shot and edited, CRONOS has a beautiful melancholy to it, hinting at the style GDT would embrace for the next 30 years.
6. THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE (2001)
One of GDT’s most acclaimed films. A young boy during the end of Spanish Civil War is haunted by the ghost of a recently deceased boy. Tender humanity, wartime tragedy, and GDT’s look at his countrymen’s past make this deserve every acclaim.
5. HELLBOY (2004)
There are things that go bump in the night, and what better way for GDT to bump back than with this adaptation of the popular comic, HELLBOY. Ron Perlman and his jaw stars as the demon-turned-investigator of paranormal threats, fighting off monsters and creatures and all sorts of evil. Like PACIFIC RIM, HELLBOY built a dazzling universe of creatures, and this was only a hint of what would come next…
4. HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY (2008)
Where HELLBOY gave us a peek of the strange and unusual, THE GOLDEN ARMY drew the curtain back all the way. In this sequel, Hellboy and his team battles an elven king looking to reclaim the world. The universe is expanded by way of breathtaking creatures and setpieces (the troll-market is still amazing), and the action is balanced out with a lot of heart…enforcing GDT’s belief that all creatures are beautiful.
3. FRANKENSTEIN (2025)
The newest film from GDT may still have the scent of a fresh corpse, but for now it deserves high praise in his filmography. This re-telling of the Mary Shelly novel pulls great performances out of Oscar Isaac, Mia Goth, and most especially Jacob Elordi as the creature. It is a visual stunner, emotional, and pays tribute to nearly every Frankenstein adaptation for the screen.
2. THE SHAPE OF WATER (2017)
GDT’s take on the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale in this period dark fantasy about a mute cleaner at a secret government lab who falls in love with a captured humanoid amphibian. By using alternate ways of communication, the story unfolds in a very unique way, and it is supported by excellent performances from Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, and Michael Shannon. Nominated for 13 Oscars and winner of four, including Best Picture and Director for GDT.
1. PAN’S LABYRINTH (2006)
GDT’s compassionate imagination for dark fantasy and creatures with eyeballs in all the wrong places comes to life in this stunner that elevated his name into pop culture and elite cinema. Set in 1944, PAN’S LABYRINTH follows a young girl during post-Civil War Spain who falls into a hidden labyrinth and given three dangerous tasks. Loaded with GDT’s love for fairy tales, folklore, fantasy, and breathtaking creatures…PAN’S LABYRINTH is a journey into the unknown with emotional gravity and a few gory surprises. There are films made that we just cannot take our eyes away from, and this is where GDT had us all.
Reel Speak's Top 10 Films Directed by Guillermo del Toro
- PAN'S LABYRINTH
- THE SHAPE OF WATER
- FRANKENSTEIN
- HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY
- HELLBOY
- THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE
- CRONOS
- PACIFIC RIM
- MIMIC
- NIGHTMARE ALLEY
No comments:
Post a Comment
A few rules:
1. Personal attacks not tolerated.
2. Haters welcome, if you can justify it.
3. Swearing is goddamn OK.