Guillermo del Toro is a cinematic visionary. A Mexican filmmaker, author, and artist, he is known for blurring the lines between the beautiful and the grotesque.
He works primarily in the horror and fantasy genres, frequently indulging in overlap and pulling in elements of dark fairy tales and gothicism.
At The Lineup, we love anyone who has a passion for monsters. And no one has a passion for them like del Toro.
While we wait for his highly-anticipated Frankenstein film, what better time is there to review his filmography?
From skin-crawling insect horror to breathtaking fantasy parables, here is a list of Guillermo del Toro's movies, ranked from least to most enchanting.
12. Mimic (1997)
Written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, this film may rank at the bottom, but that doesn't mean it's bad, per se.
After all, del Toro has a mind known for it's incredible, fantastical creativity.
In the wake of a cockroach infestation, entomologist Susan Tyler (Mira Sorvino) creates a genetically modified insect. This bug is meant to kill cockroaches carrying a dangerous disease.
However, three years after the insects creation, it rapidly evolves. Now it seeks out to destroy its only natural predator: mankind.
As a movie of the late 90s, Mimic obviously had some limitations. Still, del Toro delivered a middle of the road movie which still managed to scar an early audience.
11. Blade II (2002)
Tackling a sequel is always going to be hard, but the job becomes doubly difficult when it's based on a Marvel superhero.
Still, del Toro managed to direct a sequel that didn't pale too much in comparison to the first film, delivering a highly stylistic, enjoyable action film at the end of the day.
Blade II follows the titular character, the human-vampire hybrid Blade, who is determined to protect mankind from the undead.
In this film, Blade forges a tenuous alliance with the vampire council as a mutant strain of vampires, Reapers, threatens to wipe out both races.
10. Crimson Peak (2015)
What holds Crimson Peak back is its dedication to aesthetic cover a moving, substantial plot. But for those who love a stylistic Gothic romp, del Toro more than delivers on tense, eerie vibes and haunting spectacle.
In Victorian England, aspiring author and new bride Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) travels with her new husband, Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston), and his sister, Lucille (Jessica Chastain), to a remote mansion.
Here, Edith is plagued by ghostly visions, urging her to unravel dark and mysterious secrets.
9. Hellboy (2004)
Based on the Dark Horse Comics character of the same name, Hellboy follows a demon (Ron Perlman) rescued from Nazis and raised from infancy.
Working as a detective with the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, Hellboy must stop a resurrected sorcerer from bringing about the apocalypse.
As a writer and director on the project, del Toro effortlessly captures the bizarre aspects of the story, balancing them well with action and moments of light-hearted comedy.
However, the origin story flounders a bit, as they tend to do, with too much nuance to pack into one introductory film.
8. Pacific Rim (2013)
In the future, mankind is at war with monstrous sea creatures called Kaiju.
Humanity must use hulking humanoid mechas called Jaegers to defeat the beasts, requiring them to pair duos of co-pilots with a mental link.
In the waning days of the war, former Jaeger pilot Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) is yanked out of retirement and paired with trainee Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) in a final effort to end the Kaiju.
7. Cronos (1992)
In del Toro's first feature film, a mysterious device resurface four centuries after it's creation.
It's original purpose was to bestow eternal life upon its owner, but now it leaves only destruction in its wake.
Cronos is a Spanish language film subtitled in English.
6. Nightmare Alley (2021)
Based on the 1946 novel of the same name by William Lindsay Gresham, Nightmare Alley is a riveting psychological thriller.
Charismatic grifter Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) builds up his career from a lowly carnival worker to a highly-esteemed psychic medium.
But his mysterious past and a tireless psychologist threaten everything he's worked for.
5. Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
Having overcome the hurdle of the origin story, Hellboy II: The Golden Army is a sequel that absolutely sparkles.
A mythical prince, Nuada (Luke Goss), wants to strike out against humanity and reclaim the world for his own people.
In order to save mankind, Hellboy and his team must prevent Nuada from finding the unstoppable Golden Army.
This film delivers absolutely stunning visuals, seemingly blending wonder and darkness in character and set creation.
4. The Shape of Water (2017)
Perhaps one of del Toro's best storylines, The Shape of Water stands out among his body of work for having one of the more self-contained worlds.
The fantastical elements don't overextend or over-explain themselves, allowing the movie to be well-lived in by the audience.
In the 1960s, a top secret research facility in Baltimore, Maryland hold a strange, amphibious humanoid creature (Doug Jones) in captivity.
When a mute janitor (Elisa Esposito) forges a strong romantic bond with the creature, she sets out to break him out, saving him from the looming threat of death at the hands of an evil colonel.
3. The Devil's Backbone (2001)
In this Gothic horror film, 12-year-old Carlos's father has died in the Spanish Civil War. With no where else to go, Carlos is sent to an unsettling boys' orphanage run by Republican loyalists.
With the strife of the world going on around him, Carlos finds that the ghost of a recently-deceased boy haunts the orphanage. But it is not only this spirit that haunts the orphanage, but a slew of dark secrets waiting to be uncovered.
This film delivers a suffocating sense of dread, as well as an achingly apt snapshot of childhood in times of war. Eerie visuals meet elegant storytelling in this incredible feat of cinema.
2. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022)
Most of us know the story of Pinocchio: a wooden puppet is magically brought to life, and sent on series of mishaps and adventures.
However, Guillermo del Toro's stop-motion dark fantasy film brings this age-old tale to new heights.
This adaptation embraces the darkness within Pinocchio's tale like never before, while still letting the film be a magical and delightful experience for intended young audiences.
Poignant and stunning, the film manages to be fun, all while delivering a timely message about fascism.
1. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
Who can really be surprised that Pan's Labyrinth earned the top ranking?
This film has dark, enchanting visuals that have yet to be matched by any other film, del Toro or otherwise. In this unique imagery, a sense of wonder, curiosity, and play is tightly interwoven with dread and terror.
The story takes place in Spain in 1944, following a young girl, Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) who lives with her brutal stepfather. One night, Ofelia meets a fairy who introduces her to an incredible magical world.
In this world, an old faun tells her that she is a princess. However, in order to prove her status, she must endure three gruesome trials.
