Birthday Spotlight: Guillermo del toro

Happy 56th birthday to one of our best pop filmmakers, GUILLERMO DEL TORO! Much like Christopher Nolan or Wes Anderson, del Toro has managed to cultivate an aesthetic that has made him a brand unto himself. He specializes in mid-20th century fantasy melodramas, usually involving orphaned children and dangerous men. While that’s a specific niche to carve out for one’s self, his potent combination of the saccharine with the gritty has proven to be quite effective. That’s because through all the resplendent imagery and unrivaled creature designs, he is still able to focus on character and performance. There’s rarely a bad performance in a Guillermo del Toro movie, and the look of his characters are often just as iconic as the Doug Jones creatures.

If you have a free 24 hours this weekend, I present a one-day serving of some of del Toro’s best work. Starting with his lone purely gothic ghost story and ending with his heralded comic book movie sequel, you’ll see why del Toro is one of the most popular auteurs in modern cinema.

CRIMSON PEAK: @cinemax
THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE: Digital Rental
PAN’S LABYRINTH: @netflix
THE SHAPE OF WATER: Digital Rental
CRONOS: @hbomax
HELLBOY II: @peacocktv