Frankenstein (2025) and the best films by Guillermo del Toro
The new adaptation of Frankenstein marks Guillermo del Toro’s return to his dark and poetic essence, consolidating more than three decades of a filmography marked by the fusion between fantasy, horror and a very particular aesthetic.
The director is one of the few capable of transforming horror into art. His films balance the grotesque and the beautiful, moving between fantastic worlds and deeply human dramas.
After the recent release of Frankenstein, it is worth remembering the works that shaped the director’s unmistakable style, available on different streaming platforms and which help to understand why he became one of the most respected names in contemporary cinema.
The Devil’s Backbone (Prime Video)
Released in 2001, this film is considered the spiritual brother of Pan’s Labyrinth. Set in the final years of the Spanish Civil War, The Devil’s Backbone follows an isolated orphanage that hides disturbing secrets.
The film combines supernatural horror with a powerful metaphor about lost childhood and the scars left by war, consolidating the political and emotional tone that would become del Toro’s trademark.
Hellboy (Prime Video)
In 2004, Guillermo del Toro brought to the screen one of the most unique comic book adaptations ever made. Hellboy presents a demon created to destroy the world, but who chooses to fight for the good of humanity.
The film balances action, humor and mythology, as the director uses fantastical creatures and practical effects to create a unique visual universe. The production paved the way for the public to discover his talent in uniting the epic and the intimate, and became one of the most classic comic book adaptations.
Pan’s Labyrinth
Considered by many to be del Toro’s masterpiece, Pan’s Labyrinth is a dark tale set in post-war Spain. The story of Ofelia, a girl who encounters a mysterious faun, is both a fable and an allegory about the brutality of the Francoist regime.
The film won three Oscars and is, to this day, one of the most impactful representations of childhood in the face of horror, in addition, of course, to being an undisputed milestone in the filmmaker’s career.
Circle of Fire (Prime Video)
In 2013, the director expanded his horizons by helming a super science fiction production. Circle of Fire brought colossal battles between robots and monsters, but without abandoning del Toro’s typical emotional sensitivity.
Even within the blockbuster genre, the film preserves a human look at the extraordinary, with stunning creature design and engaging storytelling.
The Scarlet Hill
Returning to Gothic, del Toro released Scarlet Hill in 2015, a work that combines romance and horror. The plot follows a young writer who moves to an isolated mansion after her wedding and discovers that the place holds ghosts from the past.
Visually stunning, the film is a tribute to the classics of romantic horror, but also a reflection on love, death and artistic creation.
The Shape of Water (Disney+)
With 2017’s The Shape of Water, Guillermo del Toro finally won the Oscar for Best Director and Best Picture. The love story between a mute woman and an aquatic creature is one of the most delicate of his career, mixing magical realism, social criticism and fairytale aesthetics. The film summarizes the director’s philosophy: giving voice and beauty to monsters, transforming the different into protagonists.
Pinocchio (Netflix)
In 2022, del Toro revisited the children’s classic with a dark and deeply emotional approach. His version of Pinocchio, made in stop motion animation, redefines the fairy tale by placing it in a context of war and mourning.
The result is a mature and moving film, which reaffirms the director’s talent for treating complex themes with delicacy and incomparable visual imagination.
A legacy shaped by fantasy and fear
Guillermo del Toro has built a career in which horror is just a tool to talk about humanity. His films mix the real and the imaginary, questioning what makes us monsters and what still makes us human. Frankenstein, in this sense, is the natural culmination of his trajectory, with a story about creation, rejection and love amid horror.
The new film reaffirms del Toro’s poetic and visually impressive vision, which transforms fear into beauty and the grotesque into reflection. By revisiting the classics and renewing fantastic cinema, the director continues to show that there is no creature more fascinating than the human being himself.
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