Guillermo del Toro

Made films the shows talk about.

Wikidata Q219124: matched by corpus:resolve, told apart by the only person by that name on Wikidata.

Counted as director. The films the hosts said they directed, which the two lists below run through too: Cronos (1992); Mimic (1997); Hellboy (2004); Pan's Labyrinth (2006); The Shape of Water (2017); Nightmare Alley (2021); Pinocchio (Guillermo del Toro) (2022); Frankenstein (2025); Blade 2; Blade II; Hellboy II; The Devil's Backbone. Count them as craft (1 film) instead.

Draws on

What the speakers say they, or a film of theirs, drew on. Each is a speaker's account: “the maker said so” when they report the maker's own words, “the host's read” when the read is theirs.

Nightmare Alley (1947): 1 line

  1. lineage (remake) · through Nightmare Alley (2021), which they directed: Nightmare Alley ⇒ Nightmare Alley (the host's read). The 1947 film is a neutered version given 1940s moviemaking; the new one is bigger, bolder and better.
    “It's an interesting movie, a neutered version of the story, I would say, given the circumstances of movie making back in the 40s.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Nightmare Alley’ and Our Favorite Films Noir, With Patton Oswalt! · 0:03:35 · Sean Fennessey (0.95 sure it was them)

Ron Perlman: 1 line

  1. lineage (origin of the project) · through Nightmare Alley (2021), which they directed: Ron Perlman ⇒ Nightmare Alley (the host's read). Perlman reportedly put the Gresham book in Del Toro's hands in the mid 90s, so he is why the film exists.
    “he's the person, I believe, who, uh, who put the book in Del Toro's hands, I think in the mid 90s.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Nightmare Alley’ and Our Favorite Films Noir, With Patton Oswalt! · 0:39:39 · Sean Fennessey (0.80 sure it was them)

Drawn on by

What the speakers say drew on them or a film of theirs, marked the same way.

Maestro (2023): 1 line

  1. unmapped (technique learned from) · them, directly: Guillermo del Toro ⇒ Maestro (the maker said so: a video with Guillermo del Toro). Cooper learned crane technique from del Toro and used it in the On the Town sequence.
    “executed magnificently in the on the town sequence in Maestro.”
    The Big Picture · Best Picture Power Rankings and a ‘Poor Things’ Deep Dive. Plus: Julianne Moore and Todd Haynes! · 0:17:17 · Amanda Dobbins (0.40 sure it was them)

Ron Perlman: 1 line

  1. career (career) · them, directly: Guillermo del Toro ⇒ Ron Perlman (the maker said so: Perlman talking about his career). Perlman says his American career was saved by Jeunet and Del Toro, who cast him in Cronos and City of Lost Children.
    “my American career was entirely saved by Gene and Del Toro.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:33:26 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

What the speakers said they did

Directing (15) everyone in directing

Other (6) everyone in other

Craft (1) everyone in craft

What was said about them, by kind

career (2)

  1. career (passion project): Guillermo del Toro → Frankenstein. Del Toro has spent 30 years trying to make Frankenstein.
    “Guillermo Del Toro has been trying to make Frankenstein for 30 years.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:26:56 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  2. career (career): Ron Perlman → Guillermo del Toro. Perlman says his American career was saved by Jeunet and Del Toro, who cast him in Cronos and City of Lost Children.
    “my American career was entirely saved by Gene and Del Toro.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:33:26 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

industry (1)

  1. industry (parallel Disney deals): Guillermo del Toro → Henry Selick. Disney gave del Toro a spooky-movie imprint and Selick his own animation studio, investing in artists to form new Pixars.
    “And there was that Gimbla Toro Disney double dare you where they were like, we're giving you your own imprint to make spooky movies.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Wendell & Wild · 0:45:17 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)

lineage (1)

  1. lineage (lineage): Mike Flanagan → Guillermo del Toro. Flanagan is to horror what del Toro is to fantasy.
    “like the way that Guillermo del Toro is related to fantasy”
    The Big Picture · The 10 Best Horror Movies of the Decade | The Big Picture · 0:08:12 · unknown (Alexander or Karaszewski) (0.40 sure it was them)

programming (1)

  1. programming (programming): Guillermo del Toro → Blade II. They want to do Del Toro and Blade II is David's favorite of the Blade films.
    “Blade 2 is one of your favorites.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 1:29:16 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

unmapped (2)

  1. unmapped (technique learned from): Maestro → Guillermo del Toro. Cooper learned crane technique from del Toro and used it in the On the Town sequence.
    “executed magnificently in the on the town sequence in Maestro.”
    The Big Picture · Best Picture Power Rankings and a ‘Poor Things’ Deep Dive. Plus: Julianne Moore and Todd Haynes! · 0:17:17 · Amanda Dobbins (0.40 sure it was them)
  2. unmapped (could-have-been-by): Poor Things → Guillermo del Toro. The creature story and design could have come from a del Toro film.
    “This could have been a Giroba Del Toro movie, honestly”
    The Big Picture · Best Picture Power Rankings and a ‘Poor Things’ Deep Dive. Plus: Julianne Moore and Todd Haynes! · 0:32:52 · Sean Fennessey (0.65 sure it was them)

verdict (2)

  1. verdict (underrated by consistency): Gene Hackman → Guillermo del Toro. Both are so reliably amazing that nobody is surprised, so they are under-rewarded.
    “Gene Hackman didn't get the amount of Oscar nominations that he deserved only because he because he was always amazing.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Nightmare Alley’ and Our Favorite Films Noir, With Patton Oswalt! · 0:35:12 · Sean Fennessey (0.80 sure it was them)
  2. verdict (verdict): Guillermo del Toro → Ernest Dickerson. Del Toro beat the lesser-known Dickerson.
    “Del Toro beat, uh, uh, Dickerson.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · 2025 March Madness Update 1 · 0:51:22 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

what-if (2)

  1. what-if (what-if): Guillermo del Toro → Seven. Del Toro allegedly turned down directing as too dark; the hosts doubt it.
    “I don't know if I believe that one.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Se7en’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:02:47 · Bill Simmons (0.45 sure it was them)
  2. what-if (what-if): Thor → Guillermo del Toro. Del Toro was attached post-Pan's Labyrinth but left for The Hobbit, which he also did not make.
    “Guillermo del Toro is brought in.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Thor · 0:26:18 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)

Fun items about them

None.