Top Guillermo del Toro Movies You Need to Watch Right Now

Guillermo del Toro’s movies boast visually striking images and a strong use of colors, as well as a use of everyday objects as visual motifs for the internal struggles of his characters is one of my favorite aspects of a del Toro movie.

Giving a lens to examine real-world trauma, societal oppression, and human complexities, del Toro’s narratives are built on meticulously crafted worlds with marginalized individuals seeking redemption through resilience or pain.

If you haven’t explored del Toro’s filmography yet, here’s a list of his best works that will make you a fan.

Best Movies By Guillermo del Toro

1. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

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Arguably one of del Toro's best works, Pan’s Labyrinth is a visceral blend of dark fantasy with the brutal realities of post-Civil War Spain. Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), a young girl who ends up in a mythical labyrinth, faces magical trials set by a mysterious faun.

Ofelia’s journey is both literal and metaphorical—a poignant allegorical tale about innocence lost in times of violence.

Del Toro seamlessly integrates fantasy and historical drama in Pan’s Labyrinth, demonstrating how genre elements can be used to explore profound human themes.

2. The Shape Of Water (2017)

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A surreal love story between a mute janitor, Elisa (Sally Hawkins), and an amphibious creature captive in a secret Cold War-era laboratory, The Shape of Water explores themes of otherness, empathy, and our eternal desire to love. At its emotional core, the story is reinforced by its fairytale structure and lyrical tone.

Del Toro treats the camera as an omniscient character in The Shape of Water, demonstrating how camera movement is a form of expression that can make the environment a living part of the story.

3. Pinocchio (2022)

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This stop-motion adaptation of the classic tale is about a puppet’s journey to discovering what it means to be truly alive. Set against the backdrop of the turbulent 1930s, del Toro’s narrative explores themes of mortality, identity, and obedience in a society demanding conformity.

Pinocchio is a classic demonstration of the power of animation in tackling themes of maturity with nuance.

4. The Devil’s Backbone (2001)

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The Devil’s Backbone boldly explores trauma, loss, and the lingering effects of violence through paranormal elements. The story revolves around a haunted orphanage during the Spanish Civil War, and the paranormal elements represent unresolved grief and the horrors of war.

Del Toro adds innocence and vulnerability to his narrative by using the perspectives of the orphaned children. He taps into psychological horror while forcing us to think.

At the least, this ghost story is as much about the living as it is about the dead.

The Devil’s Backbone works so well because it masterfully combines horror with history to become a powerful vehicle of social commentary.

5. Nightmare Alley (2021)

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A dark tale revolving around Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper), a carnival worker whose ambition gets the better of him, sets out to con a dangerous tycoon with the help of a mysterious psychiatrist, Dr. Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett).

The production design in this film is so on point that it almost feels like del Toro went back in time and shot the movie. This is the second adaptation of the namesake novel by American writer William Lindsay Gresham (after William Lindsay Gresham’s Nightmare Alley in 1947). Unlike the first film, del Toro focuses on exploring the underlying greed, manipulation and darkness within human nature through Stan.

Nightmare Alley brilliantly uses light and shadow to evoke a classic noir feeling while highlighting del Toro’s signature visual language.

That being said, some argue that the pacing of this film is too slow to their liking, which shows that sometimes, even the best visuals can drain your audience if the pacing of your story is not punchy enough.

6. Hellboy (2004)

- YouTube Release Date: April 2, 2004 During World War II, young Professor Bruttenholm and a group of U.S. soldiers disrupt a Nazi occult ...

Hellboy is del Toro’s proof of affection for monsters and outsiders. A dystopian world set against the backdrop of World War II, Hellboy blends occult and paranormal elements into the chaos of turmoil.

The story follows Hellboy (Ron Perlman), a baby demon accidentally summoned by the Nazis during World War II in an attempt to weaponize paranormal forces. Instead, the Allied Forces rescue Hellboy. Sixty years later, Hellboy, an agent at the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, sets out to protect America against dark forces.

Del Toro’s Hellboy sets a tested template for adapting comic books while maintaining depth and artistry by balancing action with humor and heart.

7. Cronos (1992)

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Del Toro’s debut feature won the audience’s heart with its unique take on the vampire mythos. Featuring gothic production design complemented with practical effects, the treatment of this film is restrained yet evocative, focusing more on atmosphere and character rather than spectacle.

The narrative aims to blur the lines between man and monster and explore the cost of immortality and the persistence of love in the face of corruption.

The story follows an elderly antique dealer, Jesus Gris (Federico Luppi), who stumbles upon Cronos, a 400-year-old scarab that grants vitality and immortality in exchange for a vampire curse.

Cronos demonstrates how genre films can be used to explore human complexities through cultural and philosophical questions.

Guillermo del Toro’s films demonstrate the power of integrating personal vision with genre storytelling to craft a narrative that resonates on multiple levels. Each of his films is proof of how little things like attention to detail and visual motifs can make a lot of difference in your visual language.

Which is your favourite Guillermo del Toro movie?