The 12 Best Guillermo Del Toro Movies, Ranked

Guillermo del Toro’s first big studio film, Mimic, certainly put him on the map as a horror director to watch out for, but it was still a far cry from the heights he would arrive at later in his career. The film takes place some years after entomologist Dr Susan created a new species of insects that mimic and kill disease-bearing cockroaches. The species evolves into a dangerous subway-dwelling monster capable of threatening humankind. 

Due to fights over creative control and the final edit, del Toro actually disowned the theatrical cut while maintaining he was still proud of the visuals. If you’re a del Toro fan, watching Mimic isn’t a must, but it does hold up as a solid horror film in its own right, and certainly demonstrates the director’s unique vision despite the studio interference.

Crimson Peak is a pure gothic romance with truly stunning visual elements. Set in Victorian-era England, the film follows wealthy heiress Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) after she marries the dashing Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston), and they settle (along with his overbearing sister, Lucille) in the family’s remote Gothic estate in Cumberland. But Edith soon discovers the house is very much alive with secrets from the past. 

While del Toro’s ninth film is beloved by many, overall, the reviews were mixed. What the film gets unequivocally right is its powerful visuals, creating a truly dreadful feeling of malignancy as the secret-laden house rots from the inside out. What’s more, del Toro’s ability to create tension while building toward the crescendo keeps the audience absorbed throughout. However, there’s no denying that the chemistry between the main duo (Wasikowska and Hiddleston) is severely lacking, and what should have been a central love story falls far short of the mark. 

Lastly, through no fault of del Toro himself, the marketing campaign sold Crimson Peak as a horror film, which gave fans the expectation that they would be quivering with fear by the end. While Crimson Peak has its scary moments, it is ultimately a gothic romance with some horror elements, and the inaccurate marketing left many fans feeling disappointed.

Guillermo del Toro’s first independent film, Cronos, brought him to the attention of critics and studios in the United States. The film follows the story of antiques dealer Jesús Gris (Federico Luppi), who finds himself caught in a power struggle with dying businessman Dieter de la Guardia (Claudio Brook) and his oafish nephew Angel (Ron Perlman) over a centuries-old mechanism that gives the wielder eternal life.

The film demonstrates del Toro’s growing ability to balance horror with drama, which he would later perfect in films like The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth. Critics praised the film’s on-point religious references, and the performances from frequent del Toro’s soon-to-be collaborators Ron Perlman and Federico Luppi. All in all, Cronos is a great film to watch if you’re curious about the evolution of del Toro’s filmmaking process and want to see his early attempts at creating a style he would later master.

Blade II is del Toro’s fourth film, and his second big studio American production. It follows the story of the human-vampire hybrid Blade (Wesley Snipes) as he continues to protect humans from dangerous vampire aggressors. In an effort to block a sinister plan by mutant vampires known as the Reapers to wipe out all other vampires and humans, Blade joins forces with an elite group of vampires.

While the film was widely praised for its wild visuals and largely continues in the steps of the first film, it lacks a bit of overall character and plot development. That being said, Blade II is prime viewing for anyone looking to get lost in a visual extravaganza of mesmerising fight scenes and nightmarish creature designs. The grotesque mouths of the Reapers, plus a truly horrendous autopsy scene, clearly come from the nightmares of del Toro himself—harking back to his previous creations for Cronos and Mimics. While Blade II is less interesting substance-wise than his later films, it’s still very much worth watching for the action alone.

Pacific Rim is so delightfully overblown in its visuals, action sequences, and creature design, it’s almost not a problem that it’s clearly a style-over-substance creation. The film takes place in a distant future where gigantic sea monsters known as Kaiju have emerged from an interdimensional portal in the Pacific Ocean and are waging war on humans. In order to take on the Kaiju, humans create monstrous robots known as Jaegers.

It’s clear that del Toro (who also co-wrote the film’s screenplay) is a big fan of kaiju films himself, and you can feel his die-hard enthusiasm throughout Pacific Rim. If you love over-the-top action and insane creature design, don’t miss out on this del Toro epic.

The first Hellboy film is a fun ride, and the second instalment is equally so. With extra doses of action, heart, and laughs all around, Hellboy II: The Golden Army was just as well-received as the first, with Hellboy (Ron Perlman) and the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defence members taking on Prince Nuada Silverlance (Luke Goss), who wants to take over the world. 

While the first Hellboy found a spot in some top 50 superhero film lists, it fully came into its own as a franchise in The Golden Army. Del Toro gave his second outing even more of a comedic twist, but still took the time to fully develop the characters in a way that makes us root for them even more than in the first one. From the brilliant performances from the entire cast to the imaginative visuals and entertaining storytelling, the second Hellboy isn’t one to miss for both comic book fans and fans of del Toro’s work.

In this noir thriller, del Toro flexes his skills at character development and devilish plot twists in a way rarely seen in his other films. Nightmare Alley—based on William Lindsay Gresham's 1946 novel—stars the massively talented Bradley Cooper as Stan Carlisle, an ambitious and charismatic carnival worker who learns the tricks of the trade to become a highly successful psychic in 1940s Buffalo, New York. 

Nightmare Alley might not have been as enthusiastically received as some of del Toro’s most well-known productions, but its world-building – in the vein of Chris Nolan’s The Prestige – top performances from Bradely Cooper, Cate Blanchette, and Roony Mara, and compelling twists make it one of the director’s best films to date.

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is one of the few remakes of a classic tale that truly lives up to the original while adding something new. In this stop-motion dark fantasy version, the elderly woodworker Geppetto creates a wooden puppet to ease his heartbreak after losing his son, Carlo. The film then follows the puppet, Pinocchio, after he becomes sentient. From school to military training to the stomach of the Dogfish, Pinocchio is full of dark, fantastical twists and turns.

While previous versions of the story, like Disney’s animated classic or the 2020 live-action film, were undoubtedly geared towards children, del Toro’s take is a darker mix. While it is still suitable for older children, it takes place during Mussolini’s brutal dictatorship and tackles more mature themes of life, death, war, and what it means to be an outsider. Like Pan’s Labyrinth, del Toro’s Pinocchio contrasts childlike innocence with the horrors of authoritarianism, challenging audiences with philosophical and moral questions. What's more, the film’s beautiful stop-motion animation, heartfelt direction, and amazing voice cast led it to win Best Animated Feature at the BAFTAs, Golden Globes, and Academy Awards in 2023.

After the taste of big studio interference with his film Mimic, del Toro decided to find independent funding for his next feature, the Spanish-language The Devil’s Backbone. The film takes place during the final year of the Spanish Civil War. A young boy named Carlos is taken to an orphanage run by Republican loyalists, where he’s visited by the ghost of Santi, a young boy who was killed on the property.

One of del Toro’s best to date, the film shows the promising beginnings of his ability to blend horror with poignant social commentary, something he’d go on to perfect in The Shape of Water and Pan’s Labyrinth. However, while The Devil’s Backbone weaves a compelling and tragic ghost tale with the very real horrors of wartime, it ultimately packs less of an emotional punch than those other films when he revisited the topic later in his career. 

Hellboy is one of del Toro’s most beloved films, with both critics and fans praising it for its visuals, humour, and high entertainment value. Based on Mike Mignola’s comic book of the same name, Hellboy follows the story of a demon (played expertly by Ron Pearlman) turned paranormal investigator for the US government’s Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defence. 

When Hellboy first debuted, it attracted a whole new audience to del Toro’s films. While his previous big mainstream film, Blade II, introduced him as a promising action director, Hellboy demonstrated his ability to blend humour and fantasy with some killer action—something that would inspire later generations of superhero films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Whether you’re a fan of the Hellboy comic book, del Toro’s directing and visual style, or are just looking for a good mix of laughs and action with a unique flair, make sure you don’t miss Hellboy.

The Shape of Water is perhaps Guillermo del Toro’s most critically acclaimed film to date– nominated for 13 awards at the 90th Academy Awards, and winning a total of four, including Best Picture and Best Director. An unusual Oscar contender, let alone winner, The Shape of Water’s win marked a turning point for the Academy, indicating a softening toward genre films.

Set during the Cold War in 1962, this dark romantic fantasy tale follows the highly allegorical love story between a mute cleaning woman named Elisa (Sally Hawkins) and a humanoid fish-man (Doug Jones) being kept in a government lab. Highly unusual, del Toro’s prowess in both storytelling and visual effects makes The Shape of Water a powerful and deeply moving tale of outsiders finding solace in one another, despite the odds.

Every great director has at least one film that epitomises their unique style, and Pan’s Labyrinth is that film for Guillermo del Toro. The film takes place in 1944 in Francoist Spain, and follows the story of the young Ofelia after she discovers a labyrinth on the grounds of a remote military outposting. Inside, she meets an ancient faun who gives her three tasks to complete to become immortal. 

Like The Devil’s Backbone before it, Pan’s Labyrinth contrasts the lightness of childhood fantasy with the real-world evils of wartime and grotesque human violence. While this might be a fantasy, be warned that its content is quite dark and deals with harsh themes—including violence toward children. But pitting the light against the dark is exactly the point, and no film in del Toro’s back catalogue does it better than Pan’s Labyrinth.

The perfect blend of dark fantasy and drama set against the backdrop of the horrors of the Spanish Civil War, Pan’s Labyrinth is an emotionally devastating and visually stunning masterpiece.