Guillermo Del Toro is arguably one of the most imaginative filmmakers of the modern era. His films are often a blend of beautifully dark fantasy and the harsh realities of real world conflict and are filled with interesting characters and incredibly memorable creatures. Del Toro has a penchant for creating bizarre and memorable monsters which is evident from his colourful filmography over the years. From his American blockbusters to his more independent Spanish language film, the Mexican born director has given us a large number of grotesque and nightmarish creatures over the years. This made it really hard to just choose 10 of Del Toro's creations for this list, but after much consideration and narrowing down, here are my 10 favourite Guillermo Del Toro creatures.
10. The Judas Breed- Mimic
When disease-carrying cockroaches plague the sewers of New York, what's the best way to control them? Well in Mimic the most logical thing to do is create a hybrid creature from the DNA of termites and mantises in order to take care of these pesky roaches. Unfortunately for the unsuspecting citizens of New York these hybrid creatures known as 'the Judas breed' begin to evolve and adapt, allowing them to move onto much larger prey. While Mimic isn't Del Toro's best film, The Judas Breed are a fantastic creation and a prime example of Del Toro's affinity for insects. They are clever creatures that evolve to the point that they are not only life-sized, but can mimic (hence the title) the actions and appearance of a human if they wish. By cloaking themselves in their wingspan and using a false face, these ghastly insects can easily pass as human and move about freely on the surface without being spotted. The creatures walk among us here in Del Toro's first American feature, hungry creatures at that.
9. The Crimson Ghosts- Crimson Peak
I feel like Crimson Peak is Del Toro's most misunderstood film as it was marketed as your usual supernatural horror as opposed to the gothic horror homage that it actually was. Regardless of your opinion on Crimson Peak, you cannot deny that the ghosts that appear in this film are creepy as hell. The most memorable spirits of Crimson Peak are the ghosts of Thomas' (Tom Hiddleston) ex-wives, skeletal figures with a blood-red appearance. The creatures were created with a combination of practical effects and CGI, many believed that they were fully CGI due to their bizarre movements, however this was not CGI but in actual fact it was thanks to the actor himself Javier Botet. Botet, who has appeared in films such as Mama and REC has a rare condition that gives him his elongated features and ability to contort his body in the strangest ways, giving him the ability to play his usually inhuman characters. It is Botet's movements that make these crimson spirits so spine-chilling, along with their grotesque appearances and scarlet skin. While they are terrifying to look at, the ghosts of Thomas' ex-wives are not the villains of this piece, rather helpful spirits attempting to warn Edith (Mia Wasikowska) of the horrors that lie in Crimson Peak.
8. Strigoi- The Strain
The Strain is a television series based off the books written by Del Toro and Chuck Hogan, and while he is obviously not fully in charge of the series, these grizzly vampires are signature Del Toro. The Strigoi are different from our usual vision of vampires, they are not charming and manipulative creatures, but savage and grotesque monsters. They are very animalistic in their movements and appearance, their most distinctive feature is their massive tongue with a stinger at the end that can be released when their jaws retract, they are very much a more finished version of the reaper vamps Del Toro used in Blade II. Their unhealthily pale skin, sunken features and bald head makes their appearance very reminiscent of Count Orlok from Nosferatu, while their long tongue and retractable jaw renders them to be very snake-like. These disgusting creatures infect others with disease by introducing worms into their body that carry the disease, their ghastly strain spread through New York incredibly quick and left the city under quarantine. It is clear from certain Strigoi such as Herr Eichhorst (Richard Sammel) that over time they evolve, developing speech and the ability to walk and act like a human, even going as far as to apply makeup to allow them to hide among the crowd. They are incredibly deadly creatures, more deadly than your average vamp.
7. Santi- The Devil's Backbone
One of Del Toro's most acclaimed films is his third feature, The Devil's Backbone, a ghost story set in an old orphanage during the Spanish civil war. The ghost of the piece is the mysterious Santi (Junio Valverde), a pale child with a wound on his head that emits a mysterious red mist. He resides in the orphanage and is discovered by newcomer Carlos (Fernando Tielve) who is terrified at first, yet despite his horrific appearance, Santi is a friendly ghost who wishes to help the children. Once an orphan at the facility, Santi disappeared the same night that a defused bomb dropped in the orphanage, since then both Santi and the bomb lie dormant and cause great distress among the citizens that reside there. Santi is the cause of great mystery in The Devil's Backbone, who was he? How did he die? What is he trying to tell the children? Like the ghosts in Del Toro's later work Crimson Peak, Santi may be ghastly in appearance, but at heart he is a friendly spirit who wishes to warn the children, not harm them. His tragic fate is integral to the films climax and adds some emotional depth to the film, Santi's story is a prime example of how Del Toro effortlessly blends fear and compassion in his films.
6. Kaiju- Pacific Rim
The Kaiju are a race of giant monsters that came to Earth from deep beneath the ocean, the villains of the piece, these creatures are an homage to Japanese monster movies, specifically Toho films. There are a number of different types of Kaiju, from the Mutavore to the iconic Knifehead, these interdimensional beats come in all shapes and sizes, well all large sizes anyway. They terrorised some of the world's biggest cities such as San Francisco and Hong Kong and forced the creation of giant robots called Jaeger's to combat them. Kaiju, which means 'strange creature' in Japanese, are clear tributes to monster movie precursors such as Godzilla and Rodan. Del Toro is a massive fan of monster movies so it was only a matter of time before he paid tribute to some of the greats. What is best about the Kaiju is that they are all so original and distinctive in design, none feel like carbon copies of the likes of Godzilla but instead they are all completely unique with only a few features borrowed from the legends of Toho. These are Del Toro's most colossal creations that not only pay homage, but also bring about their own brand of chaos and destruction which makes them incredibly formidable foes.
5. Karl Ruprecht Kroenen- Hellboy
Ok so technically Kroenen (Ladislav Beran) was not created by Del Toro, he is based on Mike Mignola's character from his Hellboy comics. However when Del Toro took Mignola's comics to the big screen, he took Kroenen in a vastly different direction but arguably made him much more memorable. While Kroenen's comic book counterpart was more academic and bookish, in Del Toro's film he is portrayed as Hitler's number one assassin. He is silent and relentless, equipped with hidden blades and kept alive by distinctive gas masks, Kroenen is a living terminator and the ultimate Nazi death machine. He is incredibly skilled in hand to hand combat and is capable of killing almost anything, not only that, but he himself is practically unkillable. Due to his clockwork heart and the fact that his blood has gradually dried up into sand, Kroenen is basically dead already, and how exactly does one kill a dead man? Kroenen may not be an original creation but Del Toro certainly put his own spin on the character, making him much more deadly and frightening, I feel like Del Toro vastly improved Kroenen's character from the comics. He is definitely one of Del Toro's coolest characters.
4. The Faun- Pan's Labyrinth
The first character of Doug Jones' dual role in Pan's Labyrinth, the Faun acts as a friendly guide to Ophelia (Ivana Baquero) through the dark fantasy world which she enters. While he is quite bizarre in appearance, from the spiral designs on his head to his goat-like horns and legs, the Faun is a benevolent being who seeks to aid the young Ophelia in her quest for immortality. He gives her a number of tasks that she must undertake including retrieving a key from a monstrous toad and a dagger from the terrifying Pale Man (I'll get to him later), yet despite these gruesome tasks the Faun appears to be acting in her best interests. Portrayed wonderfully by Del Toro's frequent collaborator Doug Jones and dubbed in Spanish by Pablo Adán, the Faun is like a darker version of something out of a Lewis Carroll book. He is eccentric, he is curious and he acts as a guide for the human Ophelia through a very inhuman world. His appearance is one of Del Toro's most well designed and was achieved through mainly practical effects and a bit of CGI to help create those goat legs. While he may look a little scary, he provides friendship and comfort from the isolated Ophelia and seeks to return her to her rightful place as princess Moanna.
3. Jesús Gris- Cronos
Cronos is Del Toro's feature-length debut and is the film that established him as the director he is today. It is a twist on vampire lore and follows antique dealer Jesús (Federico Luppi) who discovers a mysterious scarab-like contraption that injects him with a mysterious fluid, turning him into a vampire. Gris is a character who is both emotionally and morally conflicted, on one hand the cronos device makes him more youthful and full of life, on the other hand it is slowly turning him into a bloodthirsty vampire. While Gris succumbs to his bloodlust he struggles to control it and almost feeds on his poor granddaughter in one scene, he is a character who must choose between his youth and the safety of his loved ones. Gris is the most human character on this list, he is not a ghost or a monster (despite his gradual transformation), but a man struggling to resist temptation. As an old man who finds a way to revitalise his youth, it is understandable why Jesús becomes so attached to the cronos device despite its sinister side-effects. While he does eventually gain many vampiric characteristics, he is still a man with a lot of love for those close to him and even in his vampire form, will do anything to protect them. He is the epitome of what Del Toro's films are about, the juxtaposition between humanity and the bizarre, and as a man who finds himself on the verge of becoming a monster, Jesús Gris is a man with qualities of both.
2. Angel of Death- Hellboy II: The Golden Army
While The Golden Army is not nearly as good as the first Hellboy film, it does contain a lot more of Del Toro's distinctive creature design that makes his films so iconic. The most fantastic creature of the piece is by far the mysterious Angel of Death portrayed by Doug Jones. While it only has a very minor role in the film, The Angel is undoubtedly one of the greatest creatures to appear in a Del Toro film due to its incredible appearance. This giant, skeletal creature is most noticeable due to the abundance of eyes on its massive wingspan instead of its blank face. The hooded creature appears to a dying Hellboy (Ron Perlman) as he enters the underground city of Bethmora. With Hellboy on the brink of death due to a spear fragment lodged in his chest, his girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair) is faced with a choice of whether or not to save him. The Angel appears to be neutral, it cares not for whether or not Hellboy lives or dies and is simply there to carry out its purpose. However, when Liz makes her decision to let Hellboy live, the Angel helps to remove the shard before leaving the heroes, never to be seen again. Del Toro put a lot of creativity into this creature and it is one of his most iconic creations, I'd like to think it would come back some day if there was ever a Hellboy 3, but somehow I can't see that happening.
1. The Pale Man- Pan's Labyrinth
The other character of Doug Jones' dual role in Pan's Labyrinth, the Pale Man is the more malevolent of the two and is by far Del Toro's most terrifying creation. A pale, hairless creature with sagging skin and no eyes, he resides by a crackling fire at a large banquet table. From images around the Pale Man it is implied that he enjoys eating children but when young Ophelia reaches his lair he is fast asleep. However, after eating a couple of plums despite warnings from her fairy companions, the sinister Pale Man awakens and pursues Ophelia through his lair in the films most terrifying sequence. The Pale Man's most distinctive feature is the presence of eye sockets on the palms of his hands instead of on his face, when Ophelia wakes him he places and eyeball into each socket and uses his hands to see. Every movement the Pale Man makes is chilling, he may be slow but it only makes him more imposing as he slowly advances on our young heroine. He is a grotesque creature and one of Jones' best performances yet, while he is not exactly integral to the plot and only appears in this scene, he is arguably the films most terrifying aspect. This nightmare inducing character is terrifying and grotesque, his hideous appearance and spine-tingling movements make him Del Toro's most memorable and most brilliant creation to date.
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